“We’re—” the guard stammered, looking from Kira to the plane and back again. “Supposed to—”

“You don’t want to be here when they land,” Kira shouted. “Get everyone you can and hide them in the city!” She let go of the woman’s arm and ran deeper into the Preserve. In the corner of her eye she saw the guard regain her bearings and rush into the nearest building; soon a crowd of people spilled out, terrified children and parents with babes in arms, screaming in terror as they ran for the toxic ruins of Denver.

Kira and Samm ran toward the plane, shouting at everyone they passed to evacuate. Heron slowed behind them, blocking any retreat they might try to make. Partial soldiers were already piling out of the plane when it landed in the grass, securing a perimeter with ruthless efficiency and then expanding it from cover to cover, each team watching the next. They trained their rifles on Samm and Kira, but they didn’t fire.

“They’ve linked me,” said Samm. “They know it’s us.”

“Drop your weapons,” said the soldier at the edge of the landing zone. Kira held her hunting rifle out to the side, not dropping it but showing that her hands weren’t near the trigger.

“I surrender,” she said. “I’ll come willingly.”

“Drop your weapons,” the soldier repeated. Wind from the rotors whipped through the air, smothering their words and lashing Kira’s face with dust and her own flailing hair. Kira grimaced in frustration, but dropped the rifle. Samm still wasn’t armed.

“Don’t hurt the civilians!” Kira shouted.

“Kira Walker,” said a voice, and Kira looked up to see Dr. Morgan descending from the plane. Her lab coat was gone, replaced by a crisp black business suit. “Nice to see you again.”

“Do not hurt them,” said Kira. “These people are innocent.”

“Samm,” said Morgan, stopping in front of them. “It’s not every day I get to meet a rebel soldier from my own command.”

“You haven’t responded to her,” said Samm.

“And I don’t intend to,” said Morgan. “You’re a traitor and she’s an enemy combatant; hardly the kind of people to whom I feel beholden to listen.”

“I don’t want to fight you,” said Kira.

Morgan smiled. “I wouldn’t either. You took us by surprise last time, but now you have no rebel Partial army to flank us while your friends make a messy rescue attempt. I have all the power here, and I’ll thank you to remember that.”

“Not all,” said Vale. He approached from the far side of the clearing, a cluster of Partials surrounding him in a way that looked more like an honor guard than a prisoner escort. “I have to say, your soldiers are very obedient.”