As soon as I see Daniela do it, I realize that I can do it too. I focus on the weight behind my eyes—like a boulder, aching to roll down a hill—and shove it out. My vision takes on a silvery tint as the beam flows from my eyes. It’s difficult at first, I have to control it with my eyes, so it’s not easy to be precise, but I get the hang of it pretty quickly. So does Daniela. Soon, we’re painting streaks of stone up and down the confused monster’s towering frame.

The Hunter tries to lumber forward to get at Nine and Five, but its legs aren’t working anymore. They’re solid blocks of rock.

It’s over a few seconds later. Towering next to the Statue of Liberty is a grayish tombstone of the most formidable Mogadorian creation I’ve ever seen, its hideous features forever frozen in a mask of confused rage. Nine and Five stare up at the thing, too confused to even fight each other. The helicopters circle around it, obviously detecting that the beast is no longer a threat and merely an eyesore.

“Ow,” Daniela responds, and leans against me for support. “That did not feel good at all.”

I rub my own face. “No kidding.”

“That was amazing!” Sam shouts. “You’re like Medusa.”

“That is not going to be my superhero code name,” Daniela responds sharply. “Ugh.”

“And you’re like—like—” Sam’s too excited to even say it.

“Like Pittacus,” I finish for him.

“Holy shit, yes! This is big. Do you realize how big this is?”

“It’s big.”

“Kinda stealing my new Legacy thunder here,” Daniela grumbles.

I shake my head and laugh, actually feeling relief for the first time in days. Nine walks towards the monster monument, hands on his hips, and knocks on the stone. While he does that, Five slinks back to the rest of us. I notice that he’s hung the Loric pendant ripped out of the monster’s skull around his own neck. I wonder if that’s his original pendant that he gave up or had taken by Setrákus Ra, or if it belongs to one of the dead Garde. I don’t press the issue right now. He holds out his hands.

“Well, I tried,” he says. “You can tie me back up if you want.”

I exchange a quick look with Sam. I know Five just helped us and I know he said he could’ve broken those ropes if he needed to, but I still feel more comfortable with him tied up. He’s a loose cannon and a murderer. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to really trust him.