Ooh, delicious ice cream! Yum!
Groobie, we will indeed see the park detour. Maybe with less detail than you'd like, but you're free to use your imagination. As for Nigel, why would he be a threat to one of his most productive (and specialized) operatives if she's still on his side?
Artemis, glad you're enjoying the story. You know that I may scuff some dirt on the PG-13 limit, but I rarely step over it - at least, not overtly.
AmyPrime, I think some things happened in this last part. Any time the relationship opens up a little more, we have a greater potential for heartache and angst. And Mayson woke up, too! Haven't we missed her greatly? And we'll soon see about decoding the fractal and the expertise it will require.
Millefeuilles, thanks for the kind words. As for any parallels to the movie - I assume you refer to "Night Passage" - they're mostly used up except for a scene toward the end of the journey. The movie was an inspiration for this tale, not a pattern, so we can't look too far ahead.
Spoiler: In the movie "Night Passage," the cop and the female witness don't become romantically involved. In this story - well, we'll see.
Morgana, you're correct about Lois having been a prisoner inside velvet-clad iron bars while with Lex. And we'll soon see why she's decided to break out now. I'm not a mathematician and I don't know a great deal about fractals, but I seem to know more than Nigel does. How will he deal with that shortcoming? (And he will do so ruthlessly.)
Next chapter up very soon!
