It was only two days with the snails this time. They seemed to do better with cuts and punctures than they did breaks and bruises. No one really knew why. By the end of the first day, Rafferty's bullet wound was already webbing over.

She wasn't alone this time, either. Cody had been placed in the room's other bed. That was good, because it gave Rafferty something to do other than just sit and dwell on what she might have done differently on the last mission.

It wasn't entirely good, however, because Cody never shut up.

On the morning of the second day Cody started naming the snails. Rafferty wanted to chalk it up to her roommate still feeling loopy from the effects of the blast, but based on the detailed backstories, she guessed that Cody had probably done this before.

That evening, when Cody began officiating a wedding ceremony between Albert and Ramona, Rafferty decided it was time to go. She slipped out of the room as Ramona's father was escorting her down Cody's left arm.

"Wait, we need a witness!" Cody called after Rafferty as she left.

Sorry, Cody, didn't hear that. Also, you're nuts.

Rafferty heard the shouting even before she turned down J Hall.

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Max and Blaspheme were standing in the hallway. Based on the flush in Blaspheme's cheeks, she was giving it to him pretty good. Not many girls would have the guts to get in Max's face like this.

Blaspheme was definitely one of those.

"We don't have a mandate to do that, Blaspheme," said Max. He wasn't yelling, because he never yelled, but he was sure talking as loudly and angrily as Rafferty had ever heard him. "We collect Hunters, we build special weapons, roam all over the Breaks, and no one says anything, because everyone, everywhere, expects us to protect them from the Gods. Everyone knows it's in their best interest to let us do what we do. If we change that, do you think they might have a different opinion?"

"But it was a God," said Blaspheme.

"We don't know what it was," said Max.

"The hell we don't! That was a thunderstrike, from a God. A big one. I don't know how they did it, but they did. You don't know because you've probably never seen one. Well, guess what, I have, and there's only one thing that feels like that. One," shouted Blaspheme.

"That would be almost impossible," said Max, straining to remain calm.

"Great, why don't you go upstairs and pull DeCarlo out of bed, and say, I'm sorry Cody, but you're not really hurt because what happened to you would be almost impossible. She could have died. A lot of us could have died," yelled Blaspheme.

"And I don't get to throw away fifteen years of work because I'm mad about that. That's the difference between my job and yours," said Max.

"So we do nothing?" spat Blaspheme.

"We find out what the hell just happened. If and when the situation dictates, we step in, kick ass, save lives, and go home. Like always. But until then, yes, Blaspheme, we do nothing," Max said.

Max had turned a bit when he said that last part, and noticed that Rafferty standing behind them. Blaspheme opened her mouth to continue the argument, but Max put up his hand. He was apparently willing to let Blaspheme scream at him if she needed to, but not in front of anyone else.

"This is done," he said, and even Blaspheme knew not to keep going.

"Glad you're back on your feet, Rafferty" he said as he walked past her and out of the hall.

Blaspheme gave her a look that said "why didn't you back me up?" and disappeared into her room before Rafferty could say anything.

Rafferty wished she had stayed back and witnessed that snail wedding.

It was the first time in the whole history of the Universe that anyone had wished that.