And where Todd is already reaching for the Mayor.

“He wouldn’t have even had a chance to think,” Bradley says, his voice thick, “much less choose.”

“He went right for the Mayor,” I say. “He didn’t have to think.”

We watch the explosion again, an image that was broadcast to the town outside and to the people watching on the hilltop, who are thinking God knows what right now.

We watch as the Mayor is saved again.

And Simone isn’t.

Bradley’s Noise is so sad, so broken, I can barely look at it.

“You told me,” he says, closing his eyes, “that whoever else I doubted on this planet, Todd was the one I could trust. You said that, Viola. And you’ve been right every time.”

“Except this time.” Because I can read Bradley’s Noise, read what it really thinks. “You blame him, too.”

He looks away from me, and I see his Noise struggling with itself. “Todd obviously regrets it,” he says. “You can see it all over his face.”

“But you can’t hear it. Not in his Noise. Not the truth.”

“Have you asked him?”

I just look again at the screen, at the fire and chaos that followed Mistress Coyle blowing herself up.

“Viola–”

“Why did she do it?” I say, too loud, trying to ignore the sudden Simone-shaped hole in the world. “Why when we had peace?”

“Maybe with the both of them gone,” Bradley says sadly, “she hoped the planet would rally around someone like you.”

“I don’t want that responsibility. I didn’t ask for it.”

“But you could probably have it,” he says. “And you’d use it wisely.”

“How do you know?” I say. “I don’t even know that. You said war should never be personal, but that’s all it’s ever been for me. If I hadn’t fired that missile, we wouldn’t even be here. Simone would still be–”

“Hey,” Bradley says, stopping me because I’m getting even more upset. “Look, I need to contact the convoy, tell them what happened.” His Noise folds with grief. “Tell them we’ve lost her.”

I nod, my eyes wetting further.

“And you,” he says, “you need to talk to your boy.” He lifts my chin. “And if he needs saving, then you save him. Isn’t that what you told me you did for each other?”

I let go a few more tears but then I nod. “Over and over again.”

He gives me a hug, a strong and sad one, and I leave him so he can call the convoy. I walk the short hallway back to the healing room as slow as I can, feeling like someone’s torn me in two. I can’t believe Simone is dead. I can’t believe Mistress Coyle is dead.

And I can’t believe Todd saved the Mayor.

But it’s Todd. Todd, who I trust with my life. Literally. I trusted him to put these bandages on me, which frankly have me feeling better than I have in months.

And if he saved the Mayor, then there must be a reason. There must be.

I take a deep breath outside the door of the healing room.

Because that reason is goodness, isn’t it? Isn’t that what Todd basically is? Despite the mistakes, despite killing the Spackle by the riverside, despite the work he did for the Mayor, Todd is essentially good, I know this, I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it in his Noise-

But I can’t feel it any more.

“No,” I say again. “It’s Todd. It’s Todd.”

I push the panel to open the door.

And see Todd and the Mayor wearing matching uniforms.

[TODD]

I see her in the doorway, see how healthy she’s looking–

See her see the clothes me and the Mayor are wearing, the same right down to the gold stripe on the sleeves of the jackets.

“It’s not what you think,” I say, “my clothes were all burnt–”

But she’s already stepping back from the door, stepping away–

“Viola,” the Mayor says, strong enough to stop her. “I know this is a tough time for you, but we must address the people. We must reassure them that the peace process will go forward as planned. And as soon as we can, we must send a delegation to the Spackle to assure them of the same thing.”

Viola looks him square in the eye. “You say must way too easy.”

The Mayor tries to smile thru his burns. “If we don’t talk to the people right now, Viola, things could fall apart. The Answer might wish to finish Mistress Coyle’s action and use this moment of chaos to do so. The Spackle could attack us for the same reason. My own men might even get it into their heads that I’m incapacitated and decide to stage a coup. I trust that these are not outcomes you would want.”

And I can see that she feels it, too.

The weird joy coming from him.

“What would you say to them?” she says.

“What would you like me to say?” he asks. “Tell me and I’ll repeat it word for word.”

She narrows her eyes. “What are you playing at?”

“I’m not playing at anything,” he says. “I could have died today and I did not. And I did not because Todd saved me.” He steps forward, eagerness in his voice. “It may not have been what you wanted, but if Todd saved me, then I’m worth saving, don’t you see? And if I’m worth saving, then we all are, this whole place, this whole world.”

Viola looks to me for help.

“I think he’s in shock,” I say.

“I think you may be right,” the Mayor says, “but I’m not wrong about talking to the crowds, Viola. We need to do it. And quickly.”

Viola’s looking at me now, looking at the uniform I’m wearing, searching for some truth. I try to make my Noise heavy, to let her see how I’m feeling, to show her how everything’s spun outta control, how I didn’t mean for this to happen, but now that it has, maybe–

“I can’t hear you,” she says quietly.

And I try to open up again but it feels like something’s blocking me–

She glances over to Wilf, and her face gets even frownier.

“All right,” she says, not looking at me. “Let’s go talk to the people.”

{VIOLA}

“Viola,” Todd calls after me down the ramp. “Viola, I’m sorry. Why won’t you even let me say that?”

And I stop there, trying to read him.

But there’s still just silence.

“Are you really sorry?” I say. “If you had to choose all over again, are you sure you wouldn’t do the same thing?”

“How can you even ask that?” he says, frowning.

“Have you seen what you’re wearing lately?” I look back up at the Mayor, walking slowly to the top of the ramp, taking care with his injuries but still smiling through the burn gel on his face, still wearing an impossibly clean uniform.

Just like Todd.

“You could be father and son.”

“Don’t say that!”

“It’s true, though. Look at yourselves.”

“Viola, you know me. Out of everyone left alive on this planet, yer the one who does.”

But I’m shaking my head. “Maybe not any more. Since I stopped being able to hear you–”

He really frowns at this. “So that’s what you want, is it? I’m fine as long as you can hear everything I think but not the other way round? We’re friends as long as you got all the power?”

“It’s not about power, Todd. It’s about trust–”

“And I ain’t done enough for you to trust me?” He points up the ramp at the Mayor. “He’s fighting for peace now, Viola. And he’s doing that cuz of me. Cuz I changed him.”

“Yeah,” I say, flicking the gold stripe on his sleeve. “And how has he changed you? Enough so you save him and not Simone?”

“He hasn’t changed me, Viola–”

“Did you control Wilf to get him to jump off the cart?”

His eyes open wide.

“I saw it in his Noise,” I say. “And if it bothered Wilf, it can’t be a good thing.”

“I saved his life!” he shouts. “I was doing it for good–”

“So that makes it okay? That makes it okay that you said you couldn’t do it? That you wouldn’t do it? How many other people have you controlled for their own good?”

He fights with his words for a minute and I can see some real regret in his eyes, regret over something he hasn’t told me, but which I still can’t see in his complete lack of Noise–