“Right.” My father’s face twisted into a scowl. “If the teenage delinquent can’t do it, how could the professionals have a chance? What happened to your training, Kenzie? Your professionalism? Do you realize you’ve sacrificed your citizenship? It’s going to be all I can do to keep you out of a mining prison, let alone give you any semblance of a life after this!”

“I was never going to have a normal life,” I shot back. “I’m an anomaly. Was Omnistellar really going to let someone like that into their top tiers?”

His expression collapsed. “How . . . ?”

“I read my file,” I said, throwing every word at him like a knife. He recoiled as if physically stung by their force. “I removed my chip. I know everything, Dad. Everything except why you and Mom did this to me.”

He stared at his hands, not meeting my eyes, as my chest heaved with imaginary exertion. My throat constricted. This was the moment. If Dad had anything to say, anything to clear himself and Mom of my suspicions, make everything okay again, he would say it now. And even though I knew that wouldn’t be the case, I couldn’t help holding my breath in anticipation.

“Kenzie,” Dad said at last, “this is more complicated than you can possibly imagine. And not something we should discuss over an unsecured line. I’ll be there in less than twenty-four hours, and we can—”

“Wait.” His words echoed inside my brain. “You’ll be here? Dad. Where are you now?”

“On an Omnistellar ship bound for Mars.”

I sank into the chair as my worst nightmares came true. Not only was I stuck in a prison broadcasting our location to a malevolent alien presence, my dad was on his way to join us. It was Sanctuary all over again. “Turn back,” I snarled. “And tell Mars Mining to get off their asses and destroy that ship!”

“Kenzie!” Shock exploded over his face.

“Do it!” I shouted, rocketing to my feet so fast I sent the chair flying backward. “Do it now or we’re all going to die! Don’t you understand? Why won’t anyone listen?”

The computer’s flat monotone interrupted. “Prisoner heart rate is dangerously elevated. Please calm yourself at once.”

I spit toward the camera in the wall and spun on Dad, my face so hot it felt like the blood would come surging from my cheeks. The door slammed open behind me and guards grabbed my arms. “Destroy it!” I screamed at my father, at the guards, at anyone who would listen. “You have no idea what you’re doing! You have to destroy it!”

One of the guards brandished his stun gun, and I lunged at him, bringing the heavy metal cuff down on top of his wrists. He shouted in pain and the gun clattered to the floor. I hurled myself at the comm screen. “Dad!” I pleaded. “If you love me at all, if you never listen to anything I say ever again, trust me on this. That ship has to be destroyed!”