Nod.

"Are laptops there compatible? I have a USB stick with various articles for my alternate self to look at."

"I don't know, because looking into computer technology is pretty depressing."

"Oh. That makes sense... I can put the articles on my Kindle just in case, I guess."

"Yeah."

Lucien does that and then Lorica can have the Kindle.

She tucks it into the inside pocket of the Danger Suit.

"Anything else we should cover before I go?"

"I don't think so? I would like to catch up at some point but now doesn't seem like a good time for that."

"Rete told me what it knows and you've got the general idea of what I've been up to, what's there to catch up on?"

...

"Catch up socially rather than... informatively, I guess."

"Well, Rete can for the time being go back to managing my schedule if you want to tell it when would be good."

"Okay."

"I'll go... find out what's in this area in Guide, and get to Jersey or get Turnaround to send me someone who has one, and pick up a tag, and come back for May. Should I expect you to be here still by the time I get back?"

"Sure - I can pull you back here once you have the tag from my alternate self if I tag you now and then you tap someone else in a pre-arranged pattern."

"You'll need patterns that don't overlap with his." She pulls out the reference sheet.

He can propose alternative patterns.

"These will be temporary I expect, my alternate self will propose some sort of prefix-based system that standardizes indicating which of us is being signaled."

"Sure." She holds up the amended cheat sheet to her helmet for Rete and then tucks it away again.

"Uh, bye I guess. Until later."

"Bye."

Nyoom.

And minutes later she is in a reasonably nice suburb in the location of Brockton Bay in Guide.

Cool. Local phone, text Turnaround that she's back and needs a tag, she is in... this location, according to the map app... can he send somebody or come by himself, she has correspondence also.

He can come himself.

Okay. She's gonna go find a public library and wait.

"Hi, uh, you need a tag?"

"Yeah. Other Lucien sent you this," Kindle etcetera, "I don't know how compatible the electronics are because I'm accustomed to routing every thought I have about technology through a tinker power I no longer possess. Also there's a me, from here, who wound up mysteriously there. We don't and didn't look alike but otherwise same deal as you and him. Except she's got a different esper thing. I'm going to go tag her to be brought over so she can talk to her parents and meet you and stuff, if you're good to stick around a little while and maybe lend her a phone. Her codename is Traceless."

"I haven't heard of her - I'm good to stick around."