Maria stood up as Daisy walked into the room.

Daisy had been their rock, in that place. She’d held most of them together, comforted those who cried, and stopped at least four suicide attempts.

So when they’d made their plan, after being freed, Daisy had been the one to put it together.

“How are you?” the older woman asked.

“Pretty good. Happy birthday, Daisy.”

“Don’t remind me. Thirty is supposed to be over the hill, right?”

“You don’t look thirty,” reassured Maria. “You look maybe twenty-six at most.”

“I’m thirty, but at least I’m free.” She sat down. “My lawyer said we could have fifteen minutes. After that, they’re probably going to need the room again.”

“Belessar came to me,” Maria said. “Last night.”

Daisy smiled. “I suspected it might be either you or Donna.”

“Not in that way, Daisy. He came for information.”

“Just information?”

“Just information. Nothing more.”

Daisy cocked her head. “You volunteered. So did the others. Are you telling me…”

“I’m telling you, nothing happened. Maybe he’s gay.”

“Or maybe,” murmured Daisy quietly, “he actually is a hero. Not just another man.”

“Wait till you hear what he asked me for.”

“What?”

“He wants information about the Grunters. Their bases, their people, whatever we can remember.”

“One more point in his favour.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“My lawyer told me that they’ve filed at least four hundred charges of rape, torture and false imprisonment against the Grunters. Against Grumman and Gravitic personally.” Daisy shook her head. “What we survived? That was dangerous. All eighty-seven of us as witnesses? That’s dangerous. What did Grumman do when the cops detained his men in ‘77?”

“He blew up a police station,” replied Maria.

“Exactly. Cops don’t have it in them to protect us. Belessar does. He took out most of the Grunters’ suits.” Daisy breathed deeply. “Black Dog Bowers? Belessar crushed him like a tin can. That bastard Dreamspeaker? Belessar took him apart. Seventeen suits - and he tore them to pieces in a single night.”

“The Grunters must be terrified,” remarked Maria.

“Terrified? We hope. Belessar can take them. At least, I hope he can take them.”

“He’s strong, Daisy. Incredibly strong.”

“Based on how easily he breaks down doors?”

“Based on seventeen dead suits and a Master.”

The other woman smiled bitterly. “Which will mean nothing, if Gravitic finds him in the shower.”

“Can he fight off Gravitic?”

“He’s an inventor, Maria. Inventors are clumsy, weak human beings outside their armor. Why do you think Grumman used chains?”

“You’d know better than me.”

“I do know. You want to kill an inventor? Get him without his suit. You want to kill an elemental like Gravitic? Take him by surprise, before he knows you’re there. You want to kill a herculean?” Daisy took a deep breath. “Don’t even try.”

Maria nodded. “So we have to protect Belessar from discovery….”

“By never giving up any information about him. More than that - we need to promise ourselves we won’t even try to find out anything about him. Not his name, not his face, not his home address.”

“Then how do we reach him?”

“He reaches us. You, Olinda and Kristina specifically. We gather every piece of knowledge we can about the Grunters.” Daisy’s smile was vicious. “And if we find Grumman … we tell Belessar.”