Anara shook her head. But, but Jeremiah’s dead! He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead, I saw him die, he’s dead! The Government shot him, I saw it! Why’d we ever make those guns? Why’d we even bother? We knew they’d get stolen! She knew the answer, she’d known it all along.

Because we needed something to protect us from ourselves. But it was to stay with us, not go to the, erm, “rebels” who worked with the Government! And rebels they were. They were rebels among the group of Shivira, a species that was created at the beginning of time, far before the humans, or even the earliest dragonflies.

Anyway, she thought, the true Shivira are supposed to stick together. Why would Jeremiah work for the government?

“— I know, I know, but can we trust each other?” her father was saying.

“Please, Mikey. Would I really lie to you?” Only one man called him Mikey. Now she was sure that was Jeremiah. She relaxed, but stayed where she was, just in case. One can never be too careful.