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Shade had left that “or” dangling Cruz alh said, “Or?”

“Or,” Shade said, her lip curling, “we hit them so hard they’re scared to come after us And we expose them” She tapped the camera in her hand

Cruz ry, intense stare “We’re back to Malik’s system: hero, villain, monster Let’s face it, we’re all monsters—mutants, Rockborn, CORs, whatever na villain” Then, as if worried that Shadethe villain option seriously, Cruz added, “By the way, I vote for hero”

Shade nodded slowly “The thing is, Malik’s right; it’s a syular people if they want superpowered creatures running around, they’d say no, kill them all, exterminate them The only way they co between the worse”

Then Cruz, words co reluctantly, said, “I thinkI thinkwith all that secret identity stuff I mean, if you’re just so, and ould any normal support a masked, unknown freak with superpowers?”

“We need an eneovernive people a reason to support us, not them”

“So?”

“So, the Ranch,” Shade said at last “The place Dekka told us about, up north We could break in, record everything, and upload it”

Cruz shook her head “Why would that work?”

“Because what they’re doing there is illegal and unconstitutional and wrong” Shade stood up, and her sidelong glance at Cruz was through shark’s eyes “Better yet, it’s creepy and disturbing, and no one likes creepy”

And because ould create chaos, and in tiht

Cruz said nothing, just exhaled a long, slow breath “It’s all bad, isn’t it? It’s all bad choices I just want to” She esture with her hands, like solitchy Rubik’s Cube “I just want to roll time back”

“Back to before you met me” It wasn’t a question, and Cruz didn’t answer it

Shade nodded, accepting Cruz’s anger and frustration “I’ fast to drive,” Shade said “I don’t want to run all that way, and anyway, I need you both with me We’ll leave in an hour Tell Malik”

Shade walked away, shifting as she moved, then blurred and disappeared