“Our scrambler can hide us from hundreds of Mosquitoes at any time, maybe even thousands, but there’s a limit. Happy must’ve figured that out weeks ago and has been producing more and more Mosquitoes to scan the city.”

“So, we need to go back into the city and bring Sam, Pod, Akimi, and Wren here before Happy finds them?” I ask.

“Exactly,”

“All right,” I say, “then we have to go.”

I think about Apple-Moth and its low battery. I hope it managed to get enough charge before the drone cloud covered the sun. “Malachai, you should stay here—there’s no point in suffering with the pain in your eyes.”

“I’m not staying here,” he tells me. “Not when Wren is out there.”

I nod, understanding how he feels.

“Okay. Someone needs to tell the Missing what’s going on.”

“I got it,” Pander says, climbing up onto the bar and raising her hands. “Everyone! Listen. You are in the safest place you can be. We have to leave for a while to bring our friends here, but we’ll be back. We are all on the same team now. You saved us in the Battle of Midway Park, and we saved you in Purgatory. Now we’re together, and ready to fight against Happy no matter what! Together we will figure out how to beat those AI bastards, and together we will rebuild this world! We’ll do it by working together, and when it’s all over, we’ll have the biggest party this planet has ever seen!”

The crowd is still not fully out of its drugged and dazed state, and their reaction is minimal.

Pander steps down from the bar. “Tough crowd,” she says.

“Tell me about it,” Malachai replies, and fist-bumps her.

“Someone needs to stay,” I say, looking around at the confused crowd. “We can’t just leave them with no information. Someone has to be here when they come around.”

“It makes sense if I stay,” Molly says. “I know all these people, I’ve spent time with them.”

“Molly, I’ve only just got you back,” I say.

“I know,” she replies, “and now that the drugs have worn off, it breaks my heart to leave you again, but this makes sense.”

I nod in agreement. None of this is easy, none of it, but at least Molly will be safe here.

I walk over to her and hug her, hating the lack of feeling, wishing I could hold her in the real world.

“All right,” I say, breaking away from the embrace. “Let’s get going.”

One by one we exit back into the real world.

As I stand in the arcade, cold from the cryochamber, I can’t help but look at Shion’s body, gaunt and dead, and I promise myself that I’ll give her a proper burial as soon as I have a chance.