It took me a second to process what she meant. I touched the mask and nodded. It worked.

“We should talk about pickup plans. Imp and Tattletale might be dropping me off sometimes—will that be okay? They want to coordinate.”

She was so casual. Her face was disguised, but it wasn’t smiling. Did she even get it? This?

“Okay,” I said. “I guess I’ve got that to look forward to.”

“We’ll talk about it after,” Swansong said. “Natalie will help broker any deals. Let’s go outside.”

Everyone filed out. Sveta went to Weld, Capricorn and Rain paired up. Moonsong hung back with Anelace. The Wardens murmured to one another.

It felt better, everyone being involved, making sure everyone agreed. The first few goes had been more rushed. A through G.

Natalie gave me a pat on the arm as she passed by.

“You okay with this?” I asked her. “Legally?”

“Legality doesn’t come anywhere near this,” she said. “It is what it is.”

“Is it?” I asked, quiet.

“A last resort, I think.”

“You didn’t have to come, you know. I think if… if I’d had a real choice, if I hadn’t helped set this in motion, I wouldn’t have. It would be easier.”

Almost everyone had filed out of the space, going upstairs or leaving by the front doors. Those that hadn’t that weren’t Natalie or me were by the doors.

“Would be,” Natalie agreed. “But I thought it was important that they have a witness.”

Black 13.2

Our witness didn’t accompany us upstairs.

The building was narrow, joined to its neighbors, elegant but very freshly hewn, with interior brickwork that hadn’t yet had time to accumulate grime, floorboards that had been cut and lacquered less than two years ago, with no wear and tear to scratch or test that lacquer. Above all, it was a relatively narrow, small space for a superhero headquarters. Five stories tall, but it felt like it was half a floor wide.

Much of our group had gathered at the landing in the stairwell, halfway between floors. Breakthrough minus our human element, Vista, and Weld. Golem had gone on ahead to open the door. Projected lines and rectangles were visible from the stairwell.

“Oh, Victoria, you should know most of the rest of my team is here,” Kenzie said, and her head turned so fast that the blur of altered facial features and details didn’t keep up. “Chicken Little is here. Candy’s gone, but Candy’s on another project with Chastity and Amias.”

“Is it really a ‘project’ if she’s having a puppy day with her Aunt Rachel?” Vista asked.

“Shhhh!” Kenzie shushed her.

“It sounds top priority to me,” Tristan said. “We should all have puppy days.”

“Shhhh, stop. I’m trying to be professional here!”

“Professional,” I said. “Okay, you’re networked in?”