The interview between Miss Militia, Dinah, and Gary Nieves continued on the screen, the timestamp marking it as having happened ten minutes in the past. The onlookers who’d gathered to see what Golem was showing us had peeled away, turning their attention to other, more current feeds at the front end of the bullpen. On those feeds, if I squinted to see, Gary had pulled off his jacket and stood in the corner, arms folded.

On our feed, Miss Militia stepped out of the room. Gary turned to Dinah, and spoke, “The more you talk about how people with the ability to see the future can manipulate things, the more I question why I’m here, in this nightmare of a place.”

“You’re worried I manipulated you.”

“Didn’t you?”

“Not to get you here. To get you to change your mind about things? Some. But you have to keep in mind, I used my power to find someone with the power and ability to change the course of things. A brainless patsy who didn’t believe or have any convictions wouldn’t have worked.”

“Why not?”

“I can only ask so many questions a day. My biggest manipulation was in choosing you in the first place. I couldn’t function if I had to manipulate your every move, and if I picked someone weak willed who easily changed their mind, then I’d have to constantly watch that their mind didn’t change back.”

“You could still be manipulating everything I say, finding the best numbers.”

“Gary,” Dinah said. She twisted around in her chair, and she lifted her blindfold to give him a serious look, eye to eye. “You aren’t that important. I have other things to focus on.”

He seemed to absorb that. I thought there was an opportunity to ask a question without interrupting our watch, but then he said, “A very blunt way of putting it.”

“I’m being honest. I’m not going to pretend we’re equals or fluff up your ego.”

“Yeah,” he said. That small face on a fifteen inch screen didn’t look happy, but it didn’t look mad at her either.

“This thing about the Harbingers killing Citrine at Contessa’s command?” I asked. “That’s the message she sent?”

“I wasn’t there, but I read the notes you guys gave us,” Golem said. “Contessa tells one Harbinger to leave, the Harbinger left to communicate with Jeanne and Kurt Wynn, who were making calls from their office, calling in favors and resources. They had assumed a leadership and tactical role, and were making their last preparations before joining the fight.”