Fix by Ferrett Steinmetz Page B

was sweating as he fumbled in his pocket.
    It’s a ring , Aliyah realized. He’s working up the courage to give her a ring .
    Aunt Valentine and Uncle Robert had dated for five years, and even though Aunt Valentine had made it clear she retained the ability to date whoever she goddamned well pleased, she’d never so much as looked at another man since they’d almost snapped the Institute in half with their disgusting magical kinky sex.
    They kept everyone up at night, slapping and grunting and slamming each other against walls, which everyone pretended not to hear. And Aunt Valentine always glowed with cryptic smiles the next morning…
    But then she’d trail behind Uncle Robert as he went about his day, thumbing her Nintendo DS while Robert oversaw the creation of another safehouse or did another security walkthrough for Daddy’s next speech or disappeared for a day or two as he made secret Project Mayhem plans that Aunt Valentine couldn’t know about in case SMASH pried open her brains.
    And Aunt Valentine stayed glued to her screen, coruscating with banked magical potential, charting increasingly elaborate speed runs on the toughest games as she prepared for the day when Uncle Robert would need her to go super saiyan.
    Except Uncle Robert was so good at what he did, he needed super saiyan Valentine less and less.
    But Aliyah knew what Uncle Robert was thinking. He’d almost lost Aunt Valentine to the Morehead broach. The government was coming for them. Shouldn’t he propose before something went wrong?
    Aliyah tolerated their squicky sex because they were still ridiculously schmoopy despite their bruisetastic ways. She could see Uncle Robert debating whether proposing now would be romantic enough, then deciding the War Table would be too much of a distraction.
    She should have been disappointed. But proposing to someone like Aunt Valentine was like tipping over a Coke machine – you couldn’t do it in one push. You had to work your way up to it.
    She wondered what kickass dress she’d get to wear at the wedding.
    Daddy cleared his throat. “All right. I, uh… This is too big for one man’s decision. So I’ll take your vote.”
    He passed out copies of a memo – official-looking paperwork, brandished with a government seal, signed with a flourish by some general with a ridiculously swoopy signature.
    It was hard reading it through the warped glasses. Aliyah had just gotten to the terrible part when Valentine ripped her copy in half.
    â€œThis guy has balls the size of Rhode Island, if he thinks we’re gonna let you turn yourself in,” she spat, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Mawmaw. “And I’m gonna remove his swollen balls, plop ’em on a fuckin’ hibachi, and chop ’em into testicle sashimi so I can force-feed him balls till his stomach bursts.”
    Daddy sagged in relief.
    She realized: He thought we’d ask him to turn himself in . She realized Daddy had been willing to sacrifice himself a hundred times over to save Aliyah, so of course he’d sacrifice himself to save the people of Morehead.
    All that held him back was his loyalty to his family.
    She thought she felt guilty about Morehead.
    â€œYou can’t turn yourself in,” she said. “But… we have to rescue them.”
    â€œWe will not.” Mom’s voice was taut as piano wire. “We don’t know where they are. We don’t have the Contract anymore. With the government out to get us, we cannot afford to take risks.”
    â€œActually…” Dad ignored the way Mom’s head snapped around. “I think I know where they are.”
    â€œThey’re off the books! They are invisible to you!”
    â€œThey are, yes. But… troop logistics always leave ripples. Morehead-Rowan airport has been closed to the public until 12:00 noon tomorrow. There’s been emergency jet fuel supplies diverted