While Manning suffered a fate I would never have wished for him, he, at least, is no longer a concern. But if Vanik is a Creator now, the two of us going word for word against each other could be catastrophic. And that’s with the presumption— with the hope—that I’ll still be able to Speak when that time comes. Either way, right now, I don’t have a plan beyond “Stop Vanik”—and I’m no closer to figuring out what that even means.

“I think …” I start to say, considering our options as fast as I can. “I think we’d do something similar to what we did to Ward. Put Vanik to sleep and keep him that way until we figure out the next step. Surely there has to be some way to contain him.”

If only Kael’s dad had built a holding cell that could contain Creators. Then the solution would be easy—assuming we can even capture Vanik.

But there’s also another possibility.

I chew my cheek and carefully say, “If … If he’s made a serum that can make Speakers, maybe he’s come up with something that can stop someone from Speaking, too.” My pulse gives a dull kick at the truth I’m revealing without actually revealing it. “If we can get our hands on that, we can take away his ability again, and then there will be no risk of him Speaking himself free.”

“But he’ll still be a genius who can figure out another way to escape.”

“It’s better than nothing. We’ll just … monitor him carefully.”

Cami eyes me shrewdly. “There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ in your plan.”

She’s not wrong.

“And what about Manning?” she asks.

I swallow, my stomach churning with more guilt. “Let’s just focus on one problem at a time. Presuming Vanik is a Creator, then he’s the main threat, and Manning is secondary.”

And by secondary, I mean nonexistent.

Soon—I’ll have to tell her soon.

“And what comes after all that?”

I blink at her. “After all what?”

A wry smile touches her lips. “After we’ve saved the world. What’s next?”

I just stare at her, having no idea how to answer.