Tovar stared at it, his mouth open, then laughed out loud. “And you expect me to believe that?”

“You believed all the crazy bad stuff,” said Xochi, “why not the crazy good stuff, too?”

“Because crazy bad stuff is well within the realm of my experience,” said Tovar. “Curing RM is in the realm of magical pixies and talking dogs that piss whiskey. It’s impossible.”

“It’s real,” said Marcus, and looked at Kira. “We’ll stake our lives on it.”

“Suppose it is,” said Tovar. “What do we do with it? Walk into town, hold it in the air, and wait for the magical pixies to make everything right again?”

“If the Senate taught me one thing,” said Kira, “it’s that power comes through the people—the only reason they have control is because the people have given it to them.”

“Also because they have guns,” said Marcus.

“They don’t have guns,” said Xochi, “they have the allegiance of people with guns.”

“Exactly,” said Kira. “If we can change that allegiance, we can free everyone in the city—everyone on the island. If we show them a live human baby, the purest, simplest proof that our way works and the Hope Act doesn’t, the people will rise up so fast your head will spin. We can restore freedom and unite the island, all without firing a single shot.”

“Say your cure works,” said Tovar, “and we can actually show them, as you say, a live human baby.” Tovar’s voice nearly broke, and Kira could practically see the emotion running through him as he said the words. “You’ve already been in league with the Partials—you’ve crossed the sound and met them in person. Won’t people just assume it’s a Partial trick of some kind? A baby Partial, or an engineered … doppelganger or something?”

“The mother will have to be an East Meadow regular,” said Marcus, “someone people will recognize as one of their own.” He glanced at Jayden. “His sister is about to deliver—she may already have.”

Kira nodded. “It’s not enough to just show up with a baby: we have to go in, grab Madison, and get her out. Right under the Grid’s noses.”

Tovar looked at Kira. “I get the distinct impression that nothing is ever easy where you’re involved.”

“Welcome to my life,” said Kira. “How many soldiers do you have?”

“Ten.”

Kira raised an eyebrow. “I saw a lot more than ten in the backyard alone.”

Tovar’s voice hardened. “Are you asking about soldiers, or armed civilians with more guts than training?”

“Point taken,” said Kira.

Tovar studied them carefully, his eyes flicking from one face to the next as he thought. “We may—may—have a way to get you inside. Are you sure you can do it?”