The outer Gateway was closed, but the door to Inside was open. The panel of colored lights glowed brightly and I wanted to smash them into tiny bits. Cog wasn’t with me and I doubted he’d made it through the door in time.

No way could he survive in that airless, weightless…void. But I had to try. No living with myself unless I tried. I punched in the first few numbers.

“Stop!” a most unwelcome voice ordered.

I ignored Lieutenant Commander Karla, getting in another two numbers before she stunned me. A wall of energy slammed into my body. My last thought was of Cog.

The next time I woke, my situation hadn’t improved. Rows of black bars, the stench of unwashed bodies, excrement and fear and the hard metal bunk underneath me all clued me in. I was under arrest and incarcerated in the holding cells.

When Commander Vinco arrived with the LC at his heels, I wished I had floated away with Cog.

“Just so you don’t think you’ll be rescued by your scrub friends, we have secured the lower levels,” LC Karla said. Her lips flattened into a pleased smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you want to know how?”

“No.” The truth. The game had ended badly. Cog was gone. Outside didn’t exist. Nothing was left that Trella cared for. Ella, on the other hand, planned to keep her mouth shut.

“You’ve been rather busy these past four weeks.” Vinco sounded impressed. “A little scrub like you, causing so much trouble.” He tsked. “Finding the portal and opening it. Of course you paid a price. I’m going to miss my stubborn sturdy friend.” He pulled a knife from his belt. The edge gleamed in the sick yellow light.

My pulse reacted to the threat out of habit, but I remained in my reclined position.

“She had help,” Karla said. “She couldn’t have found the space around the levels, hidden Domotor, stolen from my office and stitched the knife wound on her hip by herself. She’s not that smart.”

“You underestimated me. Don’t feel too bad—it’s a common mistake.” I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture.

Vinco crouched down to my eye level. “You will tell us where Domotor is and who helped you.”

I couldn’t believe they’d failed to find Domotor. The game might be over for me, but there were a few others still able to do damage. I repeated my vow to keep my mouth shut.

Vinco straightened. “Key?”

No keypads here. Bored inmates could find the code by trial and error.

He grabbed the ring of keys from Karla. The light jingle sent a vibration of dread up my spine. The snap of the cell door’s lock increased the terror. By the time he stood next to me, my body shook.

A beeping sound emanated from Karla’s belt. She cursed and toggled on her communicator. “What?”

Vinco paused and I hoped she would talk for a long time. But she flipped it shut and flashed me an annoyed frown. “I’m wanted elsewhere. Do you need me?” she asked him.