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Handy chuckled now, pointing at Bishop. “And they say common sense doesn’t exist with geniuses.”
Harlow propped hands on his hip, leveling a pissed look at him. “Maybe if we weren’t putting out all the fires you set and bringing you back to life every day, then moving our entire existence to the swamp I might have thought to ask you. But then why would I? The shit’s been shit and smeared to kingdom come. But…” He shot both hands at him. “Do tell the audience how you manage to wreck everybody’s lives, hi-jack Quantum while floating about in the nether and create your very own body all by yourself.”
“So glad you finally found the time to ask,brother,” Handy said, his enthusiasm darkening the murder shade on Harlow’s face. “Number one, I did not act alone.” He threw a thumb at the triplets next to him. “I had help from three of my very favorite brothers.”
The room’s attention swung to the three soldiers.
“Bullshit,” Kult said, next to Fetch.
“It’s accurate,” Fetch corrected. “He needed a body and so did we. In exchange for his help, we gave him what he needed to remain connected to all of you.”
Kult turned fully in his seat toward Fetch. “What do you mean y’all needed a body?”
“You had a life to live,” Fathom said, next to Fetch.
“And we had business to conduct that was no longer possible while sharing a vessel,” Fin added.
Handy leaned forward, grinning down the line at them. “Tell him whose idea that was.”
“Handy’s,” Fetch said. “He wanted to take the destructive parts of each of his brothers into himself so they could no longer harm any of you.”
Handy opened both arms with a smile. “You’re welcome.”
“So… what exactly was the solution that enabled Handy to do what he did?” 8-Bit asked, bringing them back to the original puzzle.
Fathom said, “To realize he was part of each of them. And when they returned to their bodies, he would remain inallof them.”
“But fractured,” Handy said. “Requiring time to form the connections I needed to get strong enough to play my little wild card. You all remember the text party we had.”
Harlow looked at Kult and pointed at Handy. “I’m fucking ready to kill him all over again.”
“Nobody’s killing anybody,” Kult said, looking at the triplets. “Maybe you can help me Fetch, Fathom and Finish how I still have your puzzle abilities while you’re not in my head?”
The tension in the room suddenly thickened as they waited to hear.
“We never gave those abilities to you,” Fetch said.
“You gave them to us,” Fathom added.
“And we used themforyou,” said Fin.
“No,” Kult said after a few seconds. “Youcame to me.”
Fin turned and looked at Kult. “We did.”
“When the puzzles became too difficult,” Fetch said.
“Your mind needed more,” Fathom explained.
Kult’s head was shaking now. “No. There isn’t a puzzle out there toodifficultfor me.”
“There was,” Fetch said, his voice low.
“You don’t remember it,” Fathom said.
All eyes moved to Fin now. “We camethatday.”
“Look, it’s a fact that some things are better left forgotten,” Harlow said, or warned quietly, getting Kult’s pissed glare.
