The first thing I do when I get back to the Music Hall is drag the whiteboard into the main room. I have no idea where Jordan ever got it from, and I am beyond caring or asking questions, but it's sat, mostly unused, tucked in this narrow-ass gap between the wall and one of the stairwells. Not even big enough to fit me at my thinnest. The squeaky wheels protest as I maneuver it across the concrete floor, leaving faint chalk dust trails behind it.

  "What's with the whiteboard?" Maggie asks, looking up from where she's sprawled across the couch, flipping through one of Jordan's left-behind manga volumes. "Are we having a business meeting?"

  "Something like that," I say, finding a marker that isn't completely dried out yet. I write "SUNOCO STATION" in big letters at the top, underline it twice. "We need to look into this lead from Darius."

  "The weed guy?" Tasha asks skeptically from her perch on the counter. She's sorting through her medical supplies, organizing bandages by size with methodical precision. "You're trusting intel from some random stoner we met last night?"

  "Not trusting," I correct, capping and uncapping the marker. "Verifying. There's a difference."

  Amelia walks in from the back room, carrying a cardboard box filled with fabric scraps. "What are we verifying?" She sets the box down and peers at the whiteboard.

  "Potential Jump distribution point," I explain, writing down what we know. "Guy in a yellow jacket. Abandoned Sunoco on Longshore. Increased activity when Rogue Wave hit the news."

  "Seems thin," Amelia observes, pulling up a chair and sitting with the back facing forward, arms crossed over the top.

  "It is thin," I agree, "which is why we need to check it out properly before doing anything about it."

  Maggie drops the manga and sits up straight. "So we're raiding a drug den? When do we start?"

  "We're not raiding anything yet," I say, giving her a pointed look. "First, we need to confirm it actually is what Darius says it is."

  "So much for the ghosts approach," Tasha mutters.

  "This is ghost stuff," I counter. "Pure reconnaissance. No engagement."

  Lily joins us, coming through the main door with a grocery bag. "I bring snacks," she announces cheerfully, then stops when she sees us gathered around the whiteboard. "Oooh, are we planning a mission?"

  "We're investigating a potential Jump distribution point," I explain again, gesturing to the whiteboard, feeling a vein pulsate in my forehead for no particular reason. No. Bad Sam. Don't get mad at people for not magically knowing what you're talking about. "Abandoned Sunoco station on Longshore. Guy in a yellow jacket running some kind of operation."

  "Based on a tip from a guy Sam met in an alley," Tasha adds dryly.

  "A guy whose information we're going to verify," I emphasize, jotting down 'VERIFICATION NEEDED' in the corner of the whiteboard. "And we're going to do it properly."

  "Properly how?" Lily asks, setting down her grocery bag and pulling out a family-size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, which she tears open and places in the center of our semi-circle like an offering.

  I grab a handful of chips, aware that I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. "Multiple confirmations. If this guy or place is dealing Jump, there will be patterns. Regular visitors, security measures, specific times of activity." My stomach growls, and I realize I'm starving.

  Maggie snatches the bag next. "So we stake it out? Take shifts watching?"

  "Not quite that obvious," I say, sketching a rough map of the area around the Sunoco station from memory. I've lived here all my life. It's not an unfamiliar location, although most of the time my parents fill up our car (on the rare occasions that we use it) in Camden because of their weird gas laws and it being a dollar cheaper. "We need different types of verification. Physical surveillance, yes, but also research on the property, talking to nearby businesses, checking out the area at different times of day."

  "And who's doing all this?" Tasha asks, eyebrow raised.

  "All of us," I say, turning to face the group. "We each take different pieces."

  Amelia nods slowly. "Divide and conquer. Smart. I can drive past at different times," she offers. "I've got a moped, and I'm old enough that no one will question me being out."

  "Perfect," I say, writing her name next to 'Drive-by surveillance'. "Lily, you're also over eighteen. Could you check out the businesses near the station? Coffee shop, convenience store, whatever's close. Just casual conversation, seeing if anyone mentions unusual activity."

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  Lily gives a mock salute. "I'm good at casual conversation!"

  "You are," I agree with a small smile. "Tasha, I need your help with the library research. Property records, business licenses, that kind of thing. My mom's access should get us what we need."

  "Fine, but no more confronting random neighborhood patrols," she says firmly.

  "Agreed." I turn to Maggie. "You and I will do some observation, but carefully. Your parents would kill you if you get arrested again."

  "They'd have to catch me first," Maggie says with a grin that doesn't quite hide her nervousness. Her parents really would kill her. Like, they might actually shoot her with a gun.

  I finish the assignment list on the whiteboard. "We need three separate confirmations before we even consider taking action. If it doesn't check out, we drop it and look for other leads."

  "What about the Tacony Titans?" Lily asks, munching on chips. "They patrol that area all the time, right? They might already know something. And why three?"

  I hesitate, before sputtering "Arbitrary number." It's a good idea, but I'm reluctant to involve more people than necessary. Then again, the Titans are established heroes with more resources than us, a better scope on the neighborhood. They do local crimes, and we've been plucking out large, intercity organizations. "Maybe as a last resort. If our initial checks don't give us enough information."

  My head starts to throb faintly—the beginning of another episode. I ignore it, pushing forward with the plan. "We need to establish what we're looking for. Signs that would confirm Jump distribution."

  "Regular foot traffic at weird hours," Amelia suggests.

  "Quick exchanges," Tasha adds. "People going in and out, not staying long."

  "Security," Lily says. "Lookouts, cameras, that sort of thing."

  "And the yellow jacket guy," Maggie chimes in. "Gotta confirm he exists and isn't just some random dude Darius made up to get you away from him."

  I write all these down under 'CONFIRMATION CRITERIA', feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at the methodical approach. This is how Belle would do it—gathering evidence, building a case, not rushing in half-cocked.

  "What about timing?" Amelia asks. "When do we start?"

  "Today," I say, checking my watch. It's just past 10 AM. "Amelia, can you do a drive-by this afternoon? Just a quick pass, noting what you see."

  "I can do three passes," she offers. "Good afternoon, good evening, and good night."

  "Perfect. Lily, maybe check out whatever businesses are nearby tomorrow? More normal to be shopping during the day." I turn to Tasha. "Library research this afternoon? We can use the computers there."

  She nods. "Works for me."

  "And I can swing by the area tonight," Maggie suggests eagerly.

  "Not alone," I say firmly. "We go together or not at all. And only for preliminary observation, not engagement."

  The throbbing in my head intensifies slightly, and I rub my temple, hoping no one notices. Of course, Tasha notices immediately.

  "You okay?" she asks, eyes narrowing.

  "Fine," I lie. "Just thinking."

  She doesn't press it, but I see her glance at her backpack where I know she keeps those cigarettes. I pretend not to notice.

  "One more thing," I say, trying to distract from my growing discomfort. "The more time goes on the less I trust the government, especially not with Argus Corps around, or the fact that Chambers & Woo got someone to crack that USB. Let's try and keep any paper trail in paper instead of on our phones. Even the encrypted HIRC stuff Jordan uses I won't pretend I understand well enough to trust."

  A circle of almost bird-like nods surrounds me. I can almost see, in Tasha's brain, the raised eyebrow sentence - didn't we ask Chambers & Woo to crack that encryption for us? To which my mental simulacrum replies, yes, and that's how I know we can't trust them to not do the same to us.

  I cap the marker with a definitive click. "Okay, so we all know what we're doing? Amelia does drive-bys today, Tasha and I hit the library, Lily checks local businesses tomorrow, and Maggie and I do a casual observation walk tomorrow evening."

  Everyone nods, and I feel a small surge of pride at the organized plan. This is how a proper investigation works—methodical, careful, thorough. The way Belle taught me.

  "What if it's legit?" Maggie asks suddenly. "What if there really is a Jump distribution point there?"

  "Then we gather enough evidence to make a plan," I say. "But we don't move without confirmation and preparation."

  "And backup," Tasha adds pointedly. "Which is where your Titans idea might come in, Lily."

  "Sundial would be perfect for this," Lily says thoughtfully. "Her psychometry thing could tell us everything that happened there in the last day. One touch and she'd know if it's a distribution point."

  That's actually a really good point. Sundial's powers would be perfect for verification—she could touch the building and see everything that happened there over the past 24 hours. Way more reliable than our piecemeal approach.

  "I know her a little," I admit. "Not well, but we've crossed paths. She helped with that thing at the zoo."

  "She's super intense though," Lily warns. "Very by-the-book. Might not love the idea of working with underage vigilantes now that it's illegal."

  "Let's keep her as Plan B then," I decide. "If our regular verification doesn't get us enough, we approach her with what we have and see if she'll help confirm."

  The throbbing in my head spikes suddenly, making me wince. This time I can't hide it, and all eyes turn to me.

  "Another episode?" Tasha asks quietly.

  I nod reluctantly. "Starting to be. Not bad yet."

  Maggie's expression shifts to concern. "Maybe we should postpone—"

  "No," I cut her off. "It's fine. I can handle it."

  Tasha slides off the counter and approaches me. "Pushing through it just makes it worse," she says, voice low enough that only I can hear. "You know that by now."

  I do know that, but admitting weakness feels wrong, especially when I've just laid out this whole plan. Leaders don't get to tap out when their heads hurt. But the pain is intensifying, and if the pattern holds, I've got maybe fifteen minutes before the shaking starts.

  "Fine," I concede. "Short break. But we're still doing this today."

  Tasha nods, satisfied, and reaches for her backpack. I know what's coming, and part of me is ashamed at how readily I accept it. The cigarettes helped last night, more than I want to admit.

  "Library in an hour?" she suggests, and I nod, grateful for the implied privacy she's offering. The others take the hint, returning to their various activities without commenting on my condition.

  As I follow Tasha toward the back exit, I glance back at the whiteboard with our investigation plan neatly laid out. It's a good plan. Thorough. Careful. Everything a proper investigation should be.

  Belle would be proud, I think. Even if she'd probably have a stroke about the cigarettes.