I delivered two more armfuls of cargo, getting people clear of the danger. On my return trip, I saw the geography transforming. A culmination of everything up to this point. From matter generation, matter distortion, and matter transformation to… something that made the entire area look as though it was being smudged and smeared around, streets widening, buildings pulling back from the street.

Except—no. No, this was a familiar smudging and smearing. One that worked with us.

You made it, little V, I thought. I felt emotionally numb from the series of events, the deaths I’d seen, my momentary use of my power and how the feelings I’d tapped in that moment weren’t easy to bring back into order.

There was only what needed to be done, the mission that stood front and center. It was difficult to execute effectively, but simple in how Glory Girl, Victoria, the phantom wretch and the capes I was working with could all agree it should be done.

Get people clear. Get them safe.

A woman screamed words that barely strung together, the heel of one hand pressed to her forehead. The other was pointed forward. She shot something that was only visible by the way light refracted at its edges. The projectile hit the ground, carrying forward like a cartoon mole and the elongated, humped trail of dirt it left in its wake. Unlike the mole, the hump was jagged, folded earth. Road folded up like complex origami. She was pinning people down, keeping them from exiting a building.

In the words I could make out, she wanted them to come help her, and in her actions she drove them away.

“Stop!” I shouted to her.

She shot one projectile at me. Barely visible, it cut through the air, wind shrieking.

I didn’t want to kill her, and if her hand at her head was any clue that she was in similar straits to Anne and the other man, a light push could do horrendous damage.

I drew closer to the ground, defenses up.

Work with me, I told my power. My agent. My flight wobbled as I experienced the lopsided drag of a hand reaching down at one side, clawing at the ground as I passed it.

It didn’t create nearly enough debris.

I changed angles. I flew for the hump of origami road, two feet across, two feet tall, jagged and menacing.

I passed within a few feet of it, and let my forcefield hit it.

The hump of ground shattered explosively, blades of road cutting at my legs. But it did create a cloud of dust and debris.

She shot at me, and I reversed direction, passing the hump again, striking it.

The two passes created enough of a mess to block the view. I flew to the people the origami road woman had pinned down. “Go, go, go!”