“It doesn’t matter if there’s some huge hypothetical plan,” said Madison. “It doesn’t matter where the pheromone came from, or how it got there, or why the sky is blue—all you have to do is copy it.”

“We have to know how it works first—” said Marcus, but Isolde cut him off.

“We’re going to go take it,” said Isolde. There was an edge in her voice Marcus hadn’t heard before. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You mean from the Partials?”

“The Senate talks about it every day,” said Isolde. “There’s a cure, but we can’t make it on our own, and babies are dying every week, and the people are getting restless. Meanwhile right across the sound there are a million Partials who make our cure every day, without even trying. It’s not ‘will we attack the Partials,’ it’s ‘how much longer will we wait.’”

“I’ve been across the sound,” said Marcus. “I’ve seen what Partials are capable of in a fight—we wouldn’t stand a chance against them.”

“It doesn’t have to be an all-out war,” said Isolde, “just a raid—in and out, grab one guy, done. Just like Kira and Haru did with Samm.”

That got Haru’s attention, and he looked up from his argument with Xochi. “What about me and Samm?”

“They’re talking about whether the Grid’s going to kidnap another Partial,” said Madison.

“Of course they’re going to,” said Haru. “It’s inevitable. They’ve been stupid to wait this long.”

Great, thought Marcus. Now I’m stuck in a conversation with Haru whether I like it or not.

“We don’t have to kidnap one,” said Xochi. “We could just talk to them.”

“You were attacked last time,” said Haru. “I’ve read the reports—you barely made it out alive, and that was with a Partial you trusted. I’d hate to see what happens with a Partial faction you don’t know anything about.”

“We can’t trust all of them,” said Xochi, “but the other thing you must have seen in the reports is that Samm disobeyed his commander to help us. Maybe there are more Partials who share his perspective.”

“If we could really trust them,” said Haru, “we wouldn’t have to rely on the one disobedient outlier to help us. I’ll believe in peace with the Partials as soon as I see them raise a finger to help us.”

“He talks big,” said Madison, “but he wouldn’t trust a Partial even then.”

“If you remembered the Partial War,” said Haru, “you wouldn’t either.”

“So we’re back to the beginning,” said Isolde. “Nobody in charge wants to make peace with them, and nobody in the hospital can make the cure without them, so our only option is war.”

“A small attack,” said Haru. “Just slip in and grab one and they won’t even notice.”