The flight to Pittsburgh proved uneventful. It took a while since their unfamiliarity with the region led to them relying on road signs, but they arrived in the city well before noon. Then came the hard part of their mission: finding Cassandane and the EDA. They wandered through a series of areas that may or may not have been part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Not only were they not sure what counted as Pittsburgh, they had no clue if they should be looking strictly inside Pittsburgh or just in the general vicinity of the city. Monroeville, Wilkinsburg, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville . . . they finally stopped to eat at a Wendy's in that last neighborhood, using the remainder of the funds they had acquired that morning by selling precursor.

While finishing their meal, Jess asked a woman in nurse's scrubs at the next table if they were in Pittsburgh. The woman looked at them as if they were idiots and informed them that they were ten minutes away by car.

"We don't even know if we are supposed to be in city limits," Sam complained to Jess as they stretched their legs walking along the street.

Jess held up a finger. "Idea. Since they are hard to find, why don't we have them find us? We just make a big show of flying around city center and someone will come to check us out."

"You know how in movies superheroes always fight each other the first time they meet?"

"Uh, I guess so?"

"I would like to avoid that trope in real life," Sam said.

"Then what's the plan?"

Sam shrugged. "Perch on top of a tall building and keep an eye out for any people flying around?"

"Was that a question?"

"Maybe?"

"Fine. But I am calling home tomorrow whether or not we find your badass heroine."

They took to the sky to continue their journey, following the river down to where it merged with another, then turning in a large circle to survey the skyscrapers at the heart of city. They eventually alighted on top of the tallest building, which had a triangular layout. From there, the two of them scrutinized the city around them. They were about as far from the confluence of the two rivers as you could get and still be downtown. Not far east, the land went to hilly suburbs. In the other three directions buildings sat one atop another.

Time passed. Sam began by slowly walking the triangular perimeter of the roof while watching the skyline for activity. After a time, she tired of walking around and sat atop the highest point, the roof of the stairwell.

"I didn't realize this would be so boring," she confessed. "Just sitting around clocking for someone to show up."

". . . what? Clocking for someone to show up?"

"It's an Angmari joke," Sam said.

"I don't get it."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"It's from Angmari television. There's a guy who says things like 'clock out' instead of 'watch out' all the time."

"You were watching television while I was making green juice?"

"No," Sam said. "I lived with Cassandane. She was not a fun room mate. If we weren't working or eating, we were training."

"Want to hear a Kistlen story? You don't have to answer that, I'm telling a Kistlen story whether you want to hear it or not. She had just caught Terrok -- that's her fiance -- cheating on her again. That happened about every week. So she goes to dinner with Duhan. That's the not-so-good-looking guy who is into her. So Kistlen is complaining to Duhan about how awful Terrok has been to her, and he is doing the 'you deserve someone better' act. Then she spots Wyan. That's the sexy ex-y. So Kistlen gives Wyan the look." Jess flashed a 'come hither' look. "Then she tells Duhan that she has to go to the bathroom. So she sashays her pretty little self to the facilities. A minute later sexy ex-y Wyan joins her inside. It's wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. And after, Kistlen goes back to finish dinner with Duhan."

Sam blinked. "She has three guys chasing after her?"

"Four. There's also the old creep with influence who wants her to be his mistress."

"How big was the bathroom?"

"Big enough for two people, obviously."

"I actually respect Kistlen less after that story. Which is impressive, because all I knew about her before was that she was lazy, incompetent, and pretty."

"Oh, Sam, you have no idea. Kistlen snuck out every other night to visit one boy or another. Darla must not have cared for whatever reason."

"What about Ayla? I hope she didn't get punished after I left."

Jess shrugged. "Ayla was . . . Ayla. I don't think events make a lasting impression on her. And no one ever blamed her when things went wrong. They just rolled their eyes and said 'Lentarans'."

"Were you nice to her?"

Jess wrapped an arm around Sam. "Of course I was. All the girls were."

"There is something you should know about Cassandane. She's an Aoleyen. It's pretty much the opposite of being a Lentaran. She's my friend, but I honestly don't know if Cassandane is capable of human empathy."

"So we're joining an army led by a psychopath?"

"Not a psychopath. Or at least I hope not." The confessions Cassandane had made regarding her mission to take the Angelship were heavy on her mind. She didn't dare bring them up. Jess would never form a proper impression of Cassandane if she knew the woman's darkest secrets before meeting her.

They sat some more. First in silence, then telling each other more stories from their time apart. Sam related the embarrassingly obvious crush that young Reginar had on her. Jess shared some pranks the girls played on each other when the supervisors weren't around. Time passed.

Then the topic of dinner came up. Sam sighed. "Fine. I guess we might as well eat now. Maybe if we sell enough precursor Cassandane will hear about . . . huh." Directly in her line of sight, a stream of human figures made tiny by distance soared through the air as if sitting inside an invisible jet. Containers floated behind them as a nearby building eclipsed their flight path. Sam seized Jess by the arm to pass her a charge of precursor, then issued a rapid "follow me".

The two of them zipped through the air towards the north. As they rounded the obstructing building, Sam saw a door closing on the top of a building with a complex roof that blended an arching, glass-sided architecture with concrete walkways. Sam shot forward to land beside the door, her corona reaching forward to open the latch as she turned to smile at Jess.

Several things happened all at once. Jess turned to look past Sam at the interior of the building. Sam's corona went wonky. The door slammed open.

She turned slowly back towards the door, hands up in the universal don't-shoot-me sign. The figure striding out to meet them was not Cassandane. Nope. It was the guy who caught a building and gave a snarky interview in the wake of a national tragedy. At the moment, there was nothing funny or sad about him. He looked angry.

He looked dangerous.