“Eew. I’ll try searching for it. Can’t be too hard to find.”

The rest of the group was so quiet that it was almost grim. There were so many people.

Not far from the Undersiders, with an armored vehicle of their own, three people. The shooter responsible for the gun casing, a man, and a woman.

The red-haired shooter would be Shamrock. The man was Gregor. The woman, though she wasn’t fully drawn yet, and though her dark costume was concealing enough to muddy things further, was likely Faultline.

How desperate were you, that you went to her? I thought, looking at the image of a retreating Tattletale. The Undersiders had met with the Palanquin mercenaries, despite the fact that Tattletale’s feud with Faultline was common knowledge. I’d heard it had something to do with Tattletale getting beaten out by Faultline on an early job, and then never really getting an opportunity to even the score after. I wasn’t sure if that had been pure speculation from Crystal.

“Getting a whole lot of mess while I’m looking for the arm. Hold on,” Kenzie said. “Lots of power effects to fill in, and they’re messier than people.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “This is really good, Kenz.”

I saw her bob her head in an excited way, pacing around as she held up her phone. Here and there, she erased progress or shifted something so it was loading a figure at a different point.

This wasn’t a moment in time. It was well over a dozen things being captured at critical moments.

At Snuff’s left hand, a black-gray blob, taller than he was, the air distorting at the edges.

At one point in the ground, a plume of dirt and pavement.

In the air, Imp’s arm. A silvery thread connected to it, and that silvery thread traced its way to the attackers.

“Sorry,” I whispered, whispering because it was a kind of tacit acknowledgement that she couldn’t and wouldn’t hear me.

I did feel sympathy, but I didn’t feel bad, exactly. They’d brought a mess down on their own heads somehow. They’d made enemies and they’d answered for it. I had no idea what we’d do or how we would handle it if it came down to it. I couldn’t see us standing by and letting cape fights happen, but it didn’t feel right to take the Undersiders’ side either.

Or maybe…

“Sveta,” I said.

“Mmm?” she asked. She was standing near the still images of Faultline’s crew.

“The Undersiders played a part in saving the world?”

“Yeah,” she said.

Still didn’t feel right to intervene on their behalf, but by the rules, at least, by the unwritten laws? Maybe.

Uuuuuuuugh.