Calix’s confusion faded, and her face grew grim and determined again. “Why does this matter?”

“The cure comes from Partials,” said Kira. “He has ten of them in a basement lab, where they’ve been living in induced comas for twelve years.”

“That’s not true,” said Calix.

“I’ve seen them,” said Kira.

“You’re lying.”

“Dr. Vale created the Partials,” said Samm. “There’s a lot about him you don’t know.”

“Stand up,” said Calix. “I’ll take you back, and we’ll talk to Dr. Vale, and he can show everyone exactly how wrong you are.”

“That’s going to be a lot more eye-opening than you think,” said Kira, rising to her feet, when suddenly a gunshot blasted through the building and she dropped to the floor, covering her head. Did she shoot me? Samm? She heard another shot, and a cry of pain, and Calix slumped to the floor. Kira looked up in surprise, then glanced at Samm; he seemed just as confused as she did. Calix was rolling on the floor, clutching her chest in a growing pool of blood. Kira cried out and ran to her. “Calix!”

Calix groaned through clenched teeth, a snarl of pain and anger. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. Who shot you?” She peeled the girl’s hands away from her bloody chest, looking for a bullet hole, and found that the wound was in her hand itself. The excess blood came from a second hole in the girl’s thigh. “You keep pressure on this,” she said, folding the girl’s hands back into her chest. “Samm, I need your help with this leg.”

“Who shot her?” asked Samm, holding Calix’s shoulders to keep her still.

“Who do you think?” asked Heron. Kira wheeled around to see her running in from the ruined street. “It was long range and this handgun isn’t as accurate as it could be. Get out of the way so I can finish her off.”

“We don’t want you to finish her off,” said Kira, throwing herself in front of Heron’s gun. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been doing my job,” said Heron. “You’ve seen the spire?”

“Of course,” said Kira, “and the lab in the basement.”

“I couldn’t get close enough,” said Heron. “There’s some sort of sedative that works on the link. But I’ve been tracking a man named Vale for the last two days, and I’m reasonably certain he’s part of the Trust. There are also some Partials here, somewhere. Is that building what I think it is?”

“Do you think it’s a pheromone farm of ten brain-dead Partial coma patients?”