“Yeah,” I said. “The first people have passed out. Started dreaming. Lookout’s got some data suggesting it’s filtering through okay.”

“I know,” Vista said. “We had some people come by, they had to be carried. But we got them where they wanted to go.”

I nodded.

“Where do you want to go?” Byron asked.

I had five different places I wanted to go, that were all important to me, but I really had only one destination.

“Old headquarters,” I told them. “Near Hollow Point. It’s okay if you ballpark it. I can fly.”

The sky began to warp.

“Have you two been dosed?” I asked.

“Not yet. We’re worried we’ll conk out when it matters. The more points of contact there are, the shorter the amount of time.”

“Riley had a logic to it,” I said. “We thought we’d need to be able to quickly operate on the most far-flung people, and the people quickest to agree needed to be active for longer, convincing others.”

“So you’ll be one of the last?” Byron asked.

I nodded. I offered a hand.

He pulled off his gauntlet, and touched my hand. Then he reached over to Vista, and pressed his hand to hers.

“What’s your plan?” I asked them.

“My folks’,” Byron said. “Vista’s still deciding. I’ve told her she’s welcome to come with.”

“It’s a little much,” Vista said. “I don’t want to go home, though.”

I nodded. “Rain’s on a similar wavelength. It’s not an easy thing to decide.”

“Well, you decided. Old headquarters… is that right? Did I get the location right?”

“That’s it,” Byron told her.

“Then there’s your door,” Vista said. “No rush.”

“There it is,” I said, not quite ready to leave the roof.

It was impulse that drove me. Hesitation. As if somehow this was what made it final.

Flight through a frozen sky, over a city that seemed frozen and utterly still. If there were any lights, I’d be more suspicious they were more to do with the Machine Army than any trace of humanity.

Past the Earth N portal, near Kenzie’s place.

Down to the Stratford area, going by landmarks that Vista’s power squished into odd shapes that made them nearly unrecognizable.

I landed on the fire escape.

I let myself in, no key needed. A space heater thrummed uselessly. The building was damaged, and cold leeched into the area. Whiteboards had fallen. Plans and dreams now fallen by the wayside.

Red from that same crack that had brought down one corner of the building leeched in through walls, floor, and hastily-erected tarp.

Not that I could discount that connections I’d made months ago were helping us get the people on board now.

Natalie was huddled by the space heater, wearing her puffy jacket.

“So,” she said.

“Heya.”

“Any issues?” she asked.