“You trusted me to supervise.”

“With supervision of your own, Red Queen,” Narwhal said. “You don’t have those same decades of public service, and you do have some glaring marks on your record.”

“You guys let the world end! How can you get more glaring than that!?” Amy raised her voice.

“You were there as well, and you played a complicating role there too, and I’m sorry, I need to step away. Something’s happening with the greater situation. Do you want to stay on the line or should I call?”

“I’ll stay.”

Narwhal motioned. A tech put the call on mute.

“Greater situation?” Cinereal asked, from the sidelines.

“I’m not technically lying. It is happening—” Narwhal indicated the map. “—but we’re getting bogged down.”

“We’re no closer to resolving this,” Cinereal said. “Chevalier is close enough to observe, his squads are in position, but we’re holding off until other squads arrive.”

“Antares provided me a note, suggesting another track. I know we’re definitely on the wrong one. Who or what is WyD?”

“Me,” Darnall said. “I can’t confirm because I don’t know Amy, but I can say this reminds me of a video I watched of a Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy patient. What Antares described to me seems apt.”

“Is this Munchausen’s?” Crystal asked.

“No. But there are parts of it I recognize. Victoria describes this as a ‘high’, if I can explain?”

“Go ahead,” I said.

“A rush of optimism, validation, hope, delusion, and a need to feel needed. MSBP patients will lie about someone being sick so they can be the savior. Here, we have a situation misrepresented, and she’s put herself forward as a savior. It validates her feelings. Victoria says that you can’t knock down one side of her argument, because the remainder will hold her up.”

“And if you do knock down one wall, by the time you get to the second or third, that first wall is back up, arguments conveniently forgotten,” I said. “I welcome Vista, Crystal, my mother, and the therapists arguing me down, here.”

“She didn’t use to be like this,” Crystal said.

“She totally did, but the stakes weren’t as high,” I told her. “The thought processes were like that. She was… stubborn’s the wrong word. Fluid. No backbone.”

“Let’s stay focused on the matter at hand,” Narwhal said.

“Two ways forward,” I said. “Break her, or manipulate her. I know that sounds awful, but… we’ve kind of tried being nice. If we could get her into custody and get her treatment, that would be best. Or… prison world and remote therapy. That’s not doable when she’s secured herself as the source of Shin’s power base.”

“To say you’ll break someone sounds horrifying,” Crystal admitted. “Especially someone we once saw as family.”

“Can you?” Cinereal asked.