“We need to tie her up,” Athena said as she moved in, entirely unfazed by Trinity’s Trinityness. The owl girl grunted and shoved the door closed. “Before she wakes up. Quick!”

Emily jumped. Athena was right, of course—the Hero wouldn’t stay down forever. Unless she was dead . . . Emily paused, then looked down and noted the slow breathing from the figure below. Not dead, then.

“I have tape!” a Trinity said as she raised a roll of duct tape clutched in both hands. The other Trinity grabbed the roll and underhanded it to Athena, who caught it out of the air and pulled a long strip loose.

“Teddy, grab her hands,” Athena said.

“Yeah, I got you,” Teddy said. “We should tie her hands and feet together behind her back.”

“Why?” Athena asked. “I mean, sure, but you turn her around.”

Teddy dropped to her knees and with a grunt, flopped the Hero onto her front. “’Cause that’s how you tie up pigs, and all capitalists are pigs.”

“Wow, that’s dark,” Athena said. “Let’s start with her hands first.”

Emily blinked, everything snapping back to attention. Her sisters were acting without her input, which was probably not ideal. “Trin . . .” She paused, took a deep breath to properly recenter herself, then pointed to one Trinity. “Help yourself get your hands free. And get your other you inside to follow me. Uh, after that, keep watch by the front and back of the house, in case someone shows up.”

“Yes, sis!” Trinity said. One of the girls hopped over to the kitchen with both feet tied together while the other ran to the front and peeked out from behind the curtains.

“Athena, can you tell when you’re using your power on someone?” Emily asked.

“Yes?”

“Then use it on her. Tell me if she’s waking up. Keep her down. Teddy—bear form. Don’t hurt her, but keep her on the floor.” Emily took a moment to still her heart while the Trinity that had been outside slid in. “Right, you’re with me,” she said.

“Okay?” that Trinity replied.

Emily walked past the entire disaster and into the corridor the Hero had run out of, Trinity hot on her heels. “Tell me if things change,” Emily said.

“Can do,” Trinity replied. She seemed quite pleased with herself. “I’m not tied up anymore. The other me, I mean.”

“Good. Keep a watch over the house and outside it. I don’t want more surprises,” Emily said as she walked into one of the bedrooms. There was a broken frame on the ground, glass scattered around, and a likely expensive canvas flat on the floor. The place where it’d hung was obvious—a rectangle of slightly discolored paint, with a large safe smack in the center.