“I look forward to hearing your much better idea,” said Seb without looking at him. One of the screws came out; he tossed it aside with a tiny clatter. After what seemed a hundred agonizing lifetimes, all the screws had been removed. Alex helped Seb lift the door off and they burst out into the range.

Alex raced to the weapons cabinet. A heavy wooden chair sat against the wall nearby; he picked it up and swung it at the cabinet in almost the same motion. There was a splintering crack as the door gave way. The .25s were there, just as he’d remembered. Alex shoved one into his holster and glanced at Seb and Willow, who had joined him.

Seb nodded at Willow. “Give it to her; I’ve got my blade.”

Alex handed it over wordlessly. “Thanks,” said Willow; her voice was a ghost of itself. She reached past and took a spare holster from the cupboard, turning away from both of them as she strapped it on under her trousers. Why bother? thought Alex bitterly. Both he and Seb had seen her undressed.

As they passed by the TV room, Alex ducked into it. The paper file was still on the coffee table; quickly he found the sheet with the code for the top of the Torre Mayor’s stairwell. “Okay, come on,” he said, tearing the code off and shoving it in his pocket. Though none of them had discussed where they were going, they all knew. Alex thought how ironic it was – he was now allied with Willow and Seb against the team he’d been ready to give his life to keep safe.

Willow swallowed. “How are we getting there? The Metro will take—”

“The truck,” said Alex shortly. He led the way out the front door.

She blinked. “But you gave Kara the keys.”

“No, I gave her the keys for the Shadow.” Out on the drive, Alex saw that someone had thrown all his stuff out of the van before they’d taken off. Thanks, guys, he thought wryly. He grabbed up his things and dug into his pocket; his fingers briefly brushed Willow’s necklace as he pulled out the keys to the truck.

Seb got into the back of the 4 x 4, tossing his knapsack on top of the sleeping bags; Willow sat up front with Alex, her face tense. They had less than half an hour now.

Spinning the wheel, Alex screeched them out of the drive. Soon they were speeding through the centro. The streets were relatively clear; he still found himself driving like a maniac, swerving in and out of traffic, with horns blaring in his wake.

What had Kara told the team? The last-minute mutiny must have stunned them. The thought made him inch the speedometer still higher. Their performance might be thrown now; if he didn’t get there in time to stop this, they could all die when they faced the Council.