Quoted By:
You frown. "But <span class="mu-i">why?</span> What's the point of torturing some random—"
"I don't know. My best guess is that they're... that Headspace is harvesting something off them. Or extracting it from them. On a huge scale— I mean, there's hundreds of people out there in these things. If not thousands. I've shot a couple dozen."
«They're siphoning Law.» You startle. «Sorry, Charlie. I've been trying to keep out of your way. But this is fairly apparent.»
"A couple dozen <span class="mu-i">people?</span>" Madrigal says.
Okay, cool. Great. Thanks, helpful Richard. "On your secret missions? Why do Anthea and<span class="mu-i">Pat</span> get to come along?"
"Sometimes they're not people, Maddie, and... yeah." Ellery slouches. "Thea's seen everything. And I didn't have anybody before her, just— I told her all of it as soon as I remembered it. And Pat— Nettie? I found out she worked for some kind of rival company, or something. Hated Headspace more than anybody. And it was useful to have somebody with a little more fight in her— no offense to Thea— I can get myself out of most things, but sometimes I don't really want to, you know? Sometimes I just want backup. I never thought she'd go so far as—"
"We're square, by the way," Madrigal says. "I hired her."
"You <span class="mu-i">hired</span> Nettie? For your...? I mean, okay, I guess that—" He tosses his hands out. "You're safe now. That's what matters."
"Ew," you say. "Hey, have you heard of anybody with a gold mask running around? And a black cloak? And shadowy powers, sort of..."
"Like, <span class="mu-i">nightmare</span> shadowy powers?"
"I don't know," you say. "I didn't spend that much time with them. They're kind of smug? Anything?"
Blank stares. Ellery shakes his head. "Sounds like somebody in disguise? A mask, a cloak— do you think you met somebody from Headspace? Because Management's more of a suit-and-tie—"
"What? No." You wave your hands around. "This has nothing to do with your dumb stuff. Totally unrelated."
"Then why'd you bring it up?" Ellery says.
You wave your hands some more. "You know— whatever! Whatever. Thanks for being useless. What's with you and the <span class="mu-i">sun?</span>"
(3/4)
