I sighed. I took in the scene. A field of weeds had been turned into mud and uprooted plants by the passage of a few hundred road ragers. Behind us, students were resisting the ones who were telling them that it was time to pack up, that they’d gotten their message across and there was no reason to stay.

“You’re in costume,” I noted. “An updated costume.”

“I dabble,” she said. “A little while after I started working, I saw an article about the refugees and how children were getting lost in transition. It struck a chord with me. Because of what happened to your Aunt Sarah and me, and because I’d lost my own children, in a way, in transition.”

I shifted my stance, giving her a warning look.

“I’ll be good, don’t fret. I haven’t joined a team, but I have connections. I get out and do what I can when I’m not working, and right now I’m only working half-days, four days a week.”

“What happened to the missing refugee kids?”

“That’s not the kind of cape work I excel at, I’m afraid. I relieve some capes and watch their neighborhoods so they can investigate it more. They give me updates, and I try to keep track and collect information.”

“Which is what you’re good at.”

She smiled. She touched my sling. “You got hurt.”

“Power nullifier in the mix.”

“Of course,” she replied, in conjunction with the same smile she’d given Ambrosius earlier.

She seemed so much more like herself here, in costume.

“You did good work, Victoria, doing what you did at Fenway Station, and tipping people off about the other stations. We’ve been so stunned in the wake of it all that I think we’re all still processing it. Still, as people come to grips with it, I’ve tried to let them know about the role you and your team played in controlling the damage.”

“Thank you,” I said, quiet. “You made it out okay?”

“Some of my coworkers were working late. It’s part of the reason for me working half-days. We’ll put pieces together and find a way forward, but it’s going to take a week or two at a minimum.”

I nodded.

“Did you make it out okay, Victoria?” she asked. “Your team?”

“More or less. We’re not really a team. We’re mostly going our separate ways.”

“Your two friends with the court appointments. The others are attending court? Sitting together again?”

“Yes. Probably. Are your colleagues going to be the ones prosecuting them, down the road?”

“I’m a lawmaker more than a prosecutor these days. But no, nobody I know directly, I’m fairly sure. That wasn’t what I was driving at. For a team that’s going its separate ways, you seem to be traveling in the same direction with regularity.”