“I did,” Goddess told me. She turned her head, looking for something. “I don’t like standing in this open field, when we don’t know what Teacher has prepared. We’ll walk to our destination.”

I nodded.

Capricorn created barriers to one side of us, as Goddess watched over her shoulder in the same direction. Natalie looked scared—it might have been the passing mention of a sniper.

“You wanted people who debate with you, offer differing points of view. You listened to Cryptid, so… is it okay if I bring up some points?”

“Cryptid may not be your best example, Antares,” Goddess said.

There was something ominous in her voice as she said it, even though she looked at me and smiled like there was almost a joke in there.

“I don’t understand.”

“He came to me with a form prepared to counter me. And that is, as far as I detected, only one of three levels of deception that boy was putting into practice. You don’t want to tell me that you’re following his suit.”

I wasn’t sure most members of the team weren’t shocked at that. Looks were exchanged. Of alarm, concern.

“But he’s helping you,” Lookout said.

“He is. He’s clever enough that I want to work with him. Antares, little Lookout, is a little more blunt about questioning me and making me wonder about her, and she already attacked one of my new lieutenants. Did you have an actual argument, Antares, or are we going to talk about him? Because if you didn’t have a problem to raise, I won’t be happy you questioned me.”

“Actual argument,” I said. It took me a half-second to refocus myself, taking my thoughts away from Chris and back into thinking like a cape, the kind of cape that could debate approaches with my parents. “The assistant warden of this prison is on our side, and he’s holding off on detonating the ankle bombs because Foresight convinced him. He’s presumably watching through surveillance cameras—”

“He is,” Lookout said, looking around. She sounded alarmed as she said, “Nobody said I should stop him from doing it.”

“It’s good,” I told her, reassuring. “It’s good. If you stopped him, he might start panicking and doubting Foresight. But if this group with a strange person in it starts assaulting his guards and collecting his prisoners…”

“He’s going to shit a brick, use that brick to break the glass, and hit the big red button that blows up those prisoners,” Capricorn supplied.

“Can you block him like you’re blocking the warden?” Goddess asked Lookout. “Don’t actually do it. I had a feeling as I asked.”

“I could,” Lookout said. “But it’d be hard. I’m already splitting my focus, and unless I want to shut off all power across the complex…”