“Find your name, grab your kit. Mess is two doors south. Be ready for dinner in ten, and I want to see everyone in this hall when the sun rises. No exceptions.” He paused. Caledonia felt his discomfort expand to fill the small space. These were orders a Ballistic would give his clip, not orders Sledge would give his crew. When he spoke next, his voice was low and heavy. “The day’s ration will be issued each morning with your meal.”

No one moved. They’d been prepared to take on the appearance of having Silt in their systems. They knew how to pretend. But this was a dangerous level of exposure. This was temptation.

“Grab your kits,” Sledge repeated darkly, eyes flicking to the Bullets around them.

Triple guided Caledonia through the unfamiliar steps of plucking their names from the wall, gathering linens and shower kits, then following the group into the bunkroom and claiming a bed. The mattresses were firm, the bed frames well maintained, and the sheets were made of a fabric so soft Caledonia almost looked forward to sleeping beneath them. When all the beds had been claimed and made, the group headed toward the mess.

“Won’t it be suspicious if we keep traveling in a pack?” Caledonia asked, though her stomach twisted as they stepped outside and she was reintroduced to the scent of fresh food.

“It’s not unusual for clips to keep together,” Triple answered softly, eyes scanning the darkened streets for trouble. “And it’s probably best that we don’t stray from the pack.”

Triple stepped into the crowd of Blades, but Caledonia hung back. Dusk was edging firmly toward night, and the street was lit by perfect rows of solar pips held aloft by slender metal arms attached to each building. Their light was so thin and icy that it turned the few Bullets that passed beneath them into ghosts.

There was a system to this city. It had taken them by surprise, but it hadn’t defeated them. They were inside it now and it could work for them if she trusted her new crew to know more than she did. She hated not knowing. But right now, she needed to sit with that discomfort and let her crew hold her up.

Her heart was just beginning to lighten when she noticed a figure walking beside her. He was a dark shadow in the corner of her eye with brown hair hanging low over his forehead and a dull nose. A Bullet. A stranger.

She lengthened her stride, attempting to catch up with the Blades several paces ahead. The stranger matched her, beat for beat. And when she dared a glance, he was looking directly at her. The instant he caught her eyes, he began to smile, lips curling curiously.

Before she could do anything more, Pine was there.