I roll backwards, my freed foot skidding across the polished floor as I scramble away from Captain Devil's grasp. His invisible talon still grips my discarded boot, which dangles in midair like a magic trick gone wrong.

  "Really?" Captain Devil's expression shifts from professional to mildly annoyed. "This is your plan? One-shoed escape?"

  "Never said it was a good plan," I gasp, pushing myself to my feet.

  Pain lances through my ribcage, making my vision swim for a second. The adrenaline that's been keeping me going is starting to wane, and my body is reminding me exactly how not-healed I actually am.

  Captain Devil drops my boot with a thud and advances, his movements measured and unhurried. He knows he has the advantage in this enclosed space. "You're only making this harder on yourself," he says, and I can tell from his tone he genuinely means it.

  I back away, scanning the ornate architecture of Conversation Hall for escape routes. The main doors are still guarded by security, though most of their attention is focused on removing the remaining protesters. Mom is nowhere to be seen - either escorted out or removed by security. The windows I was aiming for earlier are behind Captain Devil now, and I actually don't think I could break them open without serious heat anyway. This is a historical building.

  "Can we maybe do this another time?" I suggest, continuing to backpedal toward the grand doorway that leads to the main corridor. "I've got this thing, and you've got that thing, and really, wouldn't we both rather be somewhere else right now?"

  "No, we wouldn't," he replies evenly, his stance lowering slightly as he prepares to lunge. "Stop stalling."

  His invisible talons rake across the space where I stood a split second earlier, my sideways dodge leaving me off-balance but momentarily safe. I don't wait for his next attack - I turn and sprint for the doorway, ignoring the protests from my ribs and the cold sensation of the floor against my one sock-covered foot.

  I push past a startled security guard, knocking him into his colleague as I burst into the corridor. Behind me, I hear Captain Devil barking orders - "Focus on the civilians! I've got the cape! Outta my way!" - as he gives chase.

  The corridor stretches before me, its marble floors and ornate moldings a blur as I run. My breath comes in painful gasps, each inhale like a knife between my ribs. Voices echo from side passages, security personnel responding to Captain Devil's commands. I need to find an exit.

  "Lily," I wheeze into my comms, "north side. Need extraction. Now."

  "On it," comes the crackling response. "Two minutes."

  Two minutes might as well be two hours at this rate. I hear the steady rhythm of Captain Devil's pursuit - not sprinting, but maintaining a relentless pace. A guy who was definitely in track. He doesn't need to rush; he just needs to keep me in sight until his security team cuts off all escape routes.

  I round a corner, momentarily out of his line of sight, and use the opportunity to check my bearings. This part of City Hall is a maze of corridors and chambers, its nineteenth-century layout defying modern logic. A sign on the wall tells me I'm heading toward the north wing, but the distant sounds of boots on marble suggest security teams are converging from that direction too. I don't want to bump into anyone who isn't friendly.

  Trapped between Captain Devil behind me and security ahead, I duck into a side passage, hoping to find an alternate route. The narrow corridor leads to a smaller hallway lined with office doors - most locked at this hour - and ends in a service stairwell. I push through the heavy door into the stairwell, the metal handle cold against my palm.

  Up or down? Down might lead to basement exits, but those are likely secured. Up could lead to the roof, but that's a dead end unless Lily has suddenly learned to fly. Before I can decide, I hear the stairwell door one floor below crash open, followed by the radio static of security comms. Decision made for me - I start climbing, taking the stairs two at a time despite the stab of pain with each step.

  I've made it up one flight when the door behind me opens again. Captain Devil stands in the doorway, not even breathing hard, eyes reflecting the emergency lighting.

  "End of the line, Bloodhound," he says, starting up the stairs with measured steps. "There's nowhere left to run."

  He's right. The stairwell continues upward, but security will be waiting at every exit. I'm cornered, one boot missing, ribs screaming, and running on fumes. But I'm not done yet.

  "Always somewhere to run," I pant, continuing my ascent. "Just gotta be creative about it."

  I push through the door at the next landing, emerging into another corridor that looks almost identical to the one below. This one is empty for the moment, but I can hear voices in the distance. I turn left, moving as quickly as my injured body allows, searching for anything that might serve as an escape route.

  The corridor dead-ends at a T-junction. Right leads toward the sounds of approaching security. Left it is. I round the corner and nearly collide with Captain Devil, who somehow reached this level before me - maybe there's another stairwell, or maybe his powers include teleportation. At this point, nothing would surprise me.

  "How many times do we need to do this?" he asks, sounding genuinely curious. "You're injured, outnumbered, and running out of options."

  I back away, my sock sliding slightly on the polished floor. "As many times as it takes," I reply, glancing over my shoulder to confirm that yes, security is now approaching from the other direction. Boxed in.

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  Captain Devil extends his arms, invisible talons ready to restrain me. "Come quietly. I'm not going to brutalize you."

  There's no space to dodge this time, nowhere to roll. I brace myself for capture, wondering if I can at least land one good hit before he restrains me completely. Then I see movement behind him - a blur of motion so fast it's almost invisible.

  Captain Devil senses it too, starting to turn just as Maggie barrels into him at full speed.

  The impact is spectacular - Maggie's force fields propelling her forward like a human missile, catching Captain Devil square in the back. He goes flying forward, skidding across the marble floor in a tangle of limbs and billowing red scarf. His invisible talons scrape long gouges in the floor as he tries to catch himself.

  "GO!" Maggie shouts, already rebounding off the wall with another burst from her force fields. She's skating more than running, her powers creating frictionless movement that sends her gliding across the floor like it's ice.

  I don't need to be told twice. I sprint past the still-recovering Captain Devil, who's rising to his knees with a grimace that suggests Maggie's hit did some damage. The security team is closing in from behind, but they're no match for Maggie's mobility. "North exit, second floor," she says breathlessly. "Lily's waiting. Straight ahead, then left at the portrait of the old guy with the mustache."

  "What about you?" I gasp as we run.

  "I'll catch up," she promises. "Go!"

  Behind us, Captain Devil is back on his feet, his expression hardening as he assesses the new threat. "Both of you, stop immediately!" he commands, but there's a note of uncertainty in his voice now. He was prepared for one injured vigilante, not two working in tandem.

  I follow Maggie's directions, my one booted foot slapping awkwardly against the floor while my sock-covered foot slides with each step. The pain in my ribs has reached a level where it's almost background noise - still agonizing, but consistent enough that I can push through it.

  I spot the portrait Maggie mentioned - some long-dead city official with an impressive mustache and stern eyes - and hang a left. The corridor ends at a large window that overlooks the north side of City Hall. Below, I can see Lily on Amelia's scooter, engine idling as she watches the building anxiously.

  "There's no way out here," I mutter, scanning the walls for doors or other exits.

  "Yes there is," Maggie says, sliding to a stop beside me, heels skidding against the ground. She points to the window, which is partially open at the bottom. "It's a two-story drop, but there's an awning over the entrance below. Should break your fall."

  "Should?" I repeat, eyeing the distance skeptically.

  "Math's on your side," she replies with a grin. "I calculated it."

  From behind us comes the sound of running footsteps - Captain Devil and security, closing in fast. He's yelling at them, something about 'told you losers to focus on civilians'. Maggie glances over her shoulder, then back at me.

  "No time to debate. I'll hold them off, you go first."

  "This is not what I meant by 'extraction,'" I grumble, climbing awkwardly onto the windowsill. The window is just wide enough for me to squeeze through, the cool evening air brushing my face as I prepare to jump.

  "Never is," Maggie says, positioning herself in the corridor with her hands raised, ready to create force fields to delay our pursuers. "Tell Lily I want credit for saving your ass, by the way."

  I hesitate for a moment, torn between escaping and staying to help Maggie. She seems to read my thoughts.

  "Go!" she insists. "I'm right behind you!"

  Security voices echo down the corridor: "This way! They went this way!"

  No more time to think. I slip through the window, grasp the sill briefly to control my descent, then let go. The awning rushes up to meet me - a sturdy canvas structure that catches me with a bounce, then sags alarmingly under my weight. I roll with the impact, trying to protect my ribs, and slide down the sloped fabric until I tumble off the edge and onto the concrete below.

  The landing knocks the wind out of me, and for a terrifying moment, I can't breathe at all. Then my lungs remember how to work, and I gasp in a painful breath, struggling to my feet.

  "Sam!" Lily's voice cuts through the haze of pain. She's pulled the scooter up beside me, her expression a mixture of relief and urgency. "Are you okay? Where's Maggie?"

  "Still inside," I wheeze, looking back up at the window. "She was right behind me."

  As if on cue, Maggie appears in the window opening. She doesn't bother with a controlled descent – she simply launches herself outward, force fields erupting from her palms to slow her fall. She lands on the awning with far more grace than I managed, bounces once, and flips off the edge to land in a crouch beside us.

  "Show-off," I mutter.

  She grins, eyes bright with adrenaline. "I learn from the best."

  A face appears at the window above - Captain Devil, looking down at us with an unreadable expression. For a moment, I think he might follow us, launching himself into the night air with whatever powers he hasn't revealed yet. Instead, he simply watches as I scramble onto the scooter, the two of us probably just barely enough to hit its weight limit. Maggie does a two-fingered salute towards her domino mask and bandana, and then, with a tap from Lily, she's off, skating in an opposite direction from us.

  "You're welcome, by the way!" I hear her yelling as a single security guard comedically stumbles out the door and after her. But there's too many civilians out here, not just escaping from Maya's disaster, but also just on the sidewalks. He gets maybe five steps in and then decides he's not getting paid enough overtime for this.

  "Hold on," Lily says, revving the engine. Her powers activate, accelerating the scooter far beyond its mechanical capabilities as we surge away from City Hall.

  I glance back one last time to see Captain Devil still watching from the window, making no move to pursue. Perhaps he's calling in our position to other Argus Corps members, or maybe he's decided we're not worth the collateral damage a high-speed chase through downtown Philadelphia would cause. Either way, we're clear for the moment.

  "That was too close," I say to my earpiece, the wind whipping my words away as we weave through evening traffic.

  "You think?" Maggie crackles in my ear. "What happened to 'surveillance only, no engagement'?"

  "Plans change," I reply, not mentioning that the engagement was entirely my idea from the start. "Thanks for the save, though. Both of you."

  "Don't thank us yet," Lily calls back. "We still have to get back to Tacony, and your mom is going to murder all three of us when we do."

  Mom. The reminder sends a fresh wave of worry through me. "Did you see what happened to her? Was she arrested?"

  "I'm going to murder you, actually," Amelia says in the earpiece.

  "No idea," Maggie says. "Everything went crazy when security started clearing the hall. The parents were still chanting when we left to find you."

  Great. So not only did I break my promise and trigger the motion sensors, but I might have gotten my mother arrested in the process. Perfect end to a perfect day.

  "Head for the Music Hall," I instruct Lily. "We need to regroup before we go anywhere near my house."

  "I'll meet you guys there," Maggie replies.

  Lily nods, taking a sharp turn that nearly dislodges me from my precarious position on the back of the scooter. As we speed through the darkening streets of Philadelphia, my mind races with questions. What happened to Mom and her coalition? How will Richardson spin this? And most immediately - how fucking grounded am I?