“I hate it. ‘This is how my power works’. Yeah, except she talks about the end result, and skips the whole part of how we get there. I guess we figure that out, right? But don’t mind me, Contessa, I’m just one of the things you used to get to one of your optimal destinations.”

She touched her cheekbone, where the tattoo marked her face.

I didn’t have words, so I gave her a hug. The armguard I wore was awkward, and Sveta’s costume had too many pokey bits, so it wasn’t the hug I wanted to give her.

She broke away, her arm dissolving into a mess of thin tendrils, which she used to reach up to the box lid. Her control faltered, and for several long seconds, her power gripped the various parts of the tote-like container, the hinges, tugged it nearly off the shelf.

“I hate this,” she said, before concentrating for a moment to assert her control. She opened the box, reached up to the shelf above it to lift herself over, and then climbed in.

I flew after the group. I found them in the room with the computers, alongside Rachel, Imp, two Harbingers, two Mortari capes, Foil and Parian. Chastity was staying close to Rachel, talking to her. Rachel was eating out of what looked like one of Teacher’s ration kits for his thralls, nodding her head.

We’d known the Undersiders and Harbingers would be in the area.

Chastity looked scared, and I couldn’t blame her. Whatever option we chose, Heartbroken died, or her best friend did. It almost looked like she would cry, but a smile on her face and a persistent, constant talking under her breath to Rachel kept her from stepping over that ledge.

It made me think of Kenzie.

Kenzie wouldn’t be untouched either. Heartbroken or Breakthrough, she would take it hard, unless we chose the option where we let Teacher pull the trigger, hurt the city and kill civilians, while leaving the heroes unscathed.

“…help in the blind spot,” one of the Harbingers said. He smiled.

“Please do,” Contessa said. “That makes things more consistent. Antares, now that you’re here, could you take one of the dogs? Into the room behind you. Some of your teammates are there.”

“We’re just going into a room?”

Rachel put the ration kit down, bent down, and straightened up with a dog under one arm. She approached, carrying a smaller dog under one arm.

Contessa explained, “After three impacts, use your forcefield. I gave instructions to the others. Go now, be ready. Discuss what you want. I’ll have further instructions after you’ve come to your decision.”

I wanted to ask questions, to say something.