Because if we stood there a moment longer, I had a feeling we’d never leave.

THIRTY

RED ALARM LIGHTS CONTINUED TO illuminate us in bursts as we approached the stairwell. Not a single sound came from above as I stared up the first of twelve flights. That in itself was terrifying. Obsidian was a crowded, busy place, throbbing with life. Now it seemed utterly deserted.

Reed gave voice to my thoughts. “This can’t be good.”

“Where is everyone?” Jasper demanded.

“It might be okay,” said Alexei, although doubt echoed in his voice. “Obsidian has procedures in place in the event of a station raid. We haven’t needed them, not in a long time. But people may be gathered in bunkers, in safe zones.”

“I swear to God,” Mia muttered, “if anyone says anything about it being too quiet, I open fire.”

That at least had the effect of shutting all of us up, and we proceeded up the stairs in silence. I hoped I looked calm and collected on the surface, but my insides were roiling in fear. I barely kept my feet, my sweat-slick hands shaking around the stun gun. Get a grip, Kenzie. Before you accidentally shoot someone.

Someone else.

I winced at the memory. Somehow, I didn’t think I’d heard the last of that conversation, either. Our escape pushed pause on the argument but didn’t resolve it.

Still. I wasn’t a murderer. This last month of hell, living with Matt’s blood on my hands . . . maybe I could finally release that now. And with a bit of luck, I might be able to convince Matt to let go too. I didn’t know what exactly Omnistellar had done to him, but the Matt I knew was still in there. I’d seen glimpses of him beneath the facade. I looked to Rune, a few steps ahead of me, seeming small and ghostly in the flickering lights. If anyone could reach him, it was her.

We came to the first level of what used to be cells, now living quarters. The door was closed. I searched my memory. Had I seen a single closed door in all of my travels through Obsidian? “Alexei?” I asked softly.

Before I got any farther, he shook his head. “I thought they’d welded these doors open.”

We exchanged glances. “Rune?” I asked at last.

She slid past me, strangely hesitant, still refusing to meet my eyes. Rune was always slow to act, except where computers were involved. There, she dove in with, if anything, an overabundance of enthusiasm.

Now she paused by the panel, running her fingers over it as if stroking a timid puppy. Cage laid his hand on her shoulder and spoke to her in Mandarin. I felt like I was intruding on their conversation, but I couldn’t help overhearing: “It’s okay, meimei,” he said softly. “Whatever’s back there, we’ll handle it.”