"Nineteen-eighty."

"So, the internet is when computers get really cheap and popular and can call each other on the phone only better. So if you assemble some information or write a story or take pictures or whatever you can put them on a computer and all the other computers can get ahold of it at any time. It is even cooler than it sounds."

"Oh. That does sound pretty cool."

"It's great. I'm sure it gets even better, only I'm stuck in early 2005 till I figure out how to save the world."

"Well, we might not get it at all, considering. Maybe if things ever settle down."

"What happened?"

"...Okay, so I'm a mutant. Most mutants aren't telepaths, but we usually have powers of some kind. A rogue faction of the government got scared enough of us to develop murder robots, kidnap my shapeshifter aunt to--augment their adaptability somehow, I don't know--and decide to wipe us out, and incidentally conquer the country since otherwise they'd be fugitives for mass murder. Things...sort of escalated from there."

"Did it snowball to other countries too?"

"I don't know. It hadn't as of three years ago, but I haven't had access to consistent enough communications since then to know if that's still the case."

"I'd teach you to stow away on an airplane but I rely heavily on my ability to stop time to do that."

"What good would that do?"

"Let you go have a look at how things are in Canada or Brazil or wherever?"

"My sister can fly, but it's harder to carry a dozen kids with her, and I think the Sentinels can fly too now. Actually an airplane would be kind of terrifying because if a Sentinel grabs the plane there's nowhere to flee."

"And I guess you don't dare leave the kids long enough to send a scout?"

She shakes her head.

"Well, that's a mess, but do you have a long term plan that isn't 'eternal defense'?"

"Right now? 'Become a magical girl.' Previously? 'Pray for a miracle and keep an eye out for any opening.'"

"I can't tell if you're disapproving or pitying."

"Both, really."

"I did mean it about keeping an eye open. This whole mess started five years ago, and until two years later we had plans to fix this. And then they found us and killed almost everyone who was left and it was all Emily and I could do to grab a handful of the littlest ones and flee. I promise, if I had reason to think there was anything in particular that would work I would have been on it like a starving man on a sandwich."

"To the extent I'm convinced you exhausted your options it is pity and not disapproval."

She looks like she's about to say something, then stops and looks away.

"I'm--trying to think of something to say that doesn't sound unnecessarily--conflict-starting. I--I don't blame you for being upset at the--misjudgement I've been making. That's perfectly reasonable. But I've kept six small children alive for three years while we're chased by genocidal robots, and it--hurts my feelings when you look down on me for not also creating a viable plan to solve the entire problem."