As telepathic contact ended, I became aware of the world around me again.

Haley had taken my hand, and in a quiet voice said, "Can we go over there?" She nodded toward a spot away from the main table where we'd been sitting.

With Sean standing behind our chairs, I could guess why.

"Sure," I said.

We got up, and walked away from the table, stopping next to a display case containing the black uniform of some Nazi super agent. The jacket's sleeves ended in massive metal gauntlets, matching a grey, metal helmet that would have covered the entire face.

I couldn't remember the agent's name, how the League got the uniform, or why they put it up on display.

But anyway, we stood there, and I might have tried to hug her, but we were both in costume and I didn't want to take off my own mask.

"I don't want you to go," she said.

"I don't want me to go either, but Ray's going to start killing people if I don't."

"I know, but wait for Lee to get here. Travis talked to him before you got down the tunnel, and he's coming."

Over at the main table, Travis and Cassie were still on the phones. Hopefully they'd managed to talk to everybody. We'd need as much help as we could get.

"Lee works on his own schedule," I said. "I'm not going to count on him showing up within the time limit, and even if he does he might just act to protect Rachel and I. If I'm here when he arrives, he doesn't have to do anything. If I'm out there with your parents, saving me might save them."

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

Her eyes narrowed, and she didn't say anything at first, but then, "I'm following you."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Ray said he'd planned for all of us, and he might have just been bluffing, but I kind of believe him."

"You don't stand a chance alone."

"I was thinking about having Rachel follow along. I'm pretty sure we blew up his defenses against her when we blew up the Impregnator."

"No, I'm not letting you go alone. Ray won't notice me. I'm good at sneaking around."

I opened my mouth to argue with her, but stopped. She really was. So was Travis. Their grandfather, the original Night Wolf, had been too.

While I turned things around in my head, trying to come up with reasons for her to stay here, I noticed another conversation.

Sean, Jaclyn, Lucas, Camille, Julie, and Sydney stood in a circle near the main table. Travis had put down the phone and started walking around the table toward them.

Sean was talking and he wasn't exactly quiet.

"So what are we going to do? Is the Rocket leaving or what? Because if he's not, I'm not going to sit here while Ray kills my mom like he did my dad, something the League wasn't any help in stopping by the way."

"Listen, idiot," Lucas said, "did they, or didn't they just save your ass?"

Sean raised his hand, pointing a finger at Lucas as he talked;. "You shut up. I put up with a lot of your shit because your dad was bankrolling us, but he's not anymore, so if you don't want me to beat the crap out of you, be quiet."

Lucas dropped his jaw in something that wasn't quite a grin. "You think you can?"

Sydney's face looked reddish, like she might be just about to cry, or had just stopped.

"Sean, this isn't going to help."

"No," Jaclyn said, "it's not. You two need to calm down. I don't know exactly what we're going to do, but we're not going to sit here and let people die."

"Yeah," Sean said, "tell that to my dad."

Camille folded her arms across her chest. "You're not the only person who lost someone when he died."

Sean turned to stare at her, shouting, "That's bullshit. He wouldn't do that."

"Time to stop this," Jaclyn said.

I wondered what else could pop up before I left.

As if to demonstrate, a high pitched beep came across the room's speakers.

Near the table, Cassie said, "Now what?"

She clicked away at the keyboard, and Alex's voice filled the room. "Rocket, we're here. Where should we land?"