I felt a little bit of fear and awe as I stopped re-wrapping my bandage and turned to face her.

“Good work,” she said. “You’re mercurial, but you can be pretty fucking useful. If you wanted it, I could bring you to my world, and give you a lesser country.”

“A country, wow,” Rain said, beside me.

“I don’t think I’m mercurial,” I said, frowning a bit. “And I’m grateful for the offer but… I’m a city girl. I’d rather help the Megalopolis, and if it comes down to it, make sure people here support you too.”

“It wouldn’t work that way. Something’s bothering me. So far you and your team have been on top of things. Tell me something about the current attack.”

“We didn’t get all of them. There are two more to deal with. Blindside—you can’t look at them. Can’t aim at them.”

“They would be the reason my danger sense is limited.”

“Probably. Stymied?”

“Interfered with. I can’t extend it past a certain range. It’s worse since I’ve moved in this direction.” A motion of her arm indicated the direction traveled.

“That’s the access tunnels, isn’t it?” Byron asked.

Our teammates. Teacher had sent Blindside straight there.

“We need to go,” I said.

“Stay,” Goddess said, her voice firm.

My jaw clenched. I nodded. “Sorry.”

“Tell me about the other,” she said. “Two of Teacher’s powered got through?”

“At least. The other was Kingdom Come. He detonates himself into a shower of blood and meat. Anyone who comes into contact with it is his puppet. He reforms after.”

“I think I’ve met him, or one of his bloodstained puppets. They wouldn’t align to my purposes. One of Teacher’s many counters to me.”

“He’s a mercenary. It’s possible that he might accept your offer of a country.”

“He sounds religious,” Rain said. “Name like that.”

“Could be,” I said. “We should go. If Blindside is in the access tunnels—”

“You’ll stay for a few minutes. I may need you for something else,” Goddess told us.

“The access tunnels are the communication outlet to the outside world. They may also be the override to the bomb anklets. This is important.”

“My danger sense, blind as it is, tells me we have other priorities. If your teammates were in danger, I think I would feel it. Stay.”

We had done more than our share of the work when it came to taking down Lung and the Pharmacist, and we were, putting it lightly, exhausted. I didn’t like staying, but I didn’t mind the chance to recuperate. I felt like I’d been wrung out, then baked too long over an open fire. I hadn’t even properly used my muscles, and I felt completely and utterly drained.