So far, everyone’s powers seemed to be extensions or adaptations of the original. I probably wouldn’t find myself firing force missiles or bursting into flames. But if I could do something more, I wanted to know about it. Maybe something lingered inside me that could give us an edge against Omnistellar—or the other, darker threat constantly lurking in the corners of my mind.

I just had to figure out how to trigger it.

While I considered, Alexei worked the switch that would have opened the prison on Sanctuary. It did the same here and seemed to respond to his thumbprint. “I’m keyed to all security,” he said in a monotone. Something rumbled through the room, and I realized with a wince it was Mia grinding her teeth. Jasper and Reed took a casual step away from her.

We proceeded through the door, and I stopped in horror. In the decade since the criminal element had taken over the station, they’d done some substantial remodeling. Jagged edges in front of me marked a rough door, forcibly torn into the wall. The corridor was dim, illuminated by flickering fluorescents with every second bulb missing—smashed, or maybe burned out and never replaced. Rust marred exposed metal. A staircase sank ahead of me. Assuming Obsidian, like most prisons, was built on the same ice cream cone model as Sanctuary, that meant the gaping area ahead used to be prison sector 1.

I examined my surroundings more carefully. Sure enough, cells lined the walls, although the doors had been propped open, torn off, or in some cases bent in on themselves so they could never close again.

Each cell functioned as a makeshift shop or home. People glared at me from their recesses, and I realized I was staring. It reminded me powerfully of my first venture into Sanctuary’s prison level, and how the prisoners gaped at me from behind their bars. The muscles in my arms spasmed instinctively, itching to defend myself from a nonexistent threat.

Cage glanced at me, but it was Imani who reached out to squeeze my hand, offering me a reassuring smile. We descended two levels, dodging people with every step. Claustrophobia seized me, but I resolutely ignored it, focusing on Cage and Imani flanking me, Rune’s booted feet scrambling down the stairs ahead. After two levels, Cage and I broke off from the others, and they kept going. I swallowed hard. Somehow, we’d wound up back in prison, me and Cage, fighting for survival together. What were the odds of that?

NINETEEN

I LEANED AGAINST THE WALL for support as the others retreated. “Setting foot on this station is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”