“You know I don’t usually fancy the Nobles, but I needed a hostage,” Sophia explained. “We’ll ditch her here for The Society to find. Those sirens are close. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute. You secured our extraction point, right? The fourth and fifth corridors are already locked down, but we can take the ninth to the bridge, then make our way to the harbor.” Sophia’s boots clicked as she strode to a mound of boxes in one corner. She ripped into them, pulling out cartridges of ammunition. Then she produced no fewer than five handguns from her jacket, which she began reloading with the ease of someone who held (and emptied) guns often. Kane thought one gun was an antique revolver, but then Sophia rolled several glowing orbs into the barrels. She pressed a button and the seams of the weapon glowed blue.

“I want you to see tonight’s haul. It’s fantastic.” Sophia gestured at Adeline. “She’s got it on her. I knew they wouldn’t blow it up if they knew it was being transported on the body of a Committee-Man’s daughter.”

Kane approached Adeline. “What’s your name?”

“Adeline,” said Adeline.

“It’s Ms. Adeline Van Demure,” Sophia called, mockingly. “I hid it in her girdle.”

Adeline grimaced as Kane fumbled under her dress, locating a small knot of burlap. In a whisper he asked, “Where’s the whistle”

“Around my neck. Safe.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I appeared in whatever house she was robbing—I’m assuming it was mine. I ran into her, literally, and the alarms tripped. I let her take me hostage, and we lost the guards on the way here. She’s some sort of thief, but she keeps hinting at a rebellion. She’s being kind of tough and boisterous. Judging off clichés, I’d say this is a dystopian teen reverie, and she’s the tough, no-nonsense female lead.”

Sophia finished loading her guns, then strode into another room of more boxes.

“What about Ursula and Elliot?”

“Not sure,” Adeline said. “This reverie is huge. Kane, if Poesy gets in—”

“She won’t. Dean is going to stop her.”

Kane wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

“What’s the plot?” Adeline asked. “You always figure out the plots.”

Kane opened the small bundle. He expected a jewel, or something precious, but instead he held a plastic disk the size of his palm, with pills in clear bubbles arranged in a ring.

“It’s a birth control packet,” Adeline provided. “How can you not know that?”

Kane shrugged. “Haven’t started ovulating yet.”

Adeline rolled her eyes. “Convince her to uncuff me before I do it myself.”