Mummy began walking toward her. The creatures crawling from the pit stopped crawling out, allowing her to walk over them. They lifted their slimy tentacles and she stepped across them, moving inexorably toward Michelle.

Run, Michelle thought. Run.

Jayewardene had messaged her that morning. Need you. Great Hall ASAP. Barbara grabbed Ink and took the elevator from their offices down to the main floors.

Jayewardene motioned to Barbara from the podium stage where he sat in the main hall. She could hear the representative from Uzbekistan declaiming in Russian from the lectern set below the podium. “… great state of Uzbekistan and our neighbor in Kyrgyzstan have little choice. If Kazakhstan cannot control this threat, we must deal with it ourselves before it reaches our border. Surely the member nations and the Security Council can understand this…”

“Stay here,” Barbara told Ink, then slid past the guard at the foot of the steps and climbed up until she stood behind Jayewardene. She could see the curved rows of representatives and their staff, rising in tiers before her—most of the seats filled, which she gathered was unusual. She crouched down next to him; from his headphone, she could hear the whisper of the translator’s voice. “After him, Kyrgyzstan is speaking. They’re both saying the same thing: if the infection is centered in the city of Talas, then Talas must be destroyed. They’re making the case for taking action.”

“We can’t let that happen. If what Baba Yaga has said is true, that would allow the door to swing open entirely.”

“I agree. But the mood is in their favor. They intend to ask for a resolution to be allowed to protect their borders.”

“You’d let them bomb Talas?”

“It’s not something I can allow or disallow, Ms. Baden; it’s that I think they will have the votes. Russia will vote in favor, and will drag all their allies to vote with them. Everyone is watching the chaos spreading and worrying about how far it will go. If Kazakhstan’s next-door neighbors are willing to be the first to act, they won’t condemn them for trying. Even the United States and its allies might feel the same way.” Jayewardene stared at her blandly. “Russia will call for a vote, if no one else. Probably soon. Unless I have reason to delay the vote.” He continued to look at her.

She nodded and rose, walking back down toward Ink. Jayewardene turned back to the papers before him as the representative from Uzbekistan continued to rail and argue his case. “Well?” Ink asked her.

“I have just one thing to say, then we’ll go back to our office,” Barbara said. “And that’s this: Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!” With that, she released her wild card power, letting it spread over the entire hall.