“The trouble with joining a secret government agency is that they can’t really fire you. And they couldn’t exactly put me on trial either. No . . . the whole thing had to be very quiet. I was removed from this station, my powers stripped, and my terminus was taken away. I came down here that day to talk to my fellow Shades, and to take a terminus. I needed it. I couldn’t go back to the way it was before, having nothing to protect me. I brought the gun because . . . I had to get them to see sense, to give me one. But they wouldn’t. They just wouldn’t cooperate. I suppose they didn’t think I’d shoot . . .”

“Callum!” Stephen said weakly.

“You can let him die,” Newman said, “or you can save him, right now.”

“Let me see it,” Callum said. “Let me see the syringe.”

“I can’t do that,” Newman said. “Not until you each set your terminus down and kick it over to me.”

“You could be lying.”

“But you know my history now. You know why I killed. You know what I want. I want you to save him. I want to protect those with the sight. I just also want to protect myself. There is absolutely no reason we can’t all walk away from this.”

Then he looked right at me.

“Aurora,” he said. “You’ve been exceptionally brave, and you’re not even on the squad. You’ve risked your life to save others. I swear to you—if you set that down and kick it to me, I will be as good as my word. Give it to me.”

Stephen put his head down. I think he knew what I was about to do and he couldn’t watch. I couldn’t watch him die. I slowly put the terminus on the filthy floor and gave it a kick. It landed more or less by Newman.

Now that I’d surrendered, the entire burden was on Callum. He looked as sick as Stephen. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, as if preparing to make a dash. His body was ready, but his mind was not.

“Now you, son,” Newman said.

“Don’t call me son! Don’t you speak to me.”

Newman closed his mouth and raised his arms to the side, making himself a wide and open target.

“You decide,” he said. “I accept my fate. If you can live with the death of your friend, I can accept my end here. It’s been a noble fight for all concerned.”

Stephen could no longer plead. He had slumped against the wall and his eyes were half closed. Callum raised himself up on the balls of his feet, knees flexed. He was going to do it. I was sure of it.

And then he just opened his hands and let the terminus go.

“Kick it here,” Newman said quietly.