“Janni doesn’t mean to be mean” rang in Raleigh’s ears as her attention snapped into place, for her to find all three men from her universe at TamLin’s feet and Kitten beside him and Misha nervously eyeing the two of them while sipping a bright green drink built on one of the time-release sugar fizzles that were the current fad in cocktails.

And all the civilians around them were doing the standard goggle-and-gossip, common to bystanders everywhere.

“I know,” TamLin answered Kitten, and Raleigh almost didn’t hear him over the pounding in her head.

“What are you two talking about?” Raleigh managed to ask.

“Janni’s an ass, apparently,” Misha answered. “Though I’m not quite sure what she lied to Kasy and me about.”

“Oh, she doesn’t lie overtly. She misleads. Guides you so you get down the rabbit hole all on your lonesome.” TamLin let out a quick hiss of air. “So the other sei after Raleigh aren’t here?”

“Not on this floor, no,” Kitten said mildly, yellow energy seeping out of her veins and irises and starting to crawl over her skin.

TamLin gave the girl a hard look that made Raleigh stiffen and fear he was going to try to hurt her again. “So they are here.”

“They have a…diffuser? Disperser?” Kitten glanced back at her. “I think I know why they want her.”

Raleigh looked between the two of them, unsure if she dared ask. She didn’t want to be the excuse TamLin used to beat on Kitten again.

“So…why do they want her?” Misha asked, and she could’ve slapped him.

“She’s modified her own programming to be able to identify and destroy primes. They want to analyze what she did to gain that ability for themselves.” Kitten glanced at TamLin and swallowed, pain flickering on her face. “Jan—”

Her voice cracked into a grunt, and TamLin caught Kitten before Raleigh even realized the girl was doubling over.

“Stop!” TamLin demanded. “Second—”

The girl clung to his arm and stared up at him, eyes glowing as she gasped for air. “Janni’s riding the beacon. Raleigh’s secure.”

“What?” Raleigh blurted, wondering what Kitten meant but really more concerned about whatever was wrong with the girl.

TamLin took Second’s face in his palms, and they stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds.

TamLin grunted and recoiled a half-step, and he reached to his belt. “You’re overloading. I’m giving you four ebbers.”

“Four—?!” Misha cut in before Raleigh could get past her shock enough to do so. “She’s too small! That’ll send her into a coma if it doesn’t kill her.”

“It won’t.” TamLin held the handful of injectors ready. “Modulated?”

Kitten clenched her teeth together, and the glow reduced a little. She gave a slight motion that could’ve been a flinch or a shrug.

TamLin dosed her, then immediately looked to Misha. “Take her to my place.”

“Why would I know where you live?”

TamLin just looked at him.

Misha flushed. “Okay, but the only place I’m taking a person who might well be dying is the hospital.”

“She needs a psy-null environment that she recognizes. The only one in this somewhen is my place. Take her, or I will and leave you to deal with six apex-universe military operatives on your own.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Later,” TamLin said, with an unsurprising lack of self-consciousness. “Take her, Misha.”

“I’ll do it,” cut in a quiet voice—Kasy.

Misha stared at her, appalled. “Kasy!”

The woman shook her head. “You don’t feel it,” she said, sounding a bit unnerved. “It’s like her mind or energy or life force or something is…bleeding all over the place. The ebbers have helped, but there’s some part of her still…flailing, like it wants to grab onto something but can’t decide what. I guess that’s her psy abilities?”

TamLin eyed Kasy a moment—not perturbed, precisely, but looking as if he’d recognized something that didn’t make him happy. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Kasy was able to pick Kitten up, which surprised Raleigh even though the woman was a sec, herself, and therefore doubtless had to meet certain physical fitness requirements.

Kasy paused, looking at one of the downed men. “What about him?”

“I’ll take care of him once we handle the others. Just get her out. I’m sending my address to the car.”

Raleigh glared at him. “If you just killed Kitten—”

“If I did, you’re welcome to try to kill me for it,” TamLin cut in, voice frank. “But in the meantime, let’s take care of the people who want to haul you back to your native universe and chop you up to study the way you’ve customized your programming.”

Raleigh went cold. “What?”

“You’re tagged for processing.” He nodded toward the downed cyban that Kasy had inquired after. “Graybeard was gracious enough to cue me in, to ask me to help him get out, himself.”

“What did you do to Norris?” She wasn’t about to scan, not while still unsure what, exactly, the ‘beacon’ was that the others kept talking about. She considered asking, but she also wasn’t sure if she trusted the sec to be honest with her.

TamLin gave her a bland stare and let out a slight sigh. “I drugged him. Now, can we go before his commander decides to call for reinforcements, or do you want a detailing of all controlled substances I’ve partaken of in the past five hours?”

Without waiting for her reply, he stalked off towards Misha.