“I could tell you now, or I could offer you a trade, my little chicken.”

“What trade?” he asked. At least he sounded suspicious.

“If you agree to think on it and then give me your best answer, I’ll open the back of this truck now and show you my birthday present to you.”

“You forgot my birthday.”

“Four month belated birthday.”

“Isn’t it six months?” He started counting on his fingers. “September, August…”

She pulled her hand back away from the handle at the back of, the truck, moving it in fits and starts as he went from August to July, July to June…

He stopped, looking up at her with the mask in one hand. She smiled down at him.

“Four months, yeah,” he said.

At least he was learning wit and a good poker face.

She opened the back of the truck. He had to climb up onto the back bumper and up to see over the ledge and into the truck proper. As he climbed, she stuck her cane out, giving him a bit of a push where he needed it. Sure enough, he almost fell backward once he saw. Only the cane at the center of his back kept him from tipping back.

He stared in quiet amazement.

It was good, having people around. Even the people she was used to were more alive as the group was more complete. It was tempting in a dangerous way, to know that a crisis brought everyone together, and she could so very easily, consciously or not, play her role in creating them.

Not that there was any need now. Even beyond March, they had other concerns.

“We’ll be taking the lead truck. You’ll want to get yourself tidy, look over your costume. Make sure you look good,” she told him.

He nodded, not taking his eyes away. The question he’d asked was long forgotten.

“The sky is definitely going to fall,” he said.

⊙

This wasn’t a moot. It wasn’t a Somer’s Rock, and it wasn’t a gathering of world powers in the dark room.

Chaos. Concern.

No. She had to give the white hats more credit than that. There was a note of fear here. Fear of heroes and fear of the expanded Undersiders. She’d wanted to show strength and in doing so, she’d made a mistake. Too much strength.

Villains had assembled in Sherwood Span. The area was sparse, spread out. Some buildings were in construction, but it looked like that had stopped. Mostly it was scattered houses.

The major players were notably absent, though Tattletale was keeping an eye on the spies.

A disorganized mob consisting of two- and three-person gangs, solo operators, mercenaries, the blacklisters that fought over internet rankings, the burglars, kidnappers, the enforcers and killers. A handful were notable in their own way, like Little Midas.