“Because you’re the most networked while being the least complicated, just like Antares here is well networked with heroes while not being so enmeshed in the upper echelons that I need to worry about moving heaven and earth. That and she found this out before I did.”

A nice way of putting it.

Tattletale motioned for a folded card that was on the table, and Prancer slid it over her way. A drink list, by the look of it. She raised her hand and motioned to the man behind the bar. She held up fingers. Three, two, zero—a circle made with her full hand—three.

The man nodded, and began preparing.

I addressed Semiramis, “You want to know this if it’s being used on you. It’s going to come across as minor and questionable, but it’s going to feel impactful, and once they get going they aren’t going to stop with the one.”

“What are we looking for?” she asked.

I leaned forward. “Look for the consequences. People at the fringes of your organization who pulled away recently. Then identify the wedge. It’s going to be communication by some digital medium, something you find or casually come across. Authenticity of the message won’t be provable, but it won’t be disprovable either. In this case, we have a sense of what the wedge is or where it comes from. It’ll relate to Big Picture.”

“Okay,” Semiramis said. “You’re right. No need for payment for my help. This is critical.”

“You already know exactly what happened, don’t you?” Tattletale asked.

“I already knew,” Semiramis said. “It bothered me. If you have more information, you can have mine.”

“Your media monsters,” Prancer said. He glanced at Sveta. “Is that offensive?”

“Yes.”

“Your whatevers,” Prancer corrected.

“Not better.”

Semiramis leaned back, fingernails with detailed jade decoration on then tapping the table’s surface. “Before Gold Morning happened, the PRT was trying to normalize the… what do you call them over here?”

“Case Fifty-Threes,” Sveta said.

“That works.”

“What term did you use?” Sveta asked.

“Their names,” Semiramis said. “They’re clients and products both, and both should be treated with care. There were three. Engel, Egg, and Scraping. The idea was that they would join me. An artist with ties to Big Picture and a history of working with Case Fifty-Threes would join us, but to produce a video feature. We wanted to continue what the PRT of America was doing before things abruptly terminated. Engel, Egg, and Scraping in media. Big Picture didn’t get into Foresight, a letter about why found its way to my three would-be clients. They became uncomfortable and canceled their contracts.”

“Why did you want Big Picture in Foresight?” Tattletale asked.

“I did not say I did.”

“What do you know about them?” I asked Sveta.