I heard Victor grunt in anger, then Arun released the door all the way and Victor trampled through, like an elephant ready to charge. He was dressed in a gray pin-striped suit; the clear respirator looked incongruous over his tanned face. His eyes widened when he saw the girls. “We need to get them to the hospital,” Victor said, rounding on us both. “What are you two doing standing there like fools?”

Arun tried to clasp Victor’s shoulder, but he jerked away, crouching down by Lingyi. He swept a damp lock of purple hair from her brow. “Sweetheart,” he murmured in English.

“A doctor won’t be able to do anything for them,” Arun replied in a quiet voice. “The hospitals are overwhelmed. It’s better to keep them quarantined here. And it’s safer to keep our anonymity—”

Victor leaped to his feet, fists clenched. “You’re putting the mission before their lives?”

“We all put the mission before our own lives when we agreed to this,” I said.

Victor pivoted and cocked his elbow, as if he were ready to hit me, but instead shoved me hard by the shoulders. I reeled backward but caught myself. “Besides, it’s what Lingyi wanted. No way she would have us compromise the mission,” I said. “Not now. Not after all we’ve gone through to get this far.” I returned Victor’s glare with my own, my face feeling hot and tight.

“I went along with your haphazard schemes, and look where it got us.” He threw a hand toward the girls, dark eyes bright with tears. “Lingyi would never have agreed to any of this if you hadn’t pushed for it, Zhou!”

I lunged at him, and Arun intercepted; our bodies slammed, knocking the breath from me. “Lingyi does what she wants. She believes in this mission. I know you love her—”

Victor made an involuntary choking noise, and my anger dissipated. He was lashing out in fear and pain, I recognized that. I’d done it plenty of times myself. I swallowed and forced my voice steady. “But Jin did this. He released the flu strain so he could make more money at the cost of mei lives. It’s why we have to follow through.”

Arun grabbed Victor by the arm. “I’m keeping them hydrated and checking their temps. The doctors can’t do any more than that.” Arun loosened his grip on Victor, then flexed the fingers of both hands, as if he wanted to throttle something. Arun looked like he was about to throw up.

I refused to give in to the panic or fear, because underlying that was a familiar helplessness and despair. Something I had never wanted to feel again after watching my mother die. An eerie calm settled over me. I would do anything to make certain my friends survived.

“Arun, sit down,” I said, moving toward him. “Maybe you caught it too.”