At four in the morning, Allen opened his eyes.
First he saw the silver-blue patterns beside the bed, then the IV bottle.
"Am I still in New York?"
"In a hospital," Lightning said.
Yang Ming corrected him. "A clinic."
Allen took a few breaths to steady himself.
"Is there a big difference in the fees?"
"If you can ask that now, you're doing pretty well."
Yang Ming finished checking the drainage and monitoring records, then put down his pen.
"No further bleeding, and your circulation is stable. The immediate danger has passed. Now focus on recovering."
The tendrils Lightning had kept beneath the back of Allen's hand finally withdrew.
Lightning walked over to Yang Ming and bowed his head.
"Thank you for saving his life."
Yang Ming pointed at the bed.
"Keep him from talking too much. Save your thanks for when you pay the bill."
Lightning did not leave.
"There's something else I have to tell you."
He looked toward the container holding the sealed black spike.
"Absolute Slaughter isn't hunting Venom just to purge heretics. They'll survey this planet, looking for regions with dense neural activity and plenty of hosts."
"New York fits the bill."
"The whole Earth does."
Lightning opened his palm, projecting the outlines of several marked planets.
"First, they seize a small number of hosts, take over transportation and communications, then establish an outpost. After that, it won't be just seven arriving."
Yang Ming straightened his glasses.
"So we can't wait for them to come knocking again."
"Correct."
Gwen Stacy stood by the door, with Venom's head emerging from her shoulder.
"What about your prisoner transport assignment?"
Lightning put away the star map.
"Suspended. I'll truthfully report how you saved lives tonight, and request a fresh review of the old case."
"Instead of locking me