People shuffled into vague proximity. Juan remained motionless on the couch, pizza still resting on his chest like a loyal companion. Carmen didn't bother trying to wake him. She knew better.
"Clockwork Arboretum. C-Rank. Clear time: four hours, twelve minutes." She read from the tablet without enthusiasm. "Zero casualties. Minimal property damage." Her eye slid to Monica. "And yes, collapsing an entire ecosystem counts as 'minimal' when no one dies."
Monica sank lower in her seat, hugging Ferdinand the fern like a security blanket.
Carmen continued. "Boss kill was clean. Teamwork was... present. Barely. But present." She looked at me, and something in her gaze sharpened. "Your call to let the plant girl off the leash was either brilliant or suicidal. Jury's still out."
"It worked."
"This time." She took another drink, longer this time. "Don't let it go to your head, Captain. The Arboretum was a test drive. Training wheels. A warmup before the real match."
I waited.
