Free Swarm by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti

were quiet. The brighter lights showed the bloodstains on the floor.
    Nate spread his hands, trying to pull their gazes back to him. “Our Zeroes powers are hard to understand. Maybe they’re just confused. Or scared.”
    Kelsie felt everyone focus on him. His curiosity overwhelmed her anger in the feedback loop, until she felt herself agreeing too. Her power suddenly felt small in the face of Nate’s will.
    â€œWe can help them,” Nate continued. “We helped you, Kelsie, right?”
    He gave her one of those direct Nataniel Saldana gazes, the kind that made her feel like no one else in the room mattered. Kelsie dropped her gaze.
    â€œWe just have to let them know they’re not alone,” Nate said softly.
    â€œThey know all about powers, Nate,” Chizara replied. “They even knew what I was doing to their car. And they called normal people dolls . Like they’re nothing but toys.”
    â€œWhoa,” Flicker said softly. “That’s cold.”
    â€œThat’s not the same as being evil,” Thibault said, always ready to find a middle way. “Maybe they’re experimenting too. But their powers make a bigger mess.”
    Kelsie felt the Zeroes fracture as people took sides. Doubting themselves and each other. Doubting if what they were doing here at the Dish was so different.
    â€œUh, guys?” Flicker said. “I’ve got two sets of eyeballs approaching the door. And I think they’re cops.”
    Fear shot through the room.
    â€œAnon! Lock it!” Nate hissed. “Everyone, stay quiet. It’s not like they’ll get a search warrant to collect a bribe. I’ll deal with them later.”
    Thibault stepped back from the door just as a rapping sound filled the Dish. Knuckles first, then a billy club hard and sharp against the door.
    After everything tonight, it was all Kelsie could do to keep herself from curling into a ball again. The rapping kept coming, and it was like someone had sawed the endings off her nerves—the Dish felt invaded all over again.
    But Nate was right. After a few long minutes, the cops gave the door one last frustrated blow.
    â€œWe’ll be back!” one of them called, and then came the sound of them driving away.
    Kelsie wondered how she would sleep here tonight.

CHAPTER 13
FLICKER
    â€œMORE CHURROS?”
    â€œNo, gracias.” Flicker put a hand on her belly, signaling the surrender of her appetite to Mrs. Saldana’s Sunday breakfast.
    â€œAre you sure?” Gabby asked.
    Flicker was mostly sure. In Gabby’s rapt vision, the churros glistened with fried-on sugar . . . but Flicker managed to shake her head.
    â€œNate and I can clean up. You guys are going to be late for church.”
    â€œMilagrita,” Mrs. Saldana said, always a little amazed that Flicker wasn’t completely helpless. Annoying from anyone else, but not from Nate’s mom, who actually believed in miracles.
    She cleared the girls out of the kitchen—no more churros if the guest wasn’t hungry—and set them to getting ready forchurch. As Gabby flounced down the hall, Flicker jumped into Nate’s eyes.
    He was staring at his tablet, results for a search on crowd psychosis .
    â€œEnjoying Glitch and Coin’s previous work?” she asked.
    â€œYeah, we need to know what makes them tick.” He scrolled through more results. “How good a look did you get at them?”
    She shrugged. “Lots of eyes, all jittery.”
    â€œWere they our age?”
    Flicker considered this. All the Zeroes in Cambria had been born in the year 2000, which was a pretty odd explanation for superpowers, but it was all they had.
    â€œMaybe,” she said. “But they’re more jaded. Harder than us, like they’ve seen a lot of bad stuff.”
    â€œ We’ve seen bad stuff,” Nate said. “Kidnappers! Bank robberies!”
    â€œIt’s not a competition,”