We take the elevator to the very highest floor, which opens up directly into her office. It’s decorated in typical Monica style—a bit mid-century modern, with eclectic touches—lots of resting places for bakus, and plenty of lush green foliage. She gestures for us to take a seat on big, comfy golden leather couches. But I can’t sit down, because I’m too excited. There are lots of people in the office I recognize: one is Mr. Baird, back with his owl baku.

The next face I see is even more surprising. “Paul? Is that you?” Paul and his lemur baku George are standing right by Monica’s desk. I run up to him and give him a big hug. He guffaws in surprise but hugs me back. “Well done, my favorite tinker,” he says, gruffly. “Well done. You did it. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I had to make sure my family were safe and un-updated.”

“I understand,” I say.

Before I take a seat with the others, Monica pulls me to one side. “Lacey, I trust your mom is okay?”

“Yes, she’s much better, thank you. Grateful for the offer of compensation.” Everyone who was forced to receive the update is being given a payout. “But she has a lot of questions. And most of them are about Dad.” It’s the question I’ve wanted to ask the most, ever since the reversal went out to the wider public.

Did it work on the prisoners at Lake Baku? The ones who had been under the influence of the update for so much longer? I’ve been in constant contact with Carter, who’d also been told that the people affected were being examined by doctors, but that there was no concrete news on their progress so far.

It’s been the most agonizing wait.

Monica nods, her mouth drawn into a thin line. “Of course.” She gestures over my shoulder to Carter, and he rushes over. “I wanted to be the first to tell you both. Everyone who was imprisoned at Lake Baku, including your mom, Carter, and your dad, Lacey, are being treated with the utmost care, as we speak. Many of the prisoners suffered greatly at the hands of my former business partner. I swear, if I had known what was going on up there…” Her eyes flash with anger. “Of course, it’s no excuse. I never should have taken my eye off Eric’s work; I should have been more questioning, more demanding.