“Where’s Klaus?” Sheeba asked.

“He’s in the back talking to Babel on the satellite com-link. I’m not sure what else they have to talk about at this point.”

There was a knowing smile on Sheeba’s face. It took Michelle a moment before she realized what that expression meant. “Oh,” she said. “Klaus whispering sweet nothings while on a mission? Sure doesn’t seem like him.” The Angel shrugged.

“How’s your little girl?” Sheeba asked politely. Michelle felt a stab in her chest. She still wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing.

“Not good,” Michelle replied. Then she explained what had happened to Adesina.

The Angel frowned. “I can’t believe you’d leave her,” she said.

“Trust me, it wasn’t my first choice,” Michelle replied with a sigh. “But Joey is with her. And Wally agreed to help out, too. I think she’s in good hands.”

The Angel’s eyes grew round, and she looked at Michelle with disbelief. “You left her with that … that savage.”

“Hey!” Michelle snapped back. “Hoodoo Mama is not a savage. She just swears a lot.” She could feel a small bubble forming in her hand. “There are only a couple of people I trust with my daughter, and she’s one of them. She’d do anything to protect her.”

“I’m sorry,” the Angel said, though she still sounded dubious. “I don’t know her, and most of what I know, I know from other people. I was unfair and un-Christian.”

The bubble floated up to the ceiling and popped. “It’s okay,” Michelle replied, relieved that things hadn’t escalated into a fight about parenting. She liked Sheeba and hated the idea that she might think of Michelle as a bad mother.

Just then, the pilot came out of the cockpit. “Hello, folks, I’m Captain Brown and I’ll be getting you to Talas today. Our flight time should be roughly three and a half hours. Time to strap in.”

Once they were aloft, Michelle got up to see how the other team members were doing. Aero, Earth Witch, and Bugsy were clustered around the galley.

“A little early in the trip to be drinking,” Michelle said. Bugsy opened a beer, then handed it to her. She took a swig. It was hoppy, cold, and just what she needed.

“I dunno,” Bugsy said with a shrug. “Pretty much all of these missions could be better with booze. And lots of it.”

“You got that right,” Ana said. She gave Michelle a conspiratorial grin, then drank half her bottle in one long pull.

“You might want to slow down on that,” Aero interjected. “We’re flying supersonic, and that means the alcohol is going to hit you hard and fast.” Then he gave Michelle a wink.