By the time I was in the air, Jody had made it halfway down the lawn. Unable to go straight because Cassie continued to fire blinding beams at his head, he ran in a constant zigzag pattern. As bad as that was, he also had to deal with Rachel firing goobots at him from next to Julie on the roof—who continued to narrowcast commands at him.

He couldn’t turn around either because Jaclyn and Izzy were both following—which didn’t mean that he didn’t try twisting to the right or left and turning back.

When he did, Izzy would dive for him or Jaclyn would change direction to intercept. Cassie hit him in the head during one of those and while she didn’t fully blind him, he stumbled.

I didn’t try to intercept. I only needed a good enough view to know which bots to activate.

As of the most recent revision, everyone’s suit had a few bots that I could activate when needed. Plus, I’d placed a few more around the block where they could launch themselves.

Jody didn’t fall, but my HUD reported that his speed had decreased. Either he was getting tired or Cassie’s shots had left spots in his eyes.

Whichever it was, we had a chance to catch him.

Jody had to know it too because he jerked left to avoid a gooey spot created by Rachel’s bullet goobots and then aimed toward the front gate. Given his speed and the lack of obstacles, he might make it.

Izzy whipped around, following him and saying, “Clear,” over the comms.

We knew what was coming. Jaclyn moved sideways. She wasn’t between Izzy and Jody, but Izzy’s sonic attack was a scream which meant it wasn’t what you’d call precise. Plus, when she went all out, it threatened the structural integrity of buildings.

She didn’t go all out here, but she wasn’t quiet either. Audible, but not painful because of the soundproofing in my helmet and armor, I could feel the suit vibrate from the noise as I flew behind and off to her left side.

The front window of “Sid’s Pizza Takeout,” which stood in direct line past Jody, had cracked. The fact that it hadn’t shattered along with every window on the block showed Izzy’s increased control.

The Heroes’ League would still be paying for the window, though. Even if the shop’s insurance policy covered it, it was still good PR.

Jody didn’t fare as well.

My suit’s readings showed that his costume had significant soundproofing—which only made sense given that the Rocket was known for his sonic weapons. Izzy’s sonic blast likely didn’t figure in because she rarely used it, but that was a mistake by whoever designed his suit.

Izzy might not have gone all out, but someone unfamiliar with what that looked like wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

The soil around Jody exploded in all directions from the kinetic energy of her attack. Unlike Julie’s attacks using my sonics, Izzy’s blast wasn’t narrowcast. Around where Jody had been standing, only dirt remained. The lawn around the spot rose on all sides as if it were the crater remaining from a meteor strike. No longer flat, the broken ground looked as if some of the force came from underneath—which was likely true.

I hoped she hadn’t hit any water or gas pipes.

As for Jody himself, when the blast hit, my sonics detected a sonic device based on my designs (though not one of mine) putting out an impressive amount of sound. If it had access to the city power grid, more soundproofing, and a design that included a better system for removing heat, it might have reduced the effectiveness of Izzy’s shout.

Instead, several different spots near Jody’s torso and limbs cracked or shattered, the metal inside glowing red.

That was one more point in favor of the idea that Jody had attacked us willingly during the fungus invasion. His buzzer technology had been designed to neutralize a lot of sonic energy. It was just his bad luck that Izzy had attacked him with the equivalent of Niagara Falls when he was paddling down the river in a metaphorical kayak.

The buzzer technology wasn’t the only damaged tech on him. Hidden within the cowl around his head had been a mesh. Now that mesh was visible through the cracks in whatever material the cowl was made of.

I guessed that it might be the mental shield that hid his thoughts from Daniel earlier. The proximity to his head would have been enough during the meeting. It didn’t have to be over his head to work—though it might be more effective then.

Daniel must have followed the same reasoning or overheard mine because he told the team, “I’m in.”

“Oh, good,” I replied, “he’s alive.”

“He’s hurt, but nothing major,” Izzy said, “I was careful. He’ll wake up soon.”

“Right,” Daniel said, “I’m sending him into a deep sleep. We need to talk with Sean and Dayton and it won’t help if he wakes up.