“You’re going after them, aren’t you? If you attack Land Institute, you’ll need somebody who knows their campus, their security, their people.”

I stare at him, trying to find the Dev I used to know. “You’re offering to help us?”

“It’s better than staying in here forever.” He shakes the grate. I’ve never known him to be claustrophobic, but now I’m starting to wonder. He seems panicky, lost, scared. “Let’s cut a deal. I help you, you let me go. You—you’ll never see me again, I swear.”

His words are crushing my heart, but I try not to show it. I shake my head. “No deal.”

“Ana, please…I…What do you want? You let the others go. I can’t stay in this box forever. You’re not that cruel.”

“Maybe not. But you’ll have to do something else if you want your freedom.”

He tilts his head, no doubt anticipating some kind of trap. “What?”

I wave at the security camera in the corridor. The grate slides open.

“I have something to show you,” I tell Dev. “Come on.”

He laughs incredulously. “You’ll just let me walk out of here?”

“For the moment,” I say.

“Where are your guards?”

“No guards,” I say. “I asked everyone to stay clear. It’s just you and me.” I raise an eyebrow. “If you want to try to overpower me, go ahead.”

Most animals, including humans, can sense fear. They can smell weakness. I am terrified, of course, but I guess I do a good enough job hiding it. Dev steps over the threshold cautiously, as if I might attack him.

“This way.” I turn and lead him down the corridor.

My shoulder blades tingle. I can sense my brother glaring at my back, thinking about different ways he could knock me unconscious and escape. I’m not at all certain he won’t try. But this is something I have to do. It will only work if I act like I’m completely in command—even if that’s not how I feel.

We stop at the vault door that leads to the lagoon.

“Go ahead.” I gesture to the lock. “It’ll still respond to your DNA.”

His eyes glitter coldly. “Now I know this is a trick. You’re letting me near the Nautilus? What did you do, program the door to shock me? Teach me a lesson?”

I feel so heavy and sad I can barely shake my head. “No tricks. No shocks. We’re not Land Institute, Dev. Neither are you.”

He frowns, then places his hand on the panel. The internal mechanisms click and release. The door swings open.