I looked at Breakthrough, as they ran for it. Swansong wasn’t as fast as she normally was, and it was more noticeable when Sveta was moving quick. Still, they both managed to get up to the second floor.

Rain was focused, in the zone, and I saw him jump at a nearby parahuman power in a way that suggested he was scared out of his mind. But he persevered. Love Lost was, the occasional glare excepted, almost emotionless, unflinching. Colt…

I had no idea about Colt, but an uncharitable part of me was inclined to think that she was too oblivious to be scared.

Capricorn was at a piece of cover. He was creating a constellation, which drew attention and gunfire to his end of things. It didn’t help that he was alone out there.

Fuck me, I hoped she wasn’t going to trip up and get something wrong while depowered.

“Antares,” Contessa said. “Support Precipice and Capricorn. Then focus on Teacher. Try to cut off his retreat… I can’t be sure how that will go.”

“Just tell me, did you cheat? Did you actually decide, like Sveta wanted, or are you throwing away lives while you… I don’t know, used your power to decide what would make people least mad? What you could convince us of?”

“Precipice needs help now.”

I shook my head, and I flew after Rain. I could see flashlights, and I could see people who weren’t using flashlights ducking in and out of cover. A large group, not wearing white tunics and slacks, not wearing white costumes either. I thought I saw the look of the Advance Guard uniform, but it was hard to say. They were following instructions, moving through the wreckage and ruins in an organized way. Big tough guys to the top of rubble piles. Other snuck around.

Not our guys. Not anymore. First wave attackers that had been co-opted with Teacher’s power or—

Valefor.

He was there, giving instructions. He held a cane but didn’t move like he needed it. Beside him—

My vision in one eye blurred.

Automatic blurring, because Kenzie had tech resistant to Mama Mathers’s profile. I hurried to turn my gaze away, because I only had tech in the one eye. Slivers and flickers danced in my peripheral vision. I tried to keep an eye on Valefor, and her hand slipped into my view, blurred and pointing my way. Telling him where I was.

I twisted away before he made eye contact, diving for cover. I slammed into the ground, classic, practiced landing, sufficient to crack concrete.

“Valefor’s here!” I called out. “He has a jaw and eyes, and he has a squad of capes he got from the first wave!”

“Shit,” Rain said.

“He has Mama Mathers with him. I got a glimpse. It’s fucking with me a little bit.”