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“Might be a glitch,” Gibby said, though she sounded unsure. “She’s the one who saw Owen. She has to be here by now.”

“She should be,” Guardian said, opening the door all the way and motioning for Gibby to go through. She did, and he followed her out. “Don’t worry about her right now. Focus on finding Owen. Have you heard from Miss Conduct? Where’s—”

A snarl of electricity came from above, and Guardian raised his head in time to see crisscrossing power lines begin to shudder, blue arcs like lightning snapping. The air became heavy, stagnant, and Guardian grabbed Gibby by the arm, pulling her back just as electricity shot toward the ground. Guardian turned his head away from the bright light, the lenses on his helmet almost not enough to keep his eyes from burning.

A moment later, a powerful voice said, “Miss Conduct, reporting for duty and ready to save the day while looking fabulous.”

“Her entrance is infinitely better than yours,” Gibby said. “Full offense.”

“Tell me about it,” Guardian muttered as he looked at Miss Conduct standing before him.

The curls in her blue wig bounced, white mask covering her eyes, the corners of which turned up, almost like horns. Her bangles jangled as she came to them, the sequins on her black leotard glittering like a universe of stars. She grinned as she squeezed his wrist. “Look at you, honeybunch. You fill out that costume well. Looks like you’ve moved up to the ten-pound barbells. Good for you.”

Guardian flexed, knowing the bumps in his armsalmostcaused the fabric of his costume to stretch. “Thank you for noticing. If all goes well, Seth said I can start using the heavier barbells. Thefifteen-pound ones.”

“Dare to dream,” Miss Conduct said seriously. She nodded at Gibby—eyes widening slightly at the bandana around her face—before taking a step back. “Now, what’s all the fuss about? Jazz didn’t give too many details aside from telling me I needed to get my lovely posterior here.”

“Owen Burke,” Gibby said. “Supposedly at the rally.”

Miss Conduct frowned, looking over her shoulder before clucking her tongue. “He is? How do you know?”

“Mom saw him,” Guardian said.

Miss Conduct nodded slowly. “She thinks he’s going for Burke. And remind me again, if you could, why are we protecting that man after all the shit he’s pulled? Seems to me that if Owen wants to take him out, shouldn’t we just… I don’t know. Let him?”

“We can’t,” Guardian said. “It’s not just about Simon Burke. There are innocent people in the crowd.”

“People who want to see us drawn and quartered,” Miss Conduct said. She held up a hand before Guardian could speak. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Protecting people means protecting everyone. Still doesn’t mean I like it. They wouldn’t lift a finger to help us, but then I guess it falls on us once again to be the biggerpeople. And on my one day off, no less.” She sighed. “Such is the life of a drag queen. Good thing I look amazing as per my usual.”

“You do,” Gibby told her. “Your costume makes the rest of them look like crap.”

Miss Conduct grinned as Guardian and Pyro Storm spluttered. “I like you. You’re a good one. What the hell are you doing hanging out with these nerds?”

“We’d be lost without her,” Guardian said. “She’s—”

“Pyro Storm,” Jazz said. “Back of the crowd, left, in front of the protestors. Left. Keep going. Keep—there.”

Guardian straightened, skin buzzing in tremulous excitement. “What is it?”

“Man,” Pyro Storm said. “Wearing a hoodie. Hood up around his head. Bad angle. I can’t see his face.”

“In this heat?” Miss Conduct asked. “That can’t be good.”

“Pyro Storm,” Guardian said. “Be our eyes. Keep him in your sights. We’re headed for the rally.”

“On it,” Pyro Storm said. “Look up.”

They did, and Guardian gasped when a figure leapt between the buildings, backlit by the blazing sun. He landed on the roof of the building on the opposite side and briefly disappeared from view before he leaned over the edge, waving down at them.

“Please ignore my erection,” Guardian said. “It’s not my fault.”

“Ah, young love,” Miss Conduct said, patting the side of Nick’s helmet. “Come on. Let’s get this over with so I can go back home and try to crawl inside my freezer. Drag queens aren’t meant to survive in humidity like this. It’s ruining my wig.” She turned and hurried toward the rally, Guardian and Gibby close at her heels.

The street was awash with noise and excitement, flags waving side to side, people cheering. Burke droned on and on, his words at odds with the shouts of the protestors gathered behind wooden sawhorses, a row of cops standing in front of them.

Guardian pressed his back flat against the building, peering around the corner. “Pyro Storm, you have him?”

“No. Lost him. Lighthouse, you see him?”