I winced, bracing for another flood of timeghosts. Then I remembered we were still in VR. I couldn’t even feel his fingertips.

But…

Something was still going on.

“Quanta?” Tair asked.

“Hold still for a sec.” I squinted beyond Tair while he froze.

The timeghosts were fading.

One by one they evaporated until only a couple hovered at the corners of my eyes. A weird tingle rolled down my back. That wasn’t normal. Even when I tuned the timeghosts out, they were always lurking around. Always.

Now I had a perfectly clear view of the elf forest. I glared at Tair’s hand. Was that the reason?

“What are you seeing?”

I blinked, focusing back on Tair. “I’m not—” Whoa. He was standing really close. I didn’t mind when we weren’t actually touching, but I hadn’t realized how tall he was before and I wasn’t sure what to do about it now that I’d noticed. For some reason, everything looked a little clearer now. The lines of the tall trees were crisp and their colors looked brighter than they had a few seconds ago. “I’m not seeing anything.”

“Too bad.” His fingers tightened on my shoulder. “I really could use your help. This facility’s a labyrinth and I’ve got no leads on the source of that list.”

The list. That was what I needed to be focusing on. Not Tair.

Who was leaking info on the other Reds?

A bluish figure from the past materialized behind Tair. Something about it made the hairs on my arms prickle.

Maybe because it was clearer than usual. Maybe because of the subject.

Darren shrugs into his white coat as he steps into the hallway. “I need that analysis yesterday. We need more names.” A tantalizing glimpse of the room shows as the door ekes closed—glowing tech and bustling assistants. The plate on the doorframe reads Director Waldman.

More names? The tingles dancing up and down my shoulder blades said this sliver of time wasn’t as innocent as it looked.

My heart beat faster. I spent so much time blocking visions of Darren that I missed out seeing what he was up to. It was usually a fair trade.

But now…

Yanking the edge of the image before it faded, I tried to reverse back inside. What’s Darren hiding?

A boom echoed in my head so loud my vision spun. I tripped over nothing and landed on my ass before Tair could catch me. The fall didn’t hurt in VR but my head—

I blinked through searing white pain. It was like I’d just rammed my skull into a mental wall.

But I had to check to be sure.

Sucking a breath through my teeth, I grabbed for the past again. Darren shoves his arm through the sleeve—

Another boom like I’d headbutted a gong. I clapped my hands over my eyes, wincing against the hurt.