“Share any info you get. This is interesting, it’s just that the timing is…”

She trailed off.

“Terrible?” I volunteered.

“No. It’s probably a good thing, what you’re doing. But my gut says you’re not going to get the big answer you want. She wouldn’t leave a weakness exposed and undefended.”

“I figured she was still recuperating, we had a bit of time—”

“She’s recuperated. She’s active again.”

The breath I’d been holding back to form words with escaped my lips.

“Be careful. She’s not the Simurgh, she doesn’t weaponize information quite the same way, but…”

“Yeah.”

“Like I said, I’m ninety percent sure I’ve pointed you in the right direction. If it turns out I’m wrong, I’m going to give you rare permission to wake me up, and I’ll see if I can get you where you want to be. Even if I don’t think you can find a key to beating her, I think this is the right sort of space to be digging in.”

“Okay,” I said. “Thank you. I don’t know if I should promise you a favor, dangerous as that seems, or offer to buy you a drink out of professional courtesy… if we can get past all of this…”

I heard a sniff from Tattletale. “That would be unbearably awkward. This is unbearably awkward. The world’s ending, this is my equivalent of putting five chips on you. That’s all it is.”

“It’s appreciated,” I said.

“I know.”

“We were planning on doing a thing with Vista, inviting Rachel, catching up with people from Brockton Bay, celebrate her turning eighteen.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Imp cut in.

“Shush!” Kenzie chimed in.

“If we get that far, then I’ll be there. You can buy me a drink, we’ll be even. How’s that?”

“Alright.”

“If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume I was right. Hanging up now.”

“Bye,” I said.

I backed away from the camera, pulling my forcefield around me. A part of me was hoping that any resolution, any peace, anything at all might get me back the control that would let me do things, or even to carry that gun, when we went back to the surface.

No such luck.

“C’mon, Lookout,” I said. “And the rest of you, I assume you’re looking over her shoulder.”

“Sometimes,” Kenzie said.

I landed, the fog and dust parting a bit as I met the ground with both feet.

The fact my foot didn’t hurt reminded me of what happened to my leg. I felt my stomach do a flip flop, and for a moment, I could sympathize a bit with Imp and her reaction to looking through whatever viewing implement Kenzie had offered.