In the center of the room with the computer terminals, I saw a pillar plunge into the floor, the ceiling turning into a cone around it, dipping down. Dust plumed up and out, and Contessa turned her head, raising a thin arm to cover her face with her arm and the fabric of her shirt.

The Custodian is collapsing this section of the facility, I thought. All of it?

The entire terminal room followed the pillar down, concrete cracking and tearing, rebar exposed, dust pluming, and lights going out. White tile and wall segments broke away, bounced, clattered, all illuminated by the red of the emergency lights.

Our room was next, the floor cracking with a violent shudder, then dropping away. We fell in darkness, no cues, no idea of what to avoid. Yips struggled violently, shrieking as he fought to get away from my grip.

The floor crashed into the floor beneath. Half the room bucked, forcing us into one corner of the space, dangerously close to one another. Things groaned, but I could hear the cascading destruction as the floor we were now resting on collapsed as well.

Had to get away. If I didn’t, using the Wretch would kill the others. I fought to fly and crawl to a more enclosed area of the room.

Rain used silver blades, drawing out lines.

The floor gave away. We dropped, hitting the floor beneath that. The weight of concrete and material slamming into the floor was too much, and the third impact came before I was done grunting from the second.

I used my power, pushing out—and the violence of the fourth impact saw concrete that had been in slabs coming apart into chunks as big as my head, illuminated only by the silver blades from Rain’s power.

Ashley used her power, blasting, as I tumbled, letting myself fall because any of the added velocity from flying could be dangerous. I had no idea if I was falling into the blast, but I did know the corner I’d wedged myself into prior to using the Wretch wasn’t there anymore, and if I’d stayed I’d have been pulverized.

She continued using her power, blasting continuously, while I lay where I was, cradling the animal that had gone utterly still, only breathing with explosive pants that seemed to double how big it was. I didn’t get the impression it was Rachel’s power.

“Everyone okay?” Rain asked. His voice was muffled.

I panted for breath, nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me any more than I could see him. “Yeah.”

“Yes,” Swansong said, grunting.

The slabs had fallen in such a way that we were in a bit of a lean-to, an intact section of metal pipping holding up a slab so it formed a triangular prism.

Yips began to expand. This time, it wasn’t because of breathing. I pushed him away.