W?ndy I : - 4 - 435 - 545  Out of suspicion

  Whilst gliding atop northbridg? tow?r, a cacophony of wanton indulg?nc? clu?s criminality. Dorothy's band of ruffians los? th?ms?lv?s to th?ir addictions und?r garish blinking colors; Lights t?mpting th?ir f?ral mindstat?s.

  Sara? ris? will soon giv? y?llow light to scry into th?ir damning smugglings.

  That ?normous thug Dorothy r?-?nt?rs Bizzl?d??s for anoth?r potion-

  -Growling nois?s from b?low distract my ?y?s to a swath? of grav?l moving through night toward profligation.

  “Slow down” Commands 102nd division captain Alic? And?rs as h? chas?s grav?l.

  “Slow down” Confirms that grav?l I now Id?ntify as Una; onc? a promising DSA, this pow?rful distr?ss s?nsitiv? ag?nt is b?ing corrupt?d by Alic? who r?fus?s to disciplin? him. Just lik? Dorothy who submits to Indulg? ?vil in a lust for position within Duran Distr?ss; Alic? r?fus?s to addr?ss probl?matic b?havior in ord?r to f?ign control ov?r his ganglik? command.

  Una b?gins conjuring his d?vil; Alic? has b??n command?d to pr?v?nt this; y?t do?s nothing to stop it; d?lighting in chaos.

  -{Alic? p??rs up sudd?nly and without r?ason, locking ?y?s with m? and giving m? a dastardly grimac?. H? th?n hurri?s to pr?v?nt Unas crim?}-

  Ducking b?hind a dragon statu?, My long sl?nd?r body match?s this magnific?nt ?ffigi?s winding curv?s p?rf?ctly, sharing almost ?v?ry charact?ristic ?xc?pt my n?ar pur? whit? marbl?d plumag? is not mad? of marbl?. I shak? my h?ad with sil?nt coo. ‘Not today fractus’, I’v caught you. Unas B?llbird shri?ks into ?xist?nc?.

  I watch up at Ang?l who is ?asily in ?arshot to r?gist?r this crim?. P?rhaps now-

  “Who ar? you hiding from?” I glanc? down with only my ?y?s, at this skin and bon?s twitching form b?for? m?. My commands DSA Lurch.

  4 - 440 - 545

  “Apollan Do not hid?. I am not b?ing wh?r? Alic? look?d” I whisp?r in r?spons?.Car?ful not to mov? my scimitar b?ak l?st it giv?s m? away.

  “I s??, that is how it works”

  “Ind??d, I am glad you und?rstand” B?llbirds shri?ks announc? Alic? has mad? som? way away, so I car?fully plac? my h?ad away from ston? so It is tactically unlik?ly to b? s??n, scouting back toward Bizzl?d??. I *dip into y?llow to obs?rv? magnify my vi?w.

  “You wast?d a bounc? to hid? from Alic??”

  “I am not hiding and it is not a wast?, Alic? pr?v?nt?d Una from summoning B?llbird wh?n h? saw m?” Alloquin ?xits Bizzl?d??s, looking guilty as ?v?r. As a known Sardis addict, his wid? ?y?s wand?ring lik? a fool giv?s him away as-

  Crim?!

  -That brut? Dorothy just viol?ntly bash?d Alloquin from porch ov?r into ?v?rtid?! Alloquin bar?ly had tim? to wast? a prot?ction sp?ll b?for? h? crash?d onto shor? b?low. That barbarous villain is a hazard to soci?ty! Ang?l must know-

  “B?llbird? That annoying shri?king thing, and you want?d him to summon it?”

  “Alic? is a criminal and this h?lps prov? that. I will fr?? Una from his clutch?s.” I look up at Ang?l who is painfully unawar? of this viol?nc? occurring just b?for? h?r. What could b? mor? important than this flagrant violation of civility?

  “Right, that is what is important. I am sur? Northsid? will appr?ciat? an ?arly wak? so you can prov? that Durans only captain willing to command Una is a criminal”

  “Ind??d, I am glad you und?rstand. Though I susp?ct th?y will not appr?ciat? an ?arly wak?. Whil? an ?arly start mak?s a gr?at day, most Lutra ar? lazy.”

  “Damn dud?, gu?ss w? can not h?lp ours?lv?s, I am sup?r lazy, which is why I am waking up b?for? damn morning to fly around with you”

  “N?gativ?; you ar? l?ss lazy than an av?rag? Lutra. I appr?ciat? your hard work and d?dication against your natural disposition.”

  “You ar? a d?light to work with, you know that?” Lurch laughs. I do not und?rstand laught?r but am told it is a social m?chanism to induc? a f??ling of comrad?ry. Ang?l sugg?sts r?ciprocation of th?s? b?haviors h?lps build a strong command.

  “‘D?light’ is not a critical crit?ria for your post… how?v?r, I am glad that you ar? d?light?d. Ha ha ha.” I turn my att?ntion to mor? pr?ssing matt?rs. Killui is punch?d away by, I susp?ct, Alic?. An all out brawl has ?rupt?d str??tsid? b?tw??n Alic? and Dorothy, Una chomps at Dorothy whil?-

  “?ast! ?astsid?!” Lurch jumps onto my back and my wings shoot out as kn??s spring back to-

  “Wait, fals? alarm, Wait, it is nothing” Lurch d?tach?s and go?s back from dir? alarm to occasional twitching. “Som?on? n?arly f?ll off… som?thing, or mayb? it was an ?nd of a nightmar?”

  “Try to b? c?rtain, I n??d conc?ntration if I am to br?ak apart Dorothy's rack?t.” Dorothy is back on d?ck t?nding to Killuis injuri?s.

  “Mornings blow. ?v?ry nightmar? is a fals? positiv? of som?thing r?al. That on? you ar? hiding from, Alic?, is particularly bad; h? jumps lik? clockwork ?v?ry morning br?ak from som? horrific nightmar?.’

  “Alic? is particularly bad y?s. A shallow myst?ry, having only arriv?d h?r? fiv? y?ars ago; undoubt?dly som? criminal past sparks his nightmar?s. Though you ar? incorr?ct about mornings. Wind b?com?s mor? ?xtr?m? wh?n multipl? stars mix color and mornings lack y?llow light.

  Lurch star?s back at m?, disaturat? dark blu? fur pilo?r?cting to tak? in my wisdom. “No, no, no, you hav? to b? fraccing with m?, you can not possibly b? that- no… no just, what what?v?r.”

  Lurch turns away and calms down as if h? had not just b?com? poss?ss?d by an angry spirit. Lurch?s s?ities conn?cts with dir? ?n?rgy of high?st ord?r, but som?how h? has b??n picking up a strang? signal; I hav? obs?rv?d him ?nt?ring this strang? vicious tranc? lik? stat? whil? shouting gibb?rish. Through study I hav? b?gun to conclud? h? is unawar? of th?s? poss?ssions. “Lurch, what just happ?n?d?”

  “Nothing”

  ?ntir?ly incorr?ct and conc?rning ind??d. Though f?ar if I pr?ss?d furth?r into this issu? at this mom?nt h? would think m? crazy. P?rhaps I will contact division 43 to-

  “South! Southsid?!” Lurch pulls at my f?ath?rs painfully as h? jumps onto my back. I glanc? again to Bizzl?d??s to try and- “Now! Go now!” Wings shoot out onc? mor? and kn??s b?nd.

  *

  Pouncing off tow?r and down, w? swoop n?arly dipping unto ?v?rtid? b?for? pulling back, darting us at incomparabl? sp??d toward Chiran distract. Lifting only slightly from sp??d pr?v?nts f??ts friction against subtl? wav?s and dropl?ts of moistur? daring to blind.

  Lurch’s harsh pull of f?ath?r l?ads us up and out of riv?r basin, guiding us through tall and crud? ston? tow?rs. ?ffici?nt Chiran und?coration, y?t th?ir plainn?ss giv?s littl? clu? to wh?r? w? ar?. My p?rf?ct flight kicks harsh dust of Ants n?v?r?nding tunn?ling.

  It tak?s s?v?ral minut?s of tiring flight b?for? I b?gin to susp?ct Lurch has fall?n into anoth?r tranc?. How?v?r, just b?for? asking h? turns m? toward N?w Chiro; Antkinds capital som? hundr?ds of mil?s away.

  Tow?rs flatt?n as w? r?ach a d?vious und?rground town of rogu?s, burrowsvill?.

  Lurch turns us into a t?rrifyingly narrow cr?vic?, I *shin? to guid? us through, my sup?rior captain-train?d flight making m? on? of f?w Apollans who could possibly l?ad us through this >{winding n?twork-

  Hah! Som? poorly plac?d structural support caught my wing. W? plumm?t uncontrollably down into darkn?ss.

  “W?ndy!” Lurch los?s his grip of m? ricoch?ting through tunn?l, down into}<

  I div? low?r than I should n??d to, dodging that poor construction.

  Lurch taps m? to t?ll m? w? hav? arriv?d, Hah! I grasp onto door?d ?ntry abov? a strip of ladd?r. *>{ Lurch taps m? again to confirm this is it.

  P?cking to unlatch this door; it is lock?d. I grab- Hah! Pain rippl?s through my right wing, pr?v?nting m? to r?ach cross l?ft

  “Through h?r?! Br?ak through! G?t your sword, som?thing t?rribl? is happ?ning!” Lurch panics with frustration.

  Hah! Aahhg! Vision go?s blurry att?mpting to br?ak through this agony and r?tri?v?-

  “Whats wrong! G?t your sword ar? you hurt? Did you crash?” Lurch for?y?s my pain and puts it tog?th?r; h? scuttl?s around m?, grabbing my sword and toss?s it toward my b?ak

  Forc? thrums, follow?d by a snap of tr?m?ndous ?xplosion from b?yond this door; with th?s? rattl?s I miss my sword; it flails around back to its sh?ath; pull?d by itslanyard. “W? ar? too lat?! Two, no thr?? d?a}<

  ( Tym groans as if p?st?r?d from slumb?r, ?ag?r to march onward )

  Lurch taps m?

  “R?tri?v? my sword, my wing is brok?n” Lurch lurch?s around to r?tri?v? my sword, throws it to my b?ak and in on? fluid motion I ! slic? ! Through.

  Forcing my way into doorway lurch n?arly dismounts, still und?rn?ath, grasping painfully at my f?ath?rs to g?t topsid?.

  skipping through dim cav? hall, an ant in a long whit? coat dips past, rushing away. I miss catching him with my >{b?ak.

  Gaz? shoots to anoth?r coat?d ant panicking b?for? a larg? m?tal machin?, liquid boiling within its tiny window “Dump Vassin?! I can’t con-” B?ams of light grow rapidly, shooting out of a thin slit this ant att?mpts to wr?nch clos?d; th?n d?af?ning snap}<

  Turning with all my might and dashing toward this ?xplosiv?, that Ant cri?s “d—- v—!” my ?ars ring, disori?ntating. I find this Ant und?r my wing, dragging him away lik? a magn?t as h? fights to g?t back to contain his bomb.

  (Tym roars)

  Lights b?ams, my mind rattl?s, unh?lp?d by a strik? of wr?nch to my h?ad “S—-- M—-” ‘Str?tch m?ga’, I hop? I hav? said, f?ath?ring my wings to ! Prot?ct !

  Lurch must hav? und?rstood; a s?ns? a ~ clap abov? as ground b?for? us str?tch?s away; d?af?ning snap ?xcruciating for my alr?ady pi?rc?d ?ars.

  Incin?ration chas?s us as vat bursts, r?aching us in a wav? of stinging ?mb?rs at Lurch?s sp?ll ?dg? ~ l?tting loos? br?ath?, I try to tak? anoth?r in.

  (Tym roars ?nrag?d)

  That's wh?n I s?? Tyms ?y?s, th?y trampl? through my lungs, crushing m? und?r divin? hoof.

  }>“W—--”<{

  Blinking… blinking to s??- flam?s hav? s?ttl?d. Cri?s of anguish ?cho throughout this room; silhou?tt?s stumbl? around, stunn?d.

  “W—-y w-k- -p! S–p –t -f –”

  I must hav? sp?nt minut?s und?r Tyms hoof. ?v?ry color of fir? is drain?d from m? ?xc?pt a bit of orang?. Dizzin?ss b?ats as distortion danc?s ov?r my f?ath?rs, swirling in s?arch for w?akn?ss?s in my thin v?il to s??p in

  “W–dy -r- you -ll ri—t?” Lurch fights to surround my vision. My wing is ?mpty. That bomb?r has ?scap?d * Scrying around I find him limping toward ?xit with anoth?r coat?d criminal*

  Fighting to mak? s?ns? of this situation - I manag? to find my voic? and must?r out with a pain?d wh??z? of br?ath? “If -nly Huc? w-r- h-r-”

  ~

  Stolen story; please report.

  Just b?for? criminals ?xit a spid?rous form crawls through, halting th?m in th?ir tracks. Four blu? ?y?s shin? back through dimly blaz?n gloom; unfurling his arms, th?y b?gin to look lik? tw?lv? as h? l?ngth?ns hook?d swords, spindling silk?n thr?ad through th?ir tips.

  “Un-m–d”

  “Unam-d” Voic?s ?cho f?ar as criminals turn back, fl??ing. H? tak?s pow?rful strid?s forward, parrying a ?bolt of lightning? ?ffortl?ssly b?for? cocooning ?ach villain with swift twirls of blad?; l?aving th?m muffl?d in in?scapabl? captur?.

  H? stands b?sid? m?, ?y?s glinting y?llow of scry. Turning to m? his w?apons flash, splinting my wing with haphazard stitching. “H-v-ns s-k- my d?-r; y-u look s-mply dr–dful. H-w m-ny tim-s h-v- y-u bounc-d?”

  “four” I mumbl?. Qu??zin??s dying down.

  Anoth?r criminal att?mpts to sn?ak past. Without losing focus of m? Huc? trigg?rs a thr?ad, whipping around a cascad? of w?b to consum? this pass?r in anoth?r cocoon.

  With ?v?ry mom?nt that pass?s, Huc? flicks mor? lin?s of thr?ad into tactical position to s?cur? this ar?a; cr?ating an ?v?r growing labyrinth of d?spair,

  “Huc?! Som–n- is dying up on th-t balcony!” Lurch spits out with d?sp?ration.

  Huc? mak?s a laugh. “My sw??t b?ar, s-ch valianc? to sav? oth?rs that you ha-? lost sight -f y–rs?lf”

  “Hurry, pl?as? th?y ar?- Yaaaak!” a ricoch?ting lin? snags and rips out a rod of shrapn?l that had pi?rc?d through Lurch?s should?r. Huc? d?dicat?s an ?ntir? sword to car?fully stitch Lurch?s injury back tog?th?r. “I am hurt… I had not notic?d”

  “Of cours? you had not, a good ag?nt always p-ts oth?rs first”

  “Y-you stabiliz?d him?” Lurch p??rs up to that balcony wh?r? a criminal whimp?rs for h?lp as sparkl?s of string twist down; ricoch?t?d from c?iling.“From this distanc??; Huc? you ar? amaz?-”

  “I always put oth?rs first too!” I mak? known. Huc? mak?s a small?r laughing nois?. I continu? “I sav?d an Ant from an ?xplosion ?v?n though it burnt my wing.” I hold up unsplint?d but burnt wing to confirm this.

  Bright blu? haz? of fur rush?s past us and th?n back to Huc?. 51st divisions Lutra DSA Osso, salut?s Huc? “how can I h?lp?”

  51st is station?d in burrowsvill?, Osso should hav? b??n h?r? soon?r.

  Captain of 51st Antyon Will, slid?s b?hind in chas?.

  “Follow this thr?ad, a citiz?n is hurt” Huc? hands Osso a thr?ad l?ading up a s?t of stairs.

  A buff?t of wing?d wind flows through tunn?l as 24th captain and 23rd captain bump should?rs, racing in to mak? s?ns? of this situation.

  Th?s? n?xt s?v?ral minut?s ar? fill?d with captain aft?r captain arriving unn?c?ssarily, this situation is mor? than und?r control.

  Huc? continu?s to l?ad with strings, too lazy to command p?opl? dir?ctly.

  Things hav? di?d down a bit so I continu? “I didn’t hav? to sav? that criminal, I risk?d my lif?, it was nobl? of m?” Huc? do?s not ?v?n giv? m? ?nough r?sp?ct to look at m?. As 3rd division captain h? should r?sp?ct m? mor?. Th?r? is som?thing off about him.

  “What mak?s you think th?s? citiz?ns ar? criminals” Huc? asks.

  “W?ll…” I tak? a look around. * Scrying, Saradonis lay scatt?r?d among m?tal trays in a far corn?r “drugs, th?y w?r? making drugs. Vassin?, on? said vassin?; How did you know th?y ar? criminals wh?n you cam? in and captur?d th?m?”

  (world tumbl?s in circl?s as distortion finds purchas? und?r my skin)

  “P?opl? run toward m?; Only guilty h?arts away” Huc? claims.

  (?v?rything flipping upsid? down, mirroring in two)

  ?ntry b?com?s cov?r?d by an ?normous pr?s?nc?, captain's salut? and bow as my light wand?rs to r?cogniz? this shap?. A sharp pink spoon sways ov?r until it is ov?r m?. A flash of pink cov?rs my ?y?s.* “W?ndy! Quit scrying, slip is taking you.

  ( shifting swirls of sparkling gr?y p?rvad? p?riph?ry)

  Wh?n sh? unwings m?, I s?? Huc? nodding h?ad with salut?. I follow with a d??p?r bow. “Hah!” my wing shocks pain.

  “Huc? is ?v?rything und?r control h?r??” Ang?l qu?stions.

  “Y?s call?r, this situation is w?ll und?r my control.”

  (spoons multiply in a circl?)

  “V?ry good. I am taking w?ndy to m?dical.” Sh? turns back to m?. I blink s?v?ral tim?s to mak? on? of h?r.

  “I am p?rf?ctly fin?. I was h?r? first, I sav?d ?v?ryon?; I h?lp?d”

  “Call?r! On? casualty, four critically injur?d, fiv? mor? d?tain?d” R?ports an unr?cogniz?d Lutrin? voic?. Spoon dips with confirmation

  “I know you did” W?ndy coos to m? “you did a gr?at job. Can you fly- of cours? you can’t fly, grab on.” Ang?l flips m? onto h?r back, which do?s not h?lp ?v?rything spinning. “Huc?, s?cur? us”

  Staring at a c?iling of crud? piping, thr?ads wrap around my body, pr?ssing m? into a plush ros?-f?ath?r b?d. C?iling turns to an uncomfortably clos? mud hallway abov? bouncing my b?ak b?for? w? dip out of ?ntry.

  Sara? can b? s??n as a cl?ar orb on horizon now as tr?m?ndous wings lift us out of this poorly construct?d cr?vic? and back toward Sxyr.

  “I didn’t hav? tim? to sav? ?v?ryon?, I-”

  “You did gr?at W?ndy, you ar? a brav? and sharp Apollan”

  “I put oth?rs first and gav? ?v?rything I had ?v?n though it hurt m?”

  “W?ndy… You can’t drain yours?lf so r?ckl?ssly, you ar? riddl?d with slip”

  “I would giv? ?v?rything to h?lp”

  “I know you would, I just… worry about you.”

  “would you say that I am ‘amazing’?”

  “You ar? amazing W?ndy.”

  Shimm?r p?rm?at?s in a bubbl? around us, Ang?l is ?xp?nding a tr?m?ndous and unn?c?ssary amount of fir? to ward away slip. “I am fin?, this aura is ?xc?ssiv?”

  “I want you to b? comfortabl?”

  “Comfort is frivolous” Sh? mak?s a laugh at my comm?nt “That is frivolous too. Laught?r do?s not ?ff?ct m?, my conn?ction with you is rational and cl?ar”

  “What conn?ction would that b??”

  “You ar? my Call?r. I am your 3rd division captain” Aft?r that th?r? is a long p?riod of sil?nc?, I r?st back and m?ditat? on r?storing my fir?.

  “What if that chang?d?” Ang?l says ting?d with worry.

  “Than our conn?ction would chang?. Though ?v?n if I chang? rank you would still b? my call?r”

  “W?ll…”

  “Dorothy was drinking potions whil? this ?xplosion happ?n?d today. His ?ntir? command was ing?sting obsc?n? amounts of mind alt?ring substanc?s”

  “Thats not-”

  “If I had not b??n away saving liv?s I would hav? caught Alloquin consuming sardonis”

  “Why ar? you obs?rving 4th division? thats not your post, b?sid?s-”

  “I optimiz? my tim? b?tw??n awaiting ?m?rg?nci?s”

  “Ar? you worri?d about 4th ov?rtaking your division?”

  “No! I am not worri?d at all! B?sid?s I h?lp?d with Inf?ros captur? r?m?mb?r? If it wasn't for that clu? I found in-”

  “W?ndy!”

  “This is not fair, Dorothy's command is only wh?r? it is b?caus? h? coll?cts an army of disr?putabl? thugs to gain rank! I sav?d liv?s today I-”

  “W?ndy hush…”

  w? land, much high?r than ?xp?ct?d, I focus my s?ns?s to g?t b?arings; bar? sky, ticking of clock, high winds- “Dorothy gain?d rank ‘b?caus?’ h? ‘cultivat?d’ a command ‘from’ thugs”

  “Thats ?xactly what I said. It is d?vious strat-”

  “W?ndy hush! -that's not important right now. -In fact, I want to promot? you.”

  Thr?ads unwind as ang?l car?fully unloads m? into a twigg?n n?st of soft wool. P??ring around I r?cogniz? this as Ang?ls p?rsonal quart?rs. “This isn’t m?dical...

  … -You ar? promoting m??”

  Ang?l lays b?sid? m?, t?sting a pinion across my ch??k “It's… mor? complicat?d than that. In fiv? days, Council will d?cid? who is call?r.”

  “Th?y ar? making m? call?r?”

  Sh? laughs again “No… th?r? hav? b??n a lot of scandals lat?ly and… unnam?d has b??n campaigning”

  “Unnam?d? You m?an Huc?? Why do-”

  Ang?l ?y?s around panick?d, though th?r? ar? no prop?r ?ntri?s in this room for Huc? to ?nt?r. only an op?n c?iling. “Y?s him- W?ndy; what do you think about forming a division with m??” H?r pinions glid? across my ch?st, sampling m? for damag?. This is in?ffici?nt, sh? is not of m?dical s?ities. “I would b? your 2nd division captain, w? could work mor? clos?ly.”

  “2nd division?”

  “W?ll, I b?li?v? Pig?on d?s?rv?s 1st and it would mak? mor? s?ns? as a transition to aquir? you and your DSA. As call?r I do not hav? a p?rsonal t?am. Additionally, pulling you to first would caus? strif? with council… 0 plus 3 ?quals 2, you s?? what I m?an?”

  “Incorr?ct, z?ro plus thr?? ?quals thr??” I had n?v?r r?aliz?d how d?fici?nt Ang?l is with math.

  Adding to that d?fici?ncy ang?l has ch?ck?d my ch?st s?v?ral tim?s now, having found no damag?. A train?d doctor would not of had to wast? such tim?. Only now do?s sh? trail to my wing, finding injury. “How did this happ?n?”

  “A criminal struck m?- wh?n I had first ?nt?r?d that drug lab”

  “W?ndy, with you clos? by as my li?ut?nant w? could spar ?v?ryday inst?ad of only onc? a w??k; I would no long?r b? buri?d in pap?rwork. W? would b? an unstoppabl? t?am, I could prot?ct you- w? could prot?ct ?ach oth?r from this kind of thing.” Sh? straddl?s ov?r m?, pinning m? and filling my vi?w with h?r h?ad and ?y?s “I don’t… I am okay with losing call?r. I am g?tting old?r and soon I won’t b? abl? to… ‘mak? ?ggs’ you know what I m?an?”

  “Y?s, I know how r?production works. But what do you m?an by ‘you ar? okay with losing call?r’? you hat? how Hu-” sh? muffl?s my voic? with a f?ath?r “-plans to dir?ct this city; compl?t?ly r?v?rsing your ?conomic vision!”

  “Obviously y?s, I hat? it!, y?t I am Apollan, I s?? things r?alistically. My chanc?s of r??l?ction ar? slim and so I must mak? b?st of this damn?d situation. ?v?ry y?ar grows mor? tir?som? to d?t?r propaganda of thos? fraccing blu?s and pl?as? my short-sight?d constitu?ncy falling und?r th?ir manipulativ? wings! …Can you r?ally blam? m? for surr?nd?ring away from this mounting n?v?r-?nding assault and living a simpl?r lif? of adv?ntur?, building ‘m?aning’ with som?on?… I ‘lov?’?”

  Ang?ls aura shimm?rs int?ns?ly. I finally und?rstand what is happ?ning.

  Ang?l is laying ov?r m? to h?lp m? r?g?n?rat? fir? mor? quickly. Sinc? my body is not ?xt?nsiv?ly torn apart, only my fir? drain?d, this mak?s mor? s?ns? than occupying m?dical, which is curr?ntly b?ing task?d with h?aling thos? caught up in that drug lab ?xplosion. I can f??l my own r?d m?nding wing alr?ady as Ang?l shar?s h?r fir?.

  “Y?s, from what you ar? t?lling m?, I could blam? you if som?on? w?r? to ask m? if you gav? up on purpos? to do thos? things.

  Ang?l star?s, h?r ?xpr?ssion implying sadn?ss.

  H?r sil?nt scowl confus?s m? so I pr?ss for information. “Who is this lov?? Is th?r? a mal? that you ar? planning to add to this propos?d t?am? That would b? distracting, taking car? of ?ggs isn’t conduciv? to l?ading such a high command.”

  “W?ndy…”

  “Y?s?”

  “You ar? b?autiful”

  “I agr??, but how do?s my app?aranc? possibly play into your strat?gy?”