“Wish us luck,” Rain called out.

There was no response.

Victoria sighed. “Fuck.”

A second later, Lookout reappeared at the entrance to the hallway.

The entire room seemed to tense.

“What’s up, Peep?” Imp asked.

Lookout raised her hand to her face, toward the bandage, then hesitated.

Then, after some silent deliberation, she touched her eye, and pried out something that looked like a foot-long nail, with a head as wide across as her iris, and numerous pointed branches extending from it, forking out.

She pulled it free, and then laid it on a desk.

She looked at her team, then smiled and told them, “Good luck.”

“Thanks, Lookout,” Rain said.

“Thanks,” Capricorn echoed.

The kid retreated. Brian watched as she went back to the side room.

Brian watched as Candy swayed on the spot, then quickly followed, walking down the hall and into the back room.

Brian looked at Darlene.

There was no objection. No fight.

“Where are we at?” Tattletale asked. “What do we need?”

“We need… a lot more,” Victoria said. “I don’t know. I went to my sister, but that didn’t work.”

“Panacea?” Brian asked. “Why?”

“I… she’s strong. But she’s unwilling. Unwell, but she realizes that now. I asked Bitter Pill, Bough’s partner, the healer in Advance Guard, Capricorn Red’s old boyfriend. None have what Amy has. My next line of thought is mind control, force Amy to help, take away culpability, but… that’s skeevy.”

“A little bit,” Vista said.

“A lot bit,” Victoria echoed. She folded her arms. “We’re desperate.”

“What about Bonesaw?” Brian asked.

The room glanced his way.

“Gone,” Tattletale said.

“I know where she is. Valkyrie was keeping tabs on her. But… she’s unwell,” he said, tensing despite himself. Aisha leaned into him, her arm bumping his elbow.

“I’m not so sure,” Victoria said. “I saw… visions, down in the crystal. She held herself back. She seemed better.”

“I have trouble believing that,” he told her.

“I don’t say it lightly,” she said, and her voice was soft, heavy with meaning. “How far away is she?”

He hesitated. Old fears stirred.

He looked back in the direction of the tinker that had retreated. Given how Victoria had decided to handle this… He thought of Bonesaw.

He decided to trust them.

“Far,” he told them. “But doable with a chain of portals.”

“There’s a delay between portals appearing. Battery considerations, machine’s overloading a bit,” Vista said.

“Then we need to act fast,” Victoria said.

Infrared 19.z

A Random Bird

Dauntless and Fume Hood were joined by Oberon in struggling against Titans Skadi, Amenonuhoko, Ophion, and Shortcut. It marked the greatest offensive push to take over their segment of the network, and despite the Dauntless Titan’s strength, they were losing. Some villains fought on their behalf against the Titans, but the battlefield was so hazardous that many had to evacuate.

The ground rumbled.