The blue dot is gone but my brain won't let it go.

  I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to make myself fall asleep through pure force of will. It doesn't work. It never works.

  My phone says 2:47 AM.

  I've been lying here for almost two hours, running through scenarios. Rogue Wave shows up, Kingdom's waiting, there's a fight. Someone gets hurt. Someone dies. Civilians in the wrong place at wrong time. Hospital staff coming out for a smoke break. Late-night ER patients. Someone's parent, someone's kid, someone who had nothing to do with any of this except they were there when I decided to play tactical mastermind.

  I check my phone again. 2:48.

  The burner phone sits on my nightstand. That smiley face still there in the messages. Mocking me, or thanking me, or threatening me. I can't tell anymore.

  I open my laptop. Pull up the traffic camera feeds I bookmarked earlier. Roxborough Memorial has street cameras on the surrounding blocks. Not pointing at the parking lot directly, but close enough that I'd see if something big happened. Fire trucks, ambulances, police response.

  Nothing. Just empty streets. Occasional car passing through. Everything normal.

  I check HIRC. The Philly metahuman gossip forum that's somehow always first to know when something goes down. I scroll through recent posts. Someone arguing about whether Multiplex counts as A-tier or B-tier. Someone asking if anyone's seen Phosphene lately. Someone claiming they saw Father Calumny in Fishtown but it's probably bullshit.

  Nothing about Roxborough. Nothing about the Kingdom. Nothing about Rogue Wave. I refresh the traffic cameras - still nothing.

  Check HIRC again. New post about whether the DVD should rebrand.

  My heart is racing. I can feel it in my throat, in my ears. The concussion headache is back or maybe it never left. My ribs hurt worse because I'm breathing wrong, too shallow, too fast.

  What if Rogue Wave is there right now and I just can't see it? What if they went in quiet, no big response, just professionals doing professional crime things?

  What if they're not going at all? What if they looked at my tip and decided it wasn't worth it? What if I made this huge moral compromise for nothing?

  What if they ARE going and Kingdom's waiting and it's going to be a bloodbath and I didn't think to warn anyone who could actually help?

  I take a quick break into the bathroom, slowly moving to avoid all the sensitive parts of the floor where it would creak. When I'm in there, I close the door, turn the light on, and barf into the toilet. Smooth and easy. I try not to make any noise when I do it, but I still end up sort of whimpering slash retching slash shouting, which obviously gets the attention of my parents.

  Click of a light switch going on. Thump thump thump of footsteps. Gentle knocks at the door.

  "You okay in there, honey?" my Mom's voice asks from the other side.

  "Just dinner not agreeing with me," I lie, using some toilet paper to wipe the corners of my mouth. Ugh. And it was a good dinner, too.

  "Do you need anything? A Tums? Pepto-Bismol? Tea?" she asks.

  "If you could just leave a cup of water on my nightstand, that would be great," I struggle through, sounding sicker than I feel.

  I slowly extricate myself from the toilet bowl, splash some water on my face, and pointedly avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I wait for the footsteps to stop, the lights outside from under the door to all vanish like fireflies, and then the footsteps to go back to my parents' bedroom.

  'Kay. Awesome. I love the emotional turmoil turning into physical illness thing. That's great. Let's keep doing that.

  Slowly back into the bedroom, now that I've failed my primary objective in "not waking my parents up". Back into bed, trying to get comfortable (not working).

  I check the time. 3:14 AM.

  I can't do this. I can't just lie here and wait and not know.

  I grab my phone, open the group chat.

  Sam: anyone awake

  I stare at the screen. The message just sits there, delivered, no responses.

  Of course no one's awake. It's 3 AM on a Sunday. Normal people are sleeping. People who didn't just orchestrate a potential gang confrontation are sleeping.

  Then:

  Amelia: Unfortunately

  Maggie: cant sleep

  Maggie: whats up

  I start typing. Delete it. Start again. Delete it.

  Sam: I think I need to tip the DVDs too

  Amelia: I thought we decided against that

  Sam: We decided against tipping them INSTEAD of Rogue Wave. What if we tip them AND Rogue Wave? Like. Just tell them to keep an eye on the area in case something happens?

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  Maggie: sam are you spiraling

  Sam: No.

  Maggie: sam

  Sam: Yes

  Sam: I just keep thinking what if Rogue Wave shows up and Kingdom is waiting and it turns into a huge fight and theres no containment? What if civilians get hurt and I COULD have warned the DVDs but didn't?

  Amelia: What if you warn the DVDs and they show up too early and it tips Kingdom off?

  Sam: I don't give them a specific time. just say keep an eye on this location, something might happen in the next few days.

  Amelia: That's pretty vague for a tip

  Sam: But if something DOES happen they'll already be watching. They'll respond faster. and if nothing happens then I just wasted their time with a vague tip but at least I TRIED

  Maggie: okay but real beans moment. are you doing this because its tactically smart or because youre anxious and need to feel like youre doing something

  I stare at that message for a long moment.

  Maggie: sam?

  Sam: both?

  Sam: Probably more the second one

  Sam: There's a billion ways this could explode in my face and I do not like any of them.

  Sam: And I think "using two criminal groups to trap each other and sending in the cavalry to clean them up off the streets" is more morally defensible than "escalate a gang war for no reason".

  Sam: Does that make it wrong?

  Amelia: No

  Amelia: I think it's fine. Worst case they ignore a vague tip. Best case they're in position to respond if something happens.

  Maggie: do it if it helps you sleep

  Maggie: we all need you functional tomorrow

  Sam: okay

  Sam: im calling the tip line

  Amelia: Use the burner

  Sam: obviously

  I close the group chat. Stare at my regular phone for a minute. Then I pick up the burner and dial the number Davis gave me.

  It rings three times before someone picks up.

  "Delaware Valley Defenders tip line." Woman's voice, professional, slightly bored. Like she takes crank calls all night and expects this to be another one.

  "I have information about potential metahuman criminal activity." My voice sounds steadier than I feel. "Roxborough Memorial Hospital, back parking lot area. In the coming days. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, I don't know exactly when."

  "Can you provide more details about the nature of the threat?"

  "Multiple individuals may be involved. Possible confrontation. I can't provide more specifics."

  "What is your source for this information?"

  "I saw someone doing something weird with the dumpster out behind it. And then there was another guy there. They both looked at me like they wished my head was about to blow up so I left really fast."

  That seems to get her attention. Her voice perks up just a little bit. "Are you in immediate danger?"

  "I don't think I am. I have... protection in the house. You know? I think I will be fine, just... someone should keep an eye on that area. In case something happens."

  "Can I get your name?"

  "No. Sorry. Just... please monitor the location."

  I hang up before she can ask more questions.

  My hands are shaking. I set the burner phone down carefully, like it might explode if I move too fast.

  Did I just... was that enough? Too much? Not enough? She sounded skeptical. What if they don't actually do anything? What if they think it's a crank call and ignore it?

  But I did it. I warned them. If something happens, I tried. That's all I can do.

  I check the traffic cameras again. Still nothing.

  HIRC. Still nothing.

  My phone. 3:47 AM.

  I open the group chat.

  Sam: Did it

  Amelia: How do you feel?

  Sam: Like i might throw up again

  Amelia: Again?

  Sam: But also better?

  Sam: I don't know

  Maggie: you did what you could. now you need to sleep.

  Sam: Yeah

  Sam: You're right

  Sam: Okay

  Sam: I'm going to sleep now

  I close the group chat. Set my phone down. Stare at the ceiling.

  I should check the cameras one more time. Just to make sure. Just in case something's happening right now and I missed it.

  I grab my laptop. Refresh the feeds. Empty streets. Normal night. Nothing.

  HIRC. Someone posted a meme about Sundial. Nothing about Roxborough.

  I should sleep. I should definitely sleep.

  One more check. Just one more.

  Traffic cameras. Nothing.

  HIRC. Nothing.

  The burner phone. Still just that smiley face staring at me.

  What if nothing happens? What if I did all this-- the moral compromise, the agonizing, the 3 AM anxiety spiral-- and Rogue Wave just ignores it? Or they looked at the information and decided it wasn't worth their time?

  What if I orchestrated nothing except my own sleepless night?

  I refresh the cameras again.

  Still nothing.

  The anxiety sits in my chest like something living. Not better, not worse. Just there. Waiting with me.

  I check the time. 4:23 AM.

  I've been staring at these screens for over an hour. My eyes hurt. My head hurts. Everything hurts.

  But I can't stop checking. Because what if something happens the moment I look away? What if I miss it?

  Refresh. Nothing.

  Refresh. Nothing.

  Refresh. Nothing.

  My eyes are burning. The laptop screen is too bright in the dark room but I can't look away. The traffic camera feed is hypnotic. Cars passing occasionally. Street lights. Empty sidewalks. Nothing nothing nothing.

  I refresh HIRC. Someone's arguing about Multiplex again. Seventeen replies. Nobody cares about Roxborough Memorial Hospital because nothing is happening at Roxborough Memorial Hospital.

  Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe I made this huge terrible decision and lost sleep over it and nothing will come of it at all. Is that better or worse?

  My laptop battery warning pops up. 10% remaining. I should plug it in. Instead I just close it. Set it aside, lie back down. The ceiling is still there. Still blank. Still offering no answers.

  My phone says 4:47.

  I'm so tired. But my brain won't stop. Keeps running through scenarios. Rogue Wave shows up. Kingdom's waiting. DVDs respond. Or they don't. People get hurt. Or they don't. I did the right thing. Or I didn't.

  The uncertainty is worse than anything else. At least if something happened, I'd know. I could process it. But this liminal space of not knowing, of waiting, of having set something in motion that I can't control or observe--

  My eyes are closing. Finally. Not because I'm calm. Just because my body physically can't stay awake anymore.

  The last thing I think is: What if I wake up and something terrible happened while I was asleep?

  But I'm too tired to fight it anymore.

  The darkness pulls me under.

  I wake up to sunlight in my eyes and my phone buzzing somewhere near my head.

  For a second I don't remember. Then it all crashes back. The tip to Rogue Wave. The smiley face. The 3 AM spiral. The call to the DVD tip line. The hours of checking cameras and forums and finding nothing.

  I grab my phone. 11:34 AM. I slept for six hours somehow.

  Missed messages in the group chat. I open it with shaking hands.

  Lily: everyone ok?

  Maggie: yeah

  Amelia: Fine

  Tasha: my shoulder hurts but im alive

  Lily: anything happen overnight?

  Maggie: not that i can find

  Amelia: I've been checking news and HIRC since 8am. Nothing about Roxborough. Nothing about Rogue Wave or Kingdom. No reports of incidents.

  Nothing.

  I did all that. Made that choice. Lost that sleep. Had that crisis.

  And nothing happened.

  I don't know if I should feel relieved or sick.