Despite my best attempts to imitate the attitude of the crowd, her eyes narrow in suspicion.

“If it prevents another plague, it’s a small price to pay,” she says.

“Oh, but of course. I misspoke.” I gesture a small apology. “I merely hope I won’t be late to work. I have to make it all the way to Itsennen.”

She inclines her head, the suspicion dimming as I name a district that’s both far from here and known for its luxury shopping and restaurants.

“So long as you’re healthy, it should be quick. Your employer will understand.”

“Let us hope you’re right.”

I turn back to Lyre.

“Sanitation check,” I murmur under my breath. “Don’t panic, we’ll be fine.”

“Unless we brought something from Deva,” she says in a low, frantic whisper. “You did throw up that entire last night—”

“That was the whiskey. Relax. We’ll be fine.”

Despite my words, my mouth is dry as we approach the sanitation checkpoint. Still, I force myself to strip off my gloves and hold out my hands like everyone else. As long as this machine isn’t also configured to read Devan plant residue, I’ll be fine.

“Good morning, officer,” I say, keeping my eyes down like a Gaian would.

“Good morning.” He scans my hands. “Have you experienced any coughing, fatigue, or stomach upset?”

“No, sir. No symptoms to report.”

My heart beats double-time as I wait. But after a moment, he waves me through with the rest of the crowd, with Lyre following shortly.

“I don’t like this,” she murmurs as soon as we’re out of earshot, glancing back at the checkpoint.

“It’s probably just a cold going around. You know how Gaians are.” I shrug and pull my gloves back on. “Anyway, we’ll be out of here soon enough. Just try to blend in.”

The crowd soon thins as people filter into buildings or other areas of the city. By the time we reach the familiar, square building on the edge of the factory district, the streets are almost completely empty again. I glance around to confirm we’re alone before rapping my knuckles against the metal door.

After several seconds, it scrapes upward.

Lyre and I step inside, and the door slams shut behind us. We’re left in a small, bare room with only a desk in the corner and a hawk-nosed Gaian standing behind it.