The appearance of the heroine in gleaming power armor had brought the room to a hush. The silence only allowed Dragons words to carry, bouncing off the hard floor, reaching the assembled students and staff of Arcadia High.

A low murmur ran through the room like an almost imperceptible aftershock, informing anyone and everyone who hadnt been in earshot.

I could see Emma too, or I could see glimpses of her, between the students that were backing away from the front of the room. Already pale in complexion, she was white, now, staring.

I exhaled slowly, though my heart was pounding as if Id just finished a hard run.

Defiant advanced a step, with the door to the kitchens behind him, while I took a few steps back toward the rest of the cafeteria, putting both Dragon and Defiant in front of me. Some of my bugs flowed in through the gaps around the door hed rammed through. Hed slammed it shut behind him, but the metal had twisted around the lock, giving smaller bugs a path.

He slammed his spear against the ground. The entire cafeteria flinched at the crackle of electricity that ripped through the air around him, flowing along exposed pipe and the heating ducts in a path to the door. Every bug in the hallway died.

No use bringing bugs in that way.

I looked around me. This wasnt an optimal battlefield. There were counters all around me, limiting my mobility, while barely impacting theirs. Someone had signaled Kid Win, Clockblocker and Adamant. The three heroes were heading our way. Sere remained tied up outside.

Five capes against me. With the bugs that had flowed into the building with Kid Win, I had maybe a thousand flying insects and some spiders. Not nearly enough to mount an offensive. I had neither a weapon nor swarm to give me an edge. I didnt have my costume, either, but that wasnt liable to matter.

Once upon a time, Id had trouble getting my head around what Grue had been saying about reputation, about image and conveying the right impressions. Now it was all I had.

I let out another slow breath. Calm down. I rolled my shoulders, letting the kinks out. There was something almost relieving about the idea that things couldnt get much worse than they were right now. Let the tension drain out. If they decided to drag me off to jail or the Birdcage, there wasnt anything I could do about it.

They werent attacking. Maybe it wasnt as bad as I thought. Were they not here to arrest me, or were they covering major routes my bugs might travel, to minimize my offensive strength?

Or did I have leverage I wasnt accounting for?

I backed up until Id reached a counter, then hopped up onto the edge, tucking one leg under me. It was a vantage point that gave me the ability to look directly at Dragon, with Defiant at the far left of my field of vision and many of the students to my right, Emma included.

Low blow, Dragon, I said, finally. Outing me? I thought you were better than that.

Another murmur ran through the room, at what was essentially an admission. Emma was frozen. Her expression wasnt changing; eyes wide, lips pressed together.

I try to be, Dragon replied. Im only following instructions.

I guess your bosses are a little annoyed at the armored suits my team trashed? Are they demanding that you make up for it by dragging me into custody?

Dragon shook her head. Putting the armored suits up against you Undersiders was a beta test, and identifying major flaws is par for the course. I do wish you hadnt melted down the Azazel It was expensive. But thats not why were here.

There are rules, Dragon, I said. Expectations. I fought Leviathan, I fought the Nine. I was there for the fight against the Class-S threat downtown. I dont want to sound arrogant, but I think maybe I deserve to, a little. Ive done my share. You dont turn around and reveal my identity in front of a crowd.

It wasnt by choice.

You choose to follow them. Its not like twenty or thirty heroes havent walked away from the Protectorate, recently.

Its not that simple, Skitter, Defiant said.

Its never simple. But sometimes you have to take the hard road. Sometimes you have to recognize that the people calling the shots dont know what theyre doing. Because this? Picking a fight in a school? Theres no way this makes sense.

The Protectorate is doing what they can to pick up the pieces, Dragon said. Things are a little disorganized. The best of us are working twice as hard, with half of the information, or incorrect information. If there are any errors in judgement on that front, Id hope theyre somewhat excusable, given circumstances.

Sure, but its the rest of us who pay the price. The last time we really talked, you were lecturing me about priorities. Do you really want to have this conversation? Where I have words with you about your priorities, in light of everything thats happening with the Protectorate?

I left the threat hang in the air.

You wont, Dragon said. She stepped closer, and I raised a hand, gesturing for her to stop. I didnt really think about it. She stopped where she was.

Why? Why was she actually listening when I told her to stop? If shed advanced on me, grabbed me, there wasnt much I could do besides kick and scream.

When I didnt say anything, she added, Its not in you, Skitter.

Youd be surprised what Im capable of, I said. Ive mutilated people. Carved out a mans eyes, emasculated him. Ive chopped off a womans toes. Flayed people alive with the bites of thousands of insects. Hell, what I did to Triumph he nearly died, choking on insects, the venom of a hundred bee stings making his throat close up. Even Sere, outside at this very moment. Hes not very happy.

Defiant and Dragon exchanged a glance.

Your swarm shouldnt be able to get near him, Defiant said.

I shrugged. Image, confidence, reputation. I hated myself for doing it, but I was thinking of Jack Slash. He didnt wear a mask or a costume. His power didnt make people shit their pants. What he had was his presence, an atmosphere of confidence.

Weeks or months ago, I might have had a hard time wearing that confidence the way Jack did. The history, the long sequence of events and conflicts where wed come out ahead in our respective teams, it could just as easily be a burden, the accumulated weight of the various precedents wed set, but wed made it into our armor, something to make our enemies hesitate at a critical juncture.

Im guessing youre trying to contact Sere somehow, I said. And its not working.

Is he hurt? Dragon asked.

I didnt have to give a response. Fear was a tool I could use, here, and I could achieve that through uncertainty and the unknown.

Id been thinking of Jack Slash before, but now I was thinking of Bakuda. Shed been the first one to introduce me to that concept.

Youve got me thinking, I said, ignoring the question, Why set me up like this? You two are too smart to put me in a desperate situation with this many hostages in arms reach.

Is Sere hurt? Defiant growled the words.

You put me in a room with three hundred people I could theoretically take hostage. Why? You cant be that confident I wouldnt hurt someone

Emma was sitting to my right. She hadnt budged from her position, safe in the midst of several of the schools staff. I directed a centipede to crawl across her hand, and she shrieked. In her haste to get up from the bench, she fell. She scrambled to put distance between us. Both Dragon and Defiant tensed.

I raised my hands in a placating gesture, assuring the heroes I wasnt taking it any further. or you wouldnt be worrying about Sere right now. You wouldnt have reacted like you just did. Seres fine, by the way, though Im not saying hell stay that way.

Defiant relaxed a fraction. I could see Adamant, Kid Win and Clockblocker entering the room behind Dragon. She turned to say something I didnt catch, and both Adamant and Kid Win retreated. Theyd be going to find Sere, I could only assume.

I met Clockblockers eyes, then looked to Dragon. This is bait, isnt it? You or the people who are calling the shots want me to take hostages. Because you have an answer handy, something that will stop me before theyre put in any serious danger. I take hostages to try to secure my release. You I dont even know. You gas us, or use some kind of controlled charge, like Defiants bug zapper, and every bug in the room dies. You get to be the heroes, I go into custody, and word gets around that the Undersiders arent so benevolent. The villains who own the city lose both their leader and the trust of the public, all at once.

It wasnt our plan, Dragon said. Her voice had a faint accent, just barely filtering through the sound filter of her mask. Ive studied your record. I suspected it wouldnt work based on the decisions youve made to date. Defiant agreed, though he based his judgement on your powers and versatility.

But you went ahead with it.

Orders, Dragon said, again. And because we discussed the matter, and neither of us really believe youll do any serious harm to any hostages.

You seem to be giving me a lot of credit, assuming Ill play nice. And you seriously expect me to keep my mouth shut about all the dirty little secrets Ive picked up on over the last few months, after youve played your last card and revealed my identity? An identity you found out because I helped?

That wasnt how I discovered it, Dragon said. And you will keep quiet, because you know how important it is.

Maybe, I answered her. Maybe not. If Im going to die or going to jail anyways, why shouldnt I scream what I know to our audience, here?

Because you wont, Dragon said, And you cant.

Why dont we move this conversation somewhere else? Defiant asked. He shifted his hold on his spear to a two-handed grip, threatening without being threatening.

Out of earshot of all of these people? I asked, extending an arm in the direction of the gathered students. I dont think so. If nothing else, Im entitled to a jury consisting of my peers. Ill settle for you two taking a hit to your reputation if and when you attack or kill me.

Which was why I was sitting on the counter. I was less mobile, less able to get out of the way if they attacked, and that was a good thing. A detail that our audience wouldnt consciously register, but theyd take something away from the fact that my opponents were being aggressive while I was so defenseless.

Were not going to kill you, Dragon said. Weve been instructed to take you into custody. Im sorry we have to do it this way. Id hoped wed hoped to simply talk to you.

The both of you? I wouldnt have thought Arm- Defiant had anything to say to me.

We entered Brockton Bays airspace, and I was informed that theres a major quarantine in effect here, relating to the portal downtown, and that the airspace is being strictly controlled. We were forced to announce our reason for coming to Brockton Bay, and PRT members with higher clearance co-opted our mission. We were ordered to confront you directly, here, and to bring you into custody.

Why? I asked. Those suits you deployed against my team were supposed to be used to hunt the Slaughterhouse Nine. Either youve abandoned that chase, or youre about to tell me that theres something more important than stopping them.

That is something we can discuss while we are in transit, Defiant told me.

Defiant- Dragon said, her tone a warning.

I could say more here, he added, But there are too many prying ears. If you were willing to move to a room nearby, I could explain.

No thanks, I said.

Youd still have your power, and I know you can communicate with that power, Defiant said. Youre just as capable of communicating any secrets to them from elsewhere in the school.

If I moved somewhere out of sight and out of earshot, I said, My words wouldnt have the same dramatic effect. Besides, I suspect our audience is the only thing thats ensuring that you play fair. They have cameras, and you have reputations to uphold.

My reputation isnt a priority, he said. Dragon nodded, but I wasnt sure if it was approval or agreement.

You have your organizations reputation to uphold. For those of us who stuck around in Brockton Bay, we had reasons. Something kept us here. There was something to protect, or people to support. Some were just scared, because actually leaving was scarier than staying. Others didnt have any place to go. With the Protectorate slowly folding in on itself like a house of cards, Im thinking you had a reason to stay, a reason youre following orders you dont want to. Youre not about to rough up an unarmed, uncostumed girl and make them look bad on camera. Not when you have that big a stake in things.

Defiant glanced in the direction of the crowd. A handful of students had cell phones out, watching the scene.

Remind you of the hospital? I asked. Similar scenario.

Yes, he replied. He didnt elaborate.

We could grab you, Clockblocker chimed in. I can, or he can just walk up to you. No violence necessary.

No, Defiant said. Again, there was no elaboration.

It dawned on me. Defiant and Dragon were playing it safe because they thought I might have a trick up my sleeve, like I had at the fundraiser. Id disabled Sere, despite the fact that he was supposed to counter my power, and I hadnt even made a big deal of it. They knew what Id done to Echidna, and several other events besides.

They were worried Id pull something.

Defiant had a grasp on my powers, Dragon had a grasp on me as a person, and theyd gauged that I wasnt a risk to the others in the room. Which, if I was being honest with myself, I wasnt. They had the upper hand, they lost nothing by letting this play out, and so they werent making a move. Theyd talk me down, so to speak, and if I did something, theyd use one of their gadgets or tricks to counter my play.

One of the worst possible things had just happened to me, with my secret identity becoming public knowledge, and here I was, unarmed without a single idea on how to get out of this and the good guys were playing it safe. I smiled; I couldnt help it.

Fuck me, Clockblocker muttered to Dragon. I might not have made out his words if it werent for the bugs Id planted on the heroine. It just sunk in. Its really her.

Why only just now?

Adamant had distorted his metal armor to create a completely form-fitting metal suit, with only the thinnest possible slits for his eyes, before venturing outside. Hed waded through my swarm, mostly blind, and hed only just found Sere beyond the wall at the schools perimeter. He reshaped an armor panel into a weapon to start cutting Sere free.

Could I have caught Adamant too? Probably. But it wasnt worth the effort, not when he could reshape metal, with enhanced strength and durability on top of that.

Now that I understood what was going on, I felt like I had something of an edge. Now, how could I leverage it?

Im sorry, Defiant said.

That threw my thoughts off track. I tensed, but he wasnt apologizing for an imminent attack. What?

In the past, when weve crossed paths, I should have made efforts to meet you halfway. I didnt. Ive had time to reflect, Ive had another person to talk to and give me some objectivity, and Ive come to regret how things played out between us. I could say more, but it would come out like excuses, and I doubt either of us want to hear those.

Thats what you came here to say?

In large part, Defiant said.

Wed hoped to talk to you, one cape to another, Dragon elaborated, About the immediate future, with the Undersiders running this city, and your expectations in particular, Skitter. But both Defiant and I thought he needed to say something to you along those lines, and perhaps you needed to hear it. If anything pushed us to come here, it was that.

I didnt have a response to that. It was easier when the opposition were assholes. Expressing remorse? How was I supposed to parse that?

Except, theyd done one thing that was assholish. One incongruent element in all of this.

One last question, then, I said. Why? Why out me in front of everyone? It doesnt fit with the idea of Defiant being remorseful, it flies in the face of the unwritten rules, and I know my team has played fast and loose with those rules, but I wouldnt expect you to break them like this, Dragon. Not Defiant, either, if hes reinventing himself.

Defiant and Dragon exchanged a look.

What? I asked.

Its better you dont know, Dragon said.

What is? And better for who?

Better for everyone involved, she said.

Tell me.

She glanced at Defiant, but he didnt turn her way. A precog told us it was our best option for bringing you into custody.

A precog? The incongruous elements fit together. A plan of action that was riddled with little flaws and contradictions when seen from an outside perspective, that made sense when seen through the lens of someone whod seen the future and worked out what criteria needed to be met to get the desired end result. This, mobilizing on the school, it was the same kind of setup I might expect from a plan that Coil would have hashed together after a long question and answer session with Dinah, his pet precog.

Dinah.

Who was this precog? I asked, the question abrupt.

Skitter- Dragon started.

Who?

You know who, Defiant told me.

It knocked the wind out of me in a way that I hadnt experienced with the revealing of my secret identity. My blood ran cold, and all of my confidence just plummeted, as though it had fallen into a pit so deep I couldnt even see the bottom.

It was. All of the lengths Id gone to, the lines Id crossed, to get Dinah away from Coil, to get her home to her family, and this?

I was acutely aware of the crowd to my right. Theyd backed away from the front tables, and were clustered at the far end of the cafeteria. Still, theyd be hanging on every word they could make out. They were watching my every movement, every facet of this conversation. There were cell phone cameras turned my way, and every second of footage would no doubt wind up on Parahumans Online or some video site.

I barely cared. I felt a little numb as I swung my legs around to the far side of the counter and hopped down. I wasnt standing as straight, and some of my hair had fallen down around my face, obscuring it.

Did they force her to give up the information? I asked. My voice sounded funny. I couldnt pin down whether I felt angry, sad or any of that. I had only the external clues, the way my voice had the faintest of tremors, and a strange hollow feeling inside.

I stepped away from the counter, away from Dragon and Defiant. My foot had started to fall asleep where Id been sitting on it, and I felt a touch unsteady anyways.

You dont want to hear the answer to that question, either, Defiant spoke, behind me.

Dragon and Defiant had flown in, apparently to say hi, and so that Defiant could make something resembling an apology as part of his twelve step assholes anonymous process. With the chaos the PRT had been facing as of late, and their own preoccupation with their mission, they hadnt been notified of the quarantine procedures. Theyd been questioned, theyd divulged that I was here, and the bigwigs giving the orders used Dinah to plot out a means of attack that would be likely to get me into custody.

Each idea seemed so much worse than the other, if I considered it for even a moment: either the PRT was using Dinah just like Coil had, or that Dinah had volunteered the information of her own free will.

I was willing to take Defiant at his word. I didnt want to hear the answer.

What are the odds? I asked. Do you know?

I can ask, Dragon said.

Please.

She paused. Ninety-six point eight percent chance we bring you into custody, Dragon said. We have the numbers on general paths you might take to escape. You understand if I dont give you the chance of success on those numbers, but you should know that violence wont work. Less than one percent chance of success.

Ah. It was all I could bring myself to say.

It explains why theyre playing it safe. Its not just that I have a penchant for problem solving. Dinah told them to watch out for it.

I glanced at the crowd. They were still listening. Emma was there, hugging her arms to her body, eyes wide and uncomprehending.

Not even a factor. On the list of things I had to deal with, she wasnt even in the top ten, not even in the top one-hundred. I felt irrationally offended that she was here, as if she was only doing it out of some kind of self-importance. As if shed had a choice.

A part of me, bigger than Id expected it to be, wanted to lash out. To hurt her just because I could, to answer that outrage I was experiencing, in regards to something she had no control over.

It wasnt like I had much to lose.

Skitter, Dragon said. She made it a warning, almost like she had with Defiant. I couldnt be sure what she was warning me about. Was my line of thinking that obvious?

I never liked that name, I said. Skitter. Never quite fit.

If theres something else youd like us to call you she trailed off, inviting an answer. Her voice was gentle, as if she were talking to someone on a ledge. I noticed Clockblocker was standing beside her, his glove pointed at me, fingers outstretched.

Was I on a ledge, in a matter of speaking? I could hardly tell.

No idea, I said, as I walked around a table to put students between myself and Clockblocker. Felt like commenting on the subject.

You know how capable the precog is, Defiant said. Come quietly, and we can all talk to the authorities together. If it would help, I can admit some culpability in your current circumstance. All of us together might be able to get you a more lenient sentence.

I was aware of the eyes of the other students. There was the cluster at the back of the room, the ones who were backing away from me, cringing, cowering. Others hadnt left their seats, and were arrayed around me, their heads turning to watch me as I walked down the aisle. The ones whod stayed, less afraid, or more willing to face their fear.

He was admitting it, loud enough for everyone to hear. He was partially to blame for me being this. A crime lord. A villain. Partially. Much of the fault was mine.

Strange, to be confronted with the realization here, at school. Not the place where it all started, but close enough.

Okay, I said, more to myself than anyone else.

Yes? he asked, taking a step forward.

No, I told him. He stopped in his tracks. That was more of an okay, Ive decided what Im doing.

I could see him tense.

Students! I called out, raising my voice.

Shes taking hostages, Dragon said, her jetpack kicking to life.

a clear shot, Clockblocker said. He was walking briskly to his left, his glove still trained on me.

Im not taking you hostage, I said. Its really your choice how this plays out. Im not sure if you heard me say it before, but I described you as a jury. Now its time for you to vote.

Thats not how it works, Skitter! Defiant shouted. He stepped forward, then whipped around to kill the swarm that was flowing in through the doorway behind him. I could divert some to the air ducts, but it didnt amount to much. He was stuck near the door, unless he wanted to let the bugs stream in.

Stand if you side with me, I called out. I wont make any big speeches here. Thats not who I am. I wont feed you lies or guilt you into this. Its your call.

What had I expected? A handful of people, Charlotte included? A slow, gathering buildup?

Of the three hundred or so students in the auditorium, nearly a third stood from the benches where theyd sat. As a mass, they migrated my way, gathering behind me. Charlotte stood just to my left, staring forward without making eye contact with me.

Since Id entered the school, Id been acutely aware of the distinctions, the difference between then and now. The sense of the Undersiders presence in the school had followed me, nagging at me.

What use were followers if we couldnt use them?

I heard movement, and glanced over my shoulder to see Charlottes friend, Fern, breaking away from the mass of students at the very back of the room. Nineteen out of twenty of them were the clean, pristine, bright-eyed kids whod left the city when the trouble started. As Fern advanced, eyes to the ground, others broke away from the crowd to join my group. Not many. Ten or twelve. It was still something.

A hundred students and change, a small handful of bugs. I could see Emma, standing on the sidelines, her fists clenched. She was saying something, repeating it over and over, under her breath. I couldnt spare the bugs to listen in. I wasnt sure I cared.

This is reckless, Defiant said. His voice had a strange tone to it, and it wasnt just the digital twang that I was hearing at the edges of the words.

Probably, I replied, raising my voice enough that it could carry across the room. But not as much as youd think. Were not fighting. I stress, were not engaging you.

What are you doing, if youre not fighting us? Clockblocker asked.

Defiant and Dragon wanted to use the hostages against me, putting me in a lose-lose situation where I was caught between them and having to hurt people to try to escape. I think Im turning the tables, now. Were going to walk out of this school as a group. If you want to stop us, youre going to have to hurt us, and you arent capable of doing that to people any more than I am.

Skitter! Dragon raised her voice.

Taylor, I answered her. Im just Taylor, for just a little while longer. I suppose Ill be retiring my civilian name, one way or another, by the end of the night. Fuck you for that, by the way. I wont forget it.

wasnt me, she said, and I doubted even Clockblocker heard her, from where he stood beside her.

It wasnt your choice, I said, But as long as you choose to follow them, youre as culpable as they are.

I hadnt even finished my sentence when I raised a hand and pointed. There was a moments hesitation, and then the group advanced. I waited a few seconds, and then joined them, falling in step.

Clockblocker used his glove, and the fingertips shot out with explosive force, with what looked like gleaming white fishing line stretching between the digits and the glove. The tips punched into a wall. A fence of thin lines, not much different from my spider silk.

Dragon put her hand on the glove, and the tips retracted just as fast. My bugs could hear her speaking. ll hurt civilians.

A few members of the group broke away before getting too close to the capes. Others joined in. The group marched forward, reaching the front of the room.

Someone pushed a piece of clothing into my hands. A sweatshirt. I pulled it on and flipped the hood up. I took my glasses off, sliding them into a pocket.

Clockblocker was pressing through the group. Hed used his power, but the press of bodies was actually causing some damage, as people unwittingly pushed others into the frozen individuals. He was fighting to reach me.

Link elbows, I said, my voice low, Surround him. Hes only about as strong as you are.

It took a second for people to get organized. He passed perilously close to me, but his eyes moved straight past me. A few heartbeats later, the members of the group who had managed to get themselves linked together had him surrounded.

Everyone to my right, head for the front door. Everyone to my left, to the kitchen. Straight past Defiant.

The man barred the door. We were only a dozen feet away when he slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. Electricity and hot air ripped through the serving area of the cafeteria, with visible arcs dancing along the edges of sinks and the metal rails meant for the trays at the front.

Steady forward, I said. First ones to reach him, grab him. You dont need to do anything except hold on. Dogpile him, and he wont be able to move for fear of hurting you.

I saw some people hesitating. The group almost lost its forward momentum.

He might not be a good guy, I murmured. But hes a hero. Trust in that.

Or is it the other way around? That apology sat oddly with me.

He held his spear out horizontally, barring our path. It was Charlotte that quickened her step, reaching out to fold her arms around the spear and his left hand.

Others soon did the same. He stood tall in his armor, nearly seven feet, and people almost had to climb on top of him to find a place to hold on.

I almost wondered if Id had a second trigger event, if I was controlling them, the image was so bizarre.

Then I took a better look at them, at how some werent listening to me at all, retreating. Others were being far less consistent, showing a wide variety of emotions. Sheila, the girl with the side of her head shaved, was among them. Her face was etched in anger, of all things, as she clung to Defiant.

A hundred students had joined me, and a hundred students had their individual stories. Their sleepless nights, their individual tragedies and moments of terror. That was all this was.

I wasnt sure if that was a relief or if it was scarier.

Dragon flew over us, her jetpack carrying her into the air, over the crowd. Students were following beneath her, running. One or two leaped onto tables and jumped to try to catch ahold of Dragons foot, but she veered easily to one side.

With Defiant occupied, I was free to bring bugs in through the back door, not having to worry about them being bug-zapped to oblivion. I directed them straight into the vents on the jetpack that were sucking in huge quantities of air. One second it was like a vacuum, drawing in air, the next it was clogged. She lost lift, floating to the ground, and deftly batted aside the reaching hands of the students who were getting in her way.

Her jetpack expanded with an almost explosive motion, fanning out to have four times the number of intake vents, four times the number of output charges, and two laser turrets that curved over her shoulders.

There was no way she could pack that much machinery in that much space. Either it was all crammed into her torso, which was impossible, or Armsmaster-Defiant had tweaked it.

She had liftoff, and she was faster.

And Id already slipped past Defiant, stepping into the kitchen, and into the narrow hallway. She didnt have room to navigate, with the other students who were crammed into the entryway.

She turned herself around a hundred-and-eighty degrees and flew out the entrance of the cafeteria, heading outside.

Only twenty or so students were with me, now. Dragon was stopping beside Adamant and Sere. Adamant took her hand, and she lifted off, carrying the pair of them.

Still had to deal with three heroes

And the massive armored suits that the two had ridden in to arrive. Two.

No, Defiant said.

You were supposed to protect us! a girl shouted. Sheila, the one whod been angry, whod brought a weapon to school and had left the school rather than relinquish it.

I wont, he said.

He was talking to someone else. The vents on his mask were open, hot air flowing out. Was he trying to disperse heat so he wouldnt burn any students?

Its still crude, he said, do more harm than good.

There was a pause.

r freedom isnt worth possibly losing you.

Defiant, still at the serving area of the cafeteria, moved. With nine students clinging to him, he was glacially slow, careful to a degree that I might have called agonizing, if it werent so much to my benefit.

He needed two hands on his spear to remove the panel in the middle of the shaft. I filled it with my bugs, and he shook it, to try to get them loose. When that failed, he disconnected his glove, letting it strike a student that clung to his leg, before falling to the floor.

I tried to use my bugs to bite his hand, but I found it was a smooth texture, not flesh. Metal or plastic, or something combining the two. He found three buttons in the mechanisms inside the spear and typed in a sequence.

Dragon veered toward the ground, depositing the two capes there before staggering forward in four or five rapid footsteps, dispersing the rest of her forward momentum. She fell into a crouching position.

We made our way outside. The armored suit that Defiant had piloted to the school loomed before us, a four legged mechanical dragon perched on the athletics field, replete with panels of knightly armor. This thing this wasnt a fight I could win. Simple A.I. or no, Dragon would have shored up any weakness in logic.

It didnt move.

We walked between its legs on our way to the parking lot. There wasnt really another route.

Dragon stood, abrupt, and I flinched.

She turned her head our way, but she didnt pursue, as we walked through the parking lot to the main road. Adamant and Sere were too far away, Kid Win hadnt been willing to venture outside a second time, after the faceful of bugs Id given him before.

Stray bugs drew out an arrow, pointing him to his things. No use letting some stupid kid get their hands on it and blow their faces off or something.

I watched Dragon with my swarm, for as long as she was in my range. I was well out of sight by the time she finally moved. The students had released Defiant, and he approached her side.

She extended a hand, and it tremored, the movement stuttering, palsied.

Defiant seized it in his right hand and pulled her close, wrapping his gloveless arm around her shoulders. He set his chin on top of her head.

My escort and I walked as a group until we were three blocks away from the school.

Stop, I said.

They did. The remaining members of the group backed away, turning towards me.

What was I even supposed to say? Thank you seemed so trite. They were all so different. There was Fern, and a boy who didnt look like one of the ones whod stayed in the city. Some looked nervous, others showed no expression at all. There was no response that encapsulated all of them.

I tried to think of something to say, but the harder I tried, the less anything seemed to fit.

You saved my dad, Fern said, as if answering a question I hadnt asked.

Saved her dad? When?

It didnt really matter.

Imp found the bastard who was threatening to do shit to my little sisters, one guy said. Tied him to a traffic post. And you work with her, right?

You fought the Slaughterhouse Nine.

those bastard ABB guys

Fed

when Shatterbird

Mannequin

Leviathan showed up at the shelter, I heard you were

Empire

A collection of voices, a jumble, to the point that I couldnt take it all in.

I didnt have a group with me as I walked down Lord street. I turned right, onto familiar territory, my heart heavy.

It wasnt long before I was close enough. My range was longer, now. Odd. It was supposed to get longer when I felt more trapped, but trapped wasnt the word I would have chosen.

My bugs rose at my command, tracing over the area. It wasnt so unusual, that there were flies, bumblebees and ants about: the heat of summer, the humidity, the imbalanced ecosystem Nobody paid them any heed.

A small butterfly found its way into the house. It traced over the glossy smooth armor and helmets of PRT officers, touched the badge on the chest of a police officer.

It touched my dads shoulder, moved down his bare arm to his hand. He was sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands.

An officer swatted at the bug, missing. The action drew someone elses attention.

It could be her, the woman in the PRT uniform said.

Fan out! someone else ordered.

They spilled out of the house. Orders were shouted, and people climbed into cars, peeling out.

Still at the kitchen table, my dad reached out for the butterfly. I had it settle on his finger. Cliche? Overdramatic? Probably. But I couldnt bear for my possible last contact with my dad to be through anything ugly.

Taylor, he said.

Six and a half city blocks away, I replied, Im sorry.

The butterfly and I took off at the same time.