Stands and Falls
- Back in the Whispering Gallery, S.Q. interrupts to let Mr. Curtain know two children are trying to break into the tower.
- Mr. Curtain brushes him off, ridiculing him for thinking two children count as an emergency and telling him not to interrupt again.
- Sticky's session is over. He resisted for a long time but eventually succumbed to the Whisperer. It was a tough session for Mr. Curtain, and he's not pleased, but he's too focused on finishing his work to decide what to do with Sticky—if anything—right now.
- He tells Reynie that as unsatisfactory as Sticky's session was, he's still very close to completion. Then he tells Reynie it's his turn.
- Reynie wrestles internally, trying not to give in to the idea that joining Mr. Curtain would be the easier and more pleasant choice at this point.
- He tries to stall, but Mr. Curtain gets him into the Whisperer and it starts in with its regular routine. When it asks Reynie what his greatest fear is this time, Reynie thinks of his friends faces, and the Whisperer offers him reassurance.
- The soothing thoughts the Whisperer offers are: "Don't worry. You will never betray your friends. You are brave enough" (36.39).
- Uh-oh. Bad move, Whisperer—those soothing thoughts are exactly the thoughts Reynie needed to hear. And once he hears them, he knows they're true—he won't betray his friends.
- The Whisperer is ready to begin, but Reynie resists like a champ.
- And then his session is interrupted by Constance's voice at the window as she screams for them to let her in.
- Mr. Curtain is livid. Blast these interruptions.
- He releases the wrist cuffs and lets Reynie out of the Whisperer so he can open the window for Constance.
- When Mr. Curtain sees Constance, he has a revelation. He never did trust Constance, and the only reason he didn't get rid of her long ago was because Reynie had suggested he should keep those he didn't trust close.
- Realizing he's been played, Mr. Curtain makes a startling move: he stands from his wheelchair and walks across the room to seize the three students.
- Meanwhile outside, Kate's taking a beating, but she's getting in a few good hits, too. Still, she's in sad shape, being held by Jackson and Jillson while Martina prepares to pummel her. But then…
- One minute Martina's about to unleash her fists of fury, and the next she, Jillson, and Jackson are on the ground, put out of commission by three well-placed tranquilizer darts.
- Milligan to the rescue.
- Kate's thrilled to see him (he just saved her from a serious whooping), but she's doubly thrilled when he calls her Katie-Cat, something only one other person has ever called her: her dad.