I do what needs doing. [ Which, experience has borne out, will almost always be the thing he least wants to do.

He startles—it's slight but undeniable—at the sight of Theo's face. He's still in his suit, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees. His hair slicked back but beginning to rebel. He drops his arms, straightens out his legs.

He rolls his eyes, but it's good-humored: there's a smile underneath. ] It was all city. A food court that devoured a planet. A bunch of companies devouring and regurgitating each other. They sold the sky for ad space. [ William runs a hand through his hair. Is it that unusual? Billboards, blimps. No—it was the scale of it all, like someone wallpapering a house with McDonald's wrappers.

Anyway: ] I'm glad to be back.