“Every web address redirects to emergency websites. Phone lines route to a call center.”

“The app still works,” he mumbled.

The news thrilled Peyton. This could be the break they needed. “And?” she prompted eagerly.

“It gave me a location this time,” Desmond said. “An island north of Scotland. It’s barely inhabited.”

She could see he was frustrated. Maybe he had expected something more substantial. Or maybe it was the time he had spent walking through the camp.

She told him about her call with the BioShield operator. They speculated on the state of things in America, Europe, and in particular Shetland, where the key to finding a cure could be waiting for them.

“If Great Britain is locked down, they might shoot us out of the sky the minute we enter British airspace.”

“That’s assuming,” Peyton said, “we can enter British airspace. Can you fly a plane?”

An amused smile crossed Desmond’s lips. “I don’t know. Can’t remember. There’s really only one way to know.”

She studied him for a minute, unsure if he was serious.

Smiling, he said, “Kidding.”

That left Avery. Neither spoke her name.

Peyton simply said, “I don’t trust her.”

“You don’t like her.”

“True. I also don’t trust her. Her rescue was too convenient.”

“Or timely.”

“Do you trust her?”

Desmond exhaled. “I’m not sure. I want to. But… It’s a weird thing, not knowing everything that happened to me, my true history with her. It’s… impossible to explain.”

He looked Peyton in the eye. “I’d also like to know the rest of our history.”

She said nothing.

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“It’s in the past,” she said quietly.

He was silent for a few seconds, then took the phone from his pocket. “I need someone I can trust. I lied to Avery on the helicopter. The app I found in Berlin is actually called Labyrinth Reality. I took two identical phones. I’ll keep the one without the Labyrinth app; I want you to keep the one that has the app.”

Peyton looked at the screen.

“It says downloading. Downloading what?”

“I don’t know. The message popped up shortly after the entrance was located.”

When Peyton looked up, Avery was standing in the hall. She hadn’t heard the other woman walk up. She wondered how long Avery had been there—and how much she’d heard.

Desmond followed Peyton’s gaze. To Avery, he said, “Did you get through?”

“Phones are down. Web, too. We’re in the dark.”

Peyton tucked Desmond’s cell phone in her pocket. She saw Avery watching her.

“Did the app work?” Avery asked Desmond.

He recounted what he had learned, including the Labyrinth location in Shetland, though he still pretended as though the app were something associated with CityForge.

“Shetland’s a long way away,” Avery said. “Do we have a plane?”