“It’s not that convoluted,” Shortcut answered me. “You just need to think about it for more than three seconds. Or do you not have the ability to do that?”

“Stop, Shortcut,” ReSound said.

“I’m pretty tired, so maybe I am lacking the ability,” I told him.

“Maybe it’s not that you’re tired,” Shortcut told me. “I’m not going to outright say you might be embarrassingly dumb, so—”

“Shortcut,” ReSound said.

“—taking another stab at it,” Shortcut continued, ignoring his boss. “Maybe being on a team with two creepy kids, an ex-villain, and a bunch of ex-murderers has compromised you?”

“Get up,” ReSound said.

“The ex-villain died,” I pointed out. “Saving Warden lives. Every member of the team has bled for the side of the heroes.”

“Please don’t engage him,” ReSound said. “Up, Shortcut.”

Shortcut didn’t budge. “Someone needed to say it.”

“Up.”

“Are you going to fight me if I don’t?” he asked, looking up at her. “Here? In a time of crisis?”

“That doesn’t make you immune to basic rules of decency and inter-team cooperation.”

“People like her thrive on us being civil and decent and letting things slide,” Shortcut said.

She didn’t budge or relent, looming over him.

“If you want me to move, you’re going to have to make me.”

I could feel the tension radiating from the capes around the campfire.

“I’m going to head off. People to check on,” I told ReSound. “Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.”

“Off you go,” Shortcut said.

One of the other guys in the group said something under his breath. It might have been, “Fuck off, man.”

I bristled, but bit back the emotion.

“I’m going to head off too,” ReSound said. “I invite any members of Advance Guard who want to be respectable heroes to come with me. We need to check on our accommodations.”

The bulk of Advance Guard got up. Shortcut started to do so as well, and one of his teammates put a hand out on his shoulder, keeping him from getting to his feet.

He settled back into his seat, trying very hard to look like he intended to sit there and make himself comfortable.

“Your costume needs fixing,” he pointed at my side. My coat had pulled far enough back that the damage to the base layer was visible. I resisted the urge to cover up the damage.

“So does yours.”

“Fuck you, no it doesn’t. You’re not going to pull a ‘made you look’. They didn’t touch me. Not even the gas.”

“I don’t think that’s what she meant,” one of the other capes at the fire said.

“Being untouched isn’t the badge of honor you seem to think it is,” I told him. The others around the fire looked roughed up enough that I figured I could get away with it.