“I got part of it,” Ashley said. “I had words with Monokeros. She mentioned this woman—must we call her Goddess?”

“We mustn’t,” Sveta said. “The woman in blue. The Dictator of Shin.”

“Calling her a dictator would be giving her too much respect. This blue woman reached out to Monokeros. It’s part of why she wants to come here. She wants her, and she wants some specific others—all of us, I’m sure, if she can get us, but she was apparently asking if the Mathers bitch was at this prison.”

“Shit,” Rain said. “No. Mama Mathers?”

“Yes,” Ashley said.

“She wants mind controllers?” I asked.

“She might not have control over Shin,” Sveta said. “She has this power that makes capes willing to serve her—”

“One of her many powers,” I added.

“But she was pulled out of her world just like everyone else. Her lieutenants were pulled out of her world. No more capes to control things—we don’t know how the population reacted.”

“Riots,” Chris said. “It’d have to be.”

“She can’t go back until she has the means of seizing control. She hasn’t come after Gimel to take that because…” Sveta trailed off.

“She’s missing something,” I said. “Or she was injured in the final fight, or… there’s some stipulation on how her powers work or how she maintains a balance where she’s a multitrigger like Rain but with top tier powers across the board.”

“Or,” Capricorn said. “She knows it would mean war between her world and ours, and we have more capes. Her civilians might outnumber our civilians, but they hate her. There’s no loyalty. She took over her world and it was a hostile occupation.”

“I was wearing the eye camera,” Ashley said. “I talked to Monokeros after I said goodnight to Kenzie. You didn’t watch?”

“No,” Kenzie said. “Should I have?”

“Don’t,” Ashley said. “Pretend it doesn’t exist, as a favor to me. Someone else in the group should watch it. Sveta, I trust you. Victoria. But not Chris or Kenzie.”

“I’m being lumped in as one of the kids now?” Chris asked. “If I hadn’t been strongarmed into keeping my womb to myself last night, I’d have kids. Probably. I think some of the hardier ones would have lasted.”

I saw Natalie suppress a shiver.

“It’s private, and I’m saying no.”

“I don’t like being left out,” Kenzie was quiet as she said it.

“Please. I’ll make it up to you,” Ashley said.

“Make it up to me by getting out of prison sooner,” Kenzie said.

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing, guys,” Tristan said. “Twist Crystalclear’s ear, Rain. Ashley, we’ll watch your video. Victoria was showing us a list of the people who’ve showed interest lately.”

“I think the other heroes are discouraged and frustrated too,” Sveta said. “It’s been a long time since we didn’t have the PRT or the Wardens as a thing we could turn to. They want a way to fill that void.”