“I can do it by myself,” Joey said. The dogs hopped to their feet. “You know I can.”

“Good grief, of course, I know it. But it never hurts to have someone else just in case.”

Joey petted one of the dogs. Michelle tried not to be completely squicked out by it. “Yeah, Wally’s a good person.”

“Then it’s settled,” Jayewardene said. “How soon can you be ready?”

“I have a bug-out bag in the closet,” she replied with a shrug. “Started one right after my first mission for the Committee.” She went to the hall closet and pulled out a regulation military duffel bag. Inside she had clothes, some rations, water, a first-aid kit, and a solar battery charger for her phone. There were some odds and ends in there, too. Leftovers from previous missions.

She dropped the bag and went to Adesina’s room. She kissed the top of the cocoon, and tears welled up in her eyes. “I’ll be back soon, baby,” she whispered. “Aunt Joey’s gonna take good care of you.”

Joey was standing in the doorway when she looked up. Then Joey was in her arms kissing her. It was surprisingly tender.

“Don’t be a fucking idiot out there,” Joey said when they broke apart. “I need you back in one piece.”

Michelle laughed in spite of herself. “What are the odds I’m not coming back in one piece? It’s like you don’t know me.”

Joey took Michelle’s head in her hands and held it still. “I’m not kidding,” she said earnestly. “I need you.”

“I need you, too.”

“Now get the fuck out of here and go save your daughter.”

The Angel and Billy Ray found an empty lounge down the corridor from the conference room. They looked out the large picture window upon New York City, spread before them in the darkness, glittering like the stars strewn across the sky.

“Been a long day,” Ray said.

The Angel put an arm around his waist, laid her head on his shoulder. “We did good today,” she said.

“Yeah.” He inclined his head to touch hers.

“What’s wrong?” the Angel asked.

Uncharacteristically, Ray sighed. He was in a mood that the Angel had rarely seen in the years they’d been together.

“I don’t like this,” Ray said. “You know I want to go with you, but the agency ain’t going to run itself. I can’t pick up and go when I want to anymore. Not that I really want to this time around.”

The serious tone in his voice disturbed her. “Why not?”

“I’ve been everywhere—including that freaking alien dimension back when we first met—and I’ve seen lots of weird shit go down. Thought I’d seen damn near everything, but now, I’m not so sure.” He turned to face her and put his hands on her narrow waist. She entwined hers and rested them on the back of his neck. His intense green eyes, almost on a level with her own, were shadowed with an uncertainty that the Angel had never seen before. “It smells bad to me. You’re going into a totally uncertain situation and I ain’t too sure that Sir Galahad is the guy who should be leading you into this particular crapsack. But what can I do?”