The Well at Aster Park

"Do you know why people believed you were the bomber so easily?" Mara asked. "Because this city needs an enemy it can point at. You happened to fit." Ethan stared at her. "What is Lighthouse really?" "City restoration," she said too quickly, like the line had been rehearsed. "Also city upgrade." "Lie better." "You can think of it that way." Mara smiled slightly. "Old district pipes are failing. Harbor power is unstable. The subway spur is overloaded. The mayor wants reelection. The financiers want stability. The media wants a story. The security company wants a budget. A system that can absorb every anomaly and turn it into management is the future of this city." "So you kidnap people and test them?"