Ashley, limping on her peg leg, with one of Rain’s miniature arms wound around it, the hand touching the ground, not as a foot, because it couldn’t bear any weight, but as a way of getting some sensory input. She didn’t bring Lookout with her, which was probably for the best. Natalie would look after Lookout, Darlene, and Chicken. It would be Natalie’s call, based on how Lookout was doing, whether Lookout would be talking to us on comms.

My parents might’ve arrived before Ashley did, but they hung back a touch as Ashley caught up with us, my hand going to her shoulder to steady her, Rain immediately checking on the hand attachment. I glanced back at them. I saw Foil join them. The last of our group.

“How is Lookout?” Byron asked.

“Upset.”

“Relatively?” Byron asked. “Putting the situation aside?”

“Very upset,” Ashley said. She looked at me. “My sister wants to know where we’re going. She’s with the two Citrine recommended. They’re traveling west from our place.”

“We’ll let her know as soon as we have an idea,” I said.

Ashley nodded.

My parents approached. Foil went to stand by Rain.

“Hello again, Rachel,” my mother said.

“We’ve met?”

“You’ve met,” Chastity said. “We’ve met.”

“Briefly, before I took a break from things,” my mom said.

“Are we going?” Rachel asked, gruff, impatient.

“We have a vehicle,” my dad said. No longer in ‘dad’ mode. Not in looking-after-hurt-kids mode, or his speak-softly-so-civilians-don’t-get-intimidated mode. Superhero mode. “Who’s in?”

Straight to business. We had a clock, and none of us were particularly interested in wasting time.

“We have the armored van, too,” Foil said. “Beat up, no airbag, villains unloaded from the back and passed into cape custody.”

“Good,” I said.

“Do you want to ride with me?” Cassie asked Chastity.

“Shouldn’t. As much as I want to, after the last crash, I’m not dressed for a ride.”

“Precipice?” Cassie asked. Very casual, pointed.

I’d caught a glimpse earlier, while Precipice worked with Sveta. Sitting at the end of the hallway, Chastity had traded off with Cassie so she could look after her sisters and ‘cousins’. Precipice had had his hood down and mask off while talking to the henchwoman.

“He shouldn’t,” Chastity said, before I could say anything. “He has tech to look after.”

“Or driving,” I said. “He handled the drive well earlier.”

“Another time,” Rain told Chastity.

The teams split up between vehicles. Rachel mounted the hound, while henchwoman Cassie found a seat on the wolf’s back.

The dogs were on the main road before the armored van and my dad’s truck were out of the parking lot. The two vehicles followed, and I watched to make sure that Sveta had caught up. She situated herself on top of the van.