Once the bulk of the cleanup was done, Rivet and Lacey hurried back to the infirmary. Wrench was already awake. She sat up as they came in, wincing as she adjusted her injured leg. Her eyes went immediately to the bulge under Lacey’s jacket.

“So we found some stuff,” Rivet said, before Wrench could ask any questions. They leaned against the wall and nodded at Lacey. “Well, she found some stuff.”

Lacey unzipped her jacket to reveal the camera hanging around her neck.

Wrench stared up at her, unimpressed.

“It has pictures on it,” Lacey said. She winced at how stupid she sounded. “I recognize the place. I think the person who took them is the same person me and my team gave a ride to. The guy found out about the dangerous stuff happening.”

Wrench frowned. “You’re kidding.”

“Wish I was.” Lacey bit her lip.

“Tell her what you told me,” Rivet said. “But, like, all of it, this time.”

Lacey didn’t have to ask; she knew what Rivet was referring to. The only thing stopping her was her own fear, paralyzing her and stalling her thoughts. Lacey remembered how it felt to have the first visitor show up at the Barn unannounced while the others were out gathering supplies. It wasn’t the threats themselves that had scared her, but the power behind them. She remembered sitting with that terror in silence. And then the visits happened again, and again, and Lacey remembered the burning pain of that secret on the tip of her tongue. She couldn’t tell them, though. It would only hurt them more. Besides, she was the one who’d negotiated with the passenger. It was her who was to blame.

But she’d already slipped and told Rivet enough to entice them. It wouldn’t be fair to keep this from them. No one knew they were out here, anyway. They weren’t in danger. As long as she kept telling herself that, she would be fine.

Lacey made herself speak through the tightness in her throat. “The passenger who had this camera was investigating the disappeared relief boats. We didn’t know it. We just brought him to the dropoff he asked for. He must’ve been headed for the docks where they used to anchor. I don’t know how, but he got the rest of the way there himself.”

“Well, what did he find?” Wrench pressed. She shifted impatiently, wincing as she moved.

“I haven’t looked through all the photos,” Lacey admitted. “I don’t know the details. All I know is, some group of jackasses have been living at the dock and posing as couriers who take supplies into the city, but they don’t. They just keep some of it, resell a lot of it to people hiding up in the hills in exchange for…well, I don’t know. They’ve got some good tech. I’ve even heard rumors they’ve been able to airlift people out of there, if the ground is stable enough to land on.”

Rivet whistled. “Shit.”

Lacey nodded grimly. “The thing is, that ring of thieves isn’t just in with the people in the hills. They’ve also got a deal with the local cops.”

Wrench shook her head. “They wouldn’t do that.”

“That’s what I thought,” said Lacey. “It didn’t make sense to me at first, either. I guess the situation is, as long as the cops don’t bother them, the thieves send down enough supplies to the police station for them to redistribute stuff to people.” She paused. “The alternative would be…what? Go in, guns blazing, to fight off a gang of gun-toting crazies with better meds and equipment than anyone in town?”

Rivet and Wrench exchanged a glance. They sat in tense silence for a moment.

“So a little after that job, the Sheriff visited me. He said the guy had taken incriminating pictures and was trying to take them public. Sounded like he didn’t just want to expose the thieves, but also the cops and the brokers who’d gotten involved. He was basically going up against everyone.” Lacey’s lip was starting to crack from how hard she was biting it. “The thieves were pissed, and the cops were in trouble with them, and they were scared. They blamed me for all of it. They got…nasty. Our whole team was a threat to them, but I convinced them I was the only one who ever talked to the passenger.” She shifted uneasily. “You know what happened from there.”

“I just don’t get it,” Rivet said. “It just seems…”

Lacey nodded. She understood instinctually what Rivet couldn’t put into words. All three of them had seen crime, and plenty of it. They’d dealt with terrible people and seen terrible things. The root of all that horror, though, was simply their shared struggle to survive in a world that had turned against them. People hurt each other the way stray dog packs fought over scraps. They never hurt each other like this: inhuman, intricate, and precise.

“We used to buy from them,” Lacey said finally. “We didn’t know it, but we did. One of us had an in with someone who brought food and stuff up to the people in the hills.” She chewed her lip, trying to focus on something other than her guilt. “We thought he was just a scavenger, or one of those apocalypse preppers. I don’t know.” Honestly, they hadn’t really thought. They were hungry, Mara’s friend had food. That was it.

“I bet a lot of people did. Do.” Rivet crossed their arms. “This is not okay.”

Lacey couldn’t argue with that.

“Look, we have the photos, we have your story. We even have a location, if you can remember where you took the guy.” Rivet stood up, clearly intending to pace. The room was too small, so they ended up doing an awkward stationary bounce. “We have too much knowledge about this to just sit here and do nothing. It wouldn’t be right.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Lacey said. She couldn’t keep the hopelessness out of her voice. “No one’s going to listen to us. We’d have to go back to Portland, anyway, and if any cop or even the wrong broker sees me, we’re all as good as dead.”

“But things are different now,” Rivet insisted. “We have evidence, and we know exactly what’s happening. You can’t seriously think it’s okay for us to just ignore this? What are we supposed to do, just sit on our asses and keep doing shitty little runs for Norba while people are starving?”

Lacey wanted to argue, but she couldn’t think of a retort. The guilt had returned, hot and fresh as ever. It suffocated her from the inside.

Rivet scuffed their toe against the ground. “You know, Wrench and I…”

“Don’t.” Wrench sent her sibling a warning glare.

“…know a bit about how the station works,” Rivet continued, oblivious. “Fuel brokers, too. There are some who might still talk to us, even after what Ronan said. If we show them the photos…”

“Terrible idea.” Wrench crossed her arms. “Bad for business. Risky, low payoff. No one is going to cross these guys, if everything Lacey says is true.” She shot Lacey a suspicious glance, which Lacey chose to ignore.

“I’m not talking about going Rambo on them,” Rivet protested. “I just mean, like, a…strategic infiltration.”

“You are not a spy,” Wrench spat.

“What I am is a person with morals.” Rivet lifted their chin. “You can’t seriously look me in the eye and tell me you’re okay with people stealing food from starving disaster survivors?”

“We stole fuel for years and you never had a problem with that.” Wrench’s fists were curled so tight, her knuckles somehow turned even whiter than the rest of her.

“Okay,” Lacey interrupted. She wasn’t sure what she was about to say, but she knew she had to keep talking if she wanted to de-escalate the situation. “We aren’t going to murk these guys-” she cast a meaningful look at Rivet “-but we could convince at least some of the brokers to force the thieves to up their percentage of supplies.”

As she spoke, Lacey felt her pulse start to race. Now that Rivet had planted the idea in her head, a sense of manic optimism spurred her on. She clutched the camera’s neck strap like a lifeline. “We’ve got the evidence, and if we have enough people to back it up, it should be doable.”

Wrench gave one sharp, emphatic shake of her head. “You’re both fucking crazy.”

“Crazy and right,” Rivet countered. “Look, Lacey’s idea is good. Marketable. We can work with that, especially if you do the talking. You’re the smart one, remember?”

“That’s why you should listen when I say don’t do this,” Wrench snapped. “It’s a waste of time, and I don’t want you to get yourself killed.” Her voice broke on the last word.

“Hey.” Rivet sat down next to Wrench. They ignored her muttered insults and put an arm around her shoulders. “You know I have to do this. Dad always said to do what’s right, yeah? We’ve been doing wrong for a long time. We’ve got a chance to do something really good. I wanna take it.”

Wrench’s eyes remained fixed on the sheets. Her hands rhythmically clenched and unclenched in the bedcovers.

Rivet let out a barely audible sigh. “I’ve made my mind up, okay? But I’m not gonna get hurt. I never do. ‘Sides, I’ve got Lace to protect me now, too. It’s not just us.”

Wrench’s face was caught between rage and tears. She rubbed her eyes and stared up at her sibling.

Lacey stared at her feet. This moment felt too intimate for her to intrude on.

“You don’t have to go,” Rivet continued. “It would be better if you stayed, actually. I’m not great at medical stuff.”

“Well, I’ve gotten good at it.” Wrench wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I’ll take care of myself, and I’ll watch out for you at the same time.”

“Look…” Rivet started.

“Shut up,” said Wrench. There wasn’t any real venom behind her words. “You don’t even know how to steer the boat right, anyway.”

“Yeah, and you’re a better paddler than me, too.” Rivet half-chuckled. They turned away from their sister and poked Lacey on the shoulder. “Hey, were you planning to tell Norba we’re leaving?”

Lacey winced. “I didn’t really think about that.”

Rivet and Wrench exchanged another one of their glances.

“She’s still busy, I’d guess,” Rivet said.

“We’ve snuck out from brokers before,” Wrench sniffed. “Someone’s got to carry me piggyback, though.”

“On it.” Rivet grinned their lopsided grin. “Lace, when can you be ready?”

Lacey checked the clock. Eight A.M.: still a few minutes before Hex came to check up on Wrench. “Let’s pack up a med kit and grab some food. We’re leaving as soon as the coast is clear.”