The noise yanked us into an action flick from my nightmares. Hassan shouted into a comms device while security staff ran past the office window, down the hallway. Here came the other shoe dropping, I knew, because no way were we really going to be safe. Maybe there was a quarantine breach and me and Yusuf would die here, looking into each other’s eyes and unable to speak because a sickness shredded our throats. He pushed away from Hassan’s desk and ran to my side.

Then just as quickly as the siren sounded, a quiet rolled over us.

Hassan hovered by his computer. I’m assuming he pulled up security footage with the way a projection of the Envisioner in the lobby hovered in the air. Then, a wide oval appeared like someone took a razor and sliced a gateway right through the machine.

This probably sounds familiar to you.

Two people stepped out of the gateway, and it zipped shut behind them. One man, one woman. I knew both of their faces well.

Hassan stopped the footage and zoomed in on the man’s face, not that me and Yusuf really needed to get any closer to see who he and his companion were.

“Rui?” he asked.

At Figueiredo’s side, Kaori lifted her hands up in the air while the security team sprinted towards them. Her palms may have been out, but it would be a mistake to think she was surrendering.

*   *   *

They wanted to see me alone. Should I have felt flattered?

Yusuf took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose while we power-walked with Hassan and two security guards down the hallway, and over one of the catwalks that stretched across the courtyard. Rui’s polka dot shirt stuck to my armpits with all my stress-sweating. Each of my footfalls on the catwalk rattled in my hollow chest. As much as my heartbeat was already cranking up, abso-fucking-lutely was I jumping at the chance to meet Figueiredo. Me at the window of that gay bar in Ukraine, again. Watching the blinking lights of the police cars speeding down the street towards us. The rational voice in my head that kept telling me that I should put down my camera and run was drowned out by the other voice. So loud that everybody else must’ve heard it. Come on, I fucking dare you to come here and mess with me.

“Should we start charging tolls?” Hassan asked the air. “Who else did you invite to crash on over here? And you’re just going to let Hayes walk into an obvious trap?”