The four of us lurched into the Denny's. It had been a very long night of firefighting.

Lir had fallen asleep wrapped around my neck and shoulders. Lux was photogenically covered with smudges of ash; she'd skipped our confrontation with Todd to go help the burning baby Winnie. Lux was a-okay in my book.

"We didn't lose any Winnies," Adaobi said. "For everyone else death toll is eleven right now. People were caught by surprise with the first blast and a lot of us were ready for trouble. It could have been much worse. I'm going to have a memorial service for them tomorrow."

Eleven dead. Because of Todd. Because I'd brought him here.

I put my face in my hands. Lir stirred and pressed his skull against my cheek.

"How's the baby?" I asked Lux. My voice was muffled.

"Alive, she's alive." Lux was speaking into her echoing coffee cup. Her black eye had gone a ghastly yellow. "Burned, but I was able to Magic-scoop a lot of water onto her. She can't walk but she's alive."

I held up a fist for her to bump, like I'd been doing with Lir. She smiled tiredly and bonked her head on it like Lir would.

"How's your mini-me?" Adaobi asked, stroking Lir across the diner table.

"He helped evacuate a preschool. I'm very impressed with him."

"Because he's you," Lux said.

"No, I'm him, he explained it and pointed out how much cooler he was. But he's my friend."

Lux and Adaobi looked at me oddly. Practically tilting their heads the way a dog will when it hears a strange sound.

"That's really nice," Adaobi said.

"I need to sleep. I'll take him with me, put him in Todd's bed."

Adaobi sighed. "Thanks for helping with the fires."

"I caused them."

"I caused them more than anyone else," Lux said. "He scared me and pissed me off. Tried to do this anime lean thing. I didn't handle it well." She rubbed her black eye.

"Did you break his leg?" Adaobi asked.

"No, the fall from the building where I threw him did that."

"So you're blameless."

"Obviously."

"He would have done it no matter what," Adaobi said. "I know it. I took his inventory, saw that he had potential for this kind of thing. And that he was miserable. I should have…I don't know. I'm going to make an apology and broadcast it to Caravan."

I didn't say don't blame yourself, because she already was blaming herself. I didn't say you don't have to make a speech to the whole city for this because she felt she did have to. I didn't say it's not your fault, because she'd go to her grave thinking it was her fault.

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I said: "You're a good leader."

Adaobi raised her eyes, met mine. And I'll be damned if she wasn't blushing in perfect circles of cherry red on her purple skin. "Thanks."

I found myself smiling at her, probably blushing too.

"Hey!" said Lux.

The news sources were all over the story. Caravan was well-liked; it was the city that visited you. The Covenant of Man was wildly unpopular already; this made them full-blown supervillains.

The Chancla board was abuzz with it. Owens were demanding to know what had happened.

007: I was there. I still have that drone. He was always going to do it.

PingsterLiberationFront: He was. Me and my guys are on the way out there if you'll have us.

007: gladly, thank you hermano

MollysGoodBoy: I'm on the way too. I'm good with plants and I've always been curious about Winnies, maybe I can help

007: No kidding? Thank you!

SurfOrDie_CantSurf: Me too. Hope you like seafood.

HusbandMandy: I should have listened.

I sat back in the barstool. "Lir, he's here again."

The Cazador peered over my shoulder. "Is that right. I'm logging on."

007: Can you do anything to help?

HusbandMandy: No. Fighting an alien invasion. Turns out Humans are tasty to some. This is up to you guys until we keep them from trying to eat us.

007: Good luck.

OwenBeta_StillBuggy: can we help YOU, dude?

HusbandMandy: I don't know. Days like this I just want to say: okay alien invaders, maybe just eat the Humans after all, I won't stop you. And time is running out

007: What's happening? Time is running out?"

HusbandMandy: Transcendence might be starting. Humans disappearing in batches. Not sure if it's transcendence or if they're just getting eaten by the alien menace thing

OwenBeta_StillBuggy: You do you, then. We can handle nazis

007: yeah don't sweat it

HusbandMandy: I'm sorry guys about the fires. Couldn't sleep. Shouldn't have happened and I should have been there but I had to fight a death machine. Is something happening on earth? These murderous shitheads from across the Slice are determined to get there and mess everyone up

007: What should we be looking for?

HusbandMandy: The last time something like this happened, the President was tapping into the intrinsic psychic unpleasantness of the Human condition. We're not seeing anything like that. Not even the Radio.

OwenBeta_StillBuggy: you got a hot wife, did that help

HusbandMandy: that is a very intrusive and invasive question, quite rude, and yes very much she FINE

THEMIGHTYUNDINE!!!: just what the HECK is going on here in my harem

HusbandMandy: Why nothing dearest we're sharing sports stats or whatever

The chat filled with the obligatory hearts and goo-goo eyes for the appearance of Mandy. Ohh, they were an irritatingly cute couple. They both logged off, presumably to blow up an alien invasion with their sexual antics.

I put my face in my hands. "Oh my god."

"Jealousy pouring off you, dude." Lir patted my shoulder. "Appropriate."

"Harem, she said–"

"It was a joke."

Adaobi called. "You rested up? I could use a hand with Winnie repair today."

"You know it."

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