Andrea stared into the depths of a coffee cup as if it would suddenly become a magician’s mirror. “Alligator balls,” he murmured.

Many of Andrea’s comments focused on the testicles of some animal—real or mythological—or those of various saints.

Bunny grunted. “Why alligator balls?”

“Because it is,” said Andrea. Bunny thought about it, nodded, and went back to looking sick and stricken.

“He will come back,” said Belle. It was not the first time she’d said this. And, as before, the others nodded without any real optimism.

Top Sims sipped his coffee, which was excellent, but winced as if it caused him physical pain. The wince had nothing to do with the coffee, and his friends knew it. He was in serious pain that had nothing to do with nerve endings or old injuries. Top was not taking this well.

Bunny punched him lightly on the arm. “Not your fault, old man.”

“Maybe it’s all our faults, Farm Boy,” said Top.

“How d’you figure that?”

Top shook his head. “We all knew the colonel was still too busted up from last Christmas. No way he should have been let back into the field. That’s on us.”

“And were we supposed to stop him?” asked Belle.

“By any means necessary,” said Top, “up to and including kneecapping him. Better a limp than him losing his shit and going rogue out in the world.”

“He is going after Rafael Santoro and Kuga,” said Belle. “Maybe this is a good thing.”

Top turned slowly to look at her. “We are going after Santoro and Kuga. All of us. Field teams, everyone at the TOC, integrated sciences and computer sciences. The whole RTI machinery. That’s what we’re here for. The colonel is a force of nature, sure, and I’d walk through hell on Sunday for him, we all would … but he can’t do this alone. Cannot and damned well should not.”

“Hooah,” said Bunny softly.

“We’re the ones closest to him, and we let him down.” Top paused and gave another shake of his head. “I let him down. I told him to go out and get some air. That was on me. I should have put one of you with him.”

“No,” said Bunny, “that’s bullshit. If the colonel wanted to slip away, he’d have found a way even if we were babysitting him. This is Joe Ledger we’re talking about. No … you can secure that shit right now because it’s not true. He wanted to go, and he went. If it wasn’t on that island, then he’d have found a moment and gone.”