“You don’t have to come inside,” Victor told Iona. “It might be just as useful to have someone waiting out here to help Alyssa get away—”

“I’m coming inside,” Iona replied, rather irritated by the implication she was too old and incapable of helping.

Victor nodded, turned on the torch, and shone it around the nearby buildings, spreading its light. There was no mistaking it—all forms of light native to the city looked completely different from this.

The movement began at once: the citizens who’d been watching for the signal emerged from hiding and rushed toward the bureau. Iona and Victor rushed with them and suddenly it all felt real and it hit home that she might actually die here. Could she die here? The dome was supposedly keeping them all alive, but did it only stop them from aging or developing diseases? Could it reckon with a fatal wound as well?

The bureau was better guarded than usual but it was still unprepared for a massed attack. Though the reprogrammed citizens were untrained they attacked with complete abandon, unconcerned for their personal safety. Iona and Victor walked at the back, letting their citizen army go first. The guards at the door had been dealt with swiftly and Iona passed their broken bodies on the way inside. She didn’t look at them too long, telling herself they were only wood.

Iona’s intimate knowledge of the layout of the bureau was invaluable. The citizens had been programmed with clear instructions on where to go and what to do when they got there. The rescue party started heading up the stairs. Thanks to the element of surprise, thus far they had sustained only minor injuries.

As they climbed to the higher levels Iona could hear guards from the detention level coming down to confront them. There were more clashes; some of their party fell. Iona reached the detention level and for the first time she had to use her weapon as a guard rushed at her. She lashed out as hard as she could, barely aiming at all. As the weapon made contact it jarred her shoulder and stung her hands but it worked. The guard’s head came clean off.

Iona turned her eyes away and kept running.

She checked the first cell she came to but it was empty. So was the second. Victor was not far behind, along with some of their citizens—all of them swarmed around the detention level searching for Alyssa.

Alyssa wasn’t there.

“Is there anywhere else she could be?” demanded Victor. He and Iona stood in one of the cells, looking around as if there was anywhere a person could hide in here. Outside their citizens were still searching—but reinforcements were arriving to protect the bureau and clashes were beginning again in the corridor.

“I don’t know,” said Iona. “The newspaper said she was in custody. This is custody, so—”

The door of the cell closed behind them and the bolt was swung into place.