"Then you got your people through it," I tell him.

"They used to give commendations for that sort of thing. When you're faced with an army of super powered homicidal lunatics, I'd say that's no small feat. You did good, Buck." I rub a hand tiredly across my eyes. The fact that I myself had a smaller task, a critical one, and failed utterly clings to me like the smell of the saltwater. I don't know that I'll ever shake it.