And then she’s giving Riley a kiss on the cheek before following her camouflaged Speakers from the room, all but Enzo and another one of the SCARS team who remains behind to wait with my dad and Vanik.

“We’d better get out of here, too,” Enzo says. He glances at his watch and says, “If we skedaddle, we can make the last ferry.”

Cami moves forward to link her arm with his as she says, “Then let’s ‘skedaddle.’ And as we do, you can explain exactly what you’re doing here.”

I already know the answer to that, so I hang back as Enzo leads Cami outside and starts talking. Ward and Smith follow close enough to listen, with Arryn helping to fill in any gaps. Riley remains with me as I glance around the lab one last time, taking a final look at the destruction we’re leaving behind, at the sight of Vanik’s body on the ground, at my dad lying under the sterile white sheet.

I’m glad that I’ll get the chance for a proper goodbye, that I’ll be able to think about what I want to say to him, even if I know he won’t hear. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that final farewell tonight, not after everything else I’ve been through today. It’s a small reprieve, but it makes a world of difference.

“Soon, Lyss,” Riley says, drawing me close as we look at our dad. “Soon.”

He then turns us away and doesn’t look back again. I take my lead from him, allowing him to guide me from the lab and then through the front door and into the crisp night air.

I have no idea what time it is, but true to Enzo’s word, we make it to the Quarantine Station Wharf just as the ferry arrives. He pulls out a wad of cash and hands it over, whispering for the dockworker to look the other way and ignore our blood-covered selves. Light flares at his Spoken encouragement, the man too busy counting the cash to bother glancing at us as we sneak on board.

There are commuters inside, so even though it’s cold on the deck, we move to the back of the ferry and remain outside to keep from having to convince them all to ignore us. It’s going to be a long trip back to Lengard, I realize, but at the same time, something in me settles with the knowledge that there’s no longer a threat hanging over our heads.

“If we’re lucky, this ferry will stop at the zoo before heading to Circular Quay,” Arryn says. “We’ll be able to jump off and leave you guys to make your way back without us.”

“That’s when the real fun begins,” Riley says with a wry smile.

“You need to reconsider your definition of ‘fun,’” Smith grumbles.