The Major Malfunctions were in. They had no idea that there was even a welling PR issue, and when I explained it, they seemed to have some difficulty understanding why it would change anything for them.

I wasn’t sure if I should send Fume Hood with their group for the extra backup or split things up. It was a weird combination to imagine.

I landed on the fire escape, then opened the door.

All conversation stopped. In the corner of my vision, Kenzie hit a key, and an image disappeared from the wall.

“You’re back,” Rain said. “That was fast.”

They’d thought I was gone? That I’d flown off to talk to people in person, maybe?

“I went up, not away,” I said. I couldn’t help but notice the awkwardness in the air, the lingering silence. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem,” Chris said.

I looked at Sveta. She gave me an uneasy smile.

“You’re all acting weird. Paranoia makes me think it’s a stranger effect?”

“No,” Rain said. “If it was, Ashley and I wouldn’t be affected.”

I nodded.

The cape geek in me wanted to say probably not. But there were stranger effects that were able to be passed on with recordings and written words. Rare, but they existed. Blindside from the community center attack, I was pretty sure, could turn cameras away or black them out. There were hypnotic singers who transmitted their effect through digital devices.

People were looking between each other. There seemed to be a consensus as just about all eyes turned to Sveta.

Not Natalie’s, for one thing. She looked about as confused as I felt.

But it seemed Sveta had been decided by unspoken agreement to be the one to handle this.

“It’s mundane,” Sveta said. “Kind of. Can we change the subject?”

“The sudden change or lack of subject is why I’m confused,” I said, wary.

“Please?” she asked. “Don’t make a big deal of this? Count it as coming from me, speaking as a friend?”

“Does it tie into Kenzie’s situation, Cheit, Goddess, or any of the things we’re trying to juggle here?”

“Not in a way that impacts our mission, I’m pretty sure,” she said. She had to look to others for confirmation.

I swallowed hard.

It looked like she genuinely didn’t know what to say or do.

Chris was staring me down, eyebrows furrowed. Tristan—he looked almost casual, thumbs hooked into his pockets, hands flat against the sides of his thighs. Kenzie—hard to read. No smiles, at least. Rain kept glancing at the blank spot on the wall where the projected screen had been. Ashley looked like she was busy thinking.

No, Ashley was impatient. It was hard to tell when her body wasn’t giving the right body language, just default poses and stances. Her face, though. Irritated? Agitated? Restless?

“Okay,” I said.

“Just like that?” Chris asked.