“We were a patrol team before that,” said Adrian. “And we’ve been taught that when we see someone conducting illegal or dangerous activity, we stop it.”
Tamaya frowned but, after a second, she seemed to give credence to this point. “Go on, then. What happened after you entered the library?”
They told them. About Narcissa and Gene Cronin acting suspicious. About the basement and the room full of weapons and how the Detonator was waiting for them. About the explosions. The battle. Their attempts to clear the library of civilians. The lost child and how Nova and the others had managed to save him, and how Adrian had been trapped inside during the search.
This was, of course, not strictly true, but he stuck firm to his story, while Nova went on to tell them about the showdown between the Detonator and the Sentinel above the theater. Truly, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted his dads to realize that he had gone back into the library even after it had collapsed. Even protected by the Sentinel’s armor he knew it was a risk, but he also knew it was the only way to convince them he had been inside the library the whole time. He had stayed inside the suit while he drew the igloo, hoping he would be found before the ice melted away, but also knowing that, if worse came to worst, he could always transform back into the Sentinel again.
He hadn’t needed to, though. They’d found him.
The Captain had found him, and Adrian still felt guilty for the worry he must have caused them all.
“What else did the Sentinel say?” asked the Dread Warden.
Adrian peered at Nova, watching for some sign of how she felt about his alter ego—beyond the fact that she’d shot him.
Multiple times.
But Nova was unreadable. “He mostly just wanted to know about Nightmare. Who she is, where he can find her.”
“Popular gal,” muttered Oscar.
Nova’s lips twitched. “He fought her at the parade, didn’t he? I think maybe he’s embarrassed that she beat him.”
“She didn’t—” started Adrian.
Nova glanced at him, but he pressed his lips into a firm line.
Clearing his throat, he started again, “I’m sure there’s more to it than that.”
Nova shrugged. “Either way, he didn’t get anything useful out of Cronin. The Detonator shot the Librarian before he could say anything. Then she ran. I shot at her but only managed to get her in the arm, and Ruby and Oscar weren’t able to stop her, either. Then Narcissa got away. Then…” She scowled. “… the Sentinel got away, too.”
“And in your opinion,” said Tamaya, folding her fingers together, “if you had waited and called for backup as you were intended to, would the Detonator and the Sentinel and the Librarian’s granddaughter all have slipped through our fingers? Would the library be in ruins, along with what we can assume was volumes of evidence that might have led to the arrests, not only of Gene Cronin, but perhaps countless criminals and villains that have been trading with him all these years? To that effect, do you think Gene Cronin would be dead if you had assistance, or would he currently be in custody, where we could question him for further information?”
Adrian didn’t answer. None of them did. He didn’t really think they were expected to. His attention slid to his dads. Simon was rubbing his cheek. Hugh was tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair.
Finally, it was Simon who cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “We will never know what different outcomes might have occurred had you acted differently. We do know that, because of you, Gene Cronin and all those weapons will never be a threat to the people of this city again.”
Tamaya scoffed. “One positive in an otherwise egregious mess.”
“What do you propose, Thunderbird?” said Hugh. “We all agree that they went against our orders and acted irresponsibly. At the same time, Adrian made a strong point—they were trained as a patrol unit first and foremost. They had reason to believe that illegal activity was happening inside that library, and they acted on it. It is difficult to fault that.”
“Then perhaps,” said Kasumi, “the solution here is not to punish them for their mistakes, but to encourage their strengths by returning them to their regular patrol duties. Perhaps we should not have transferred them to this case in the first place, and our error can be remedied by removing them from it.”
“No,” said Adrian, his shoulders tensing. “We want to see this through. We want to find Nightmare.”
“We know you do,” said Simon. “But if you cannot be trusted—”