“I won’t rescind the plan,” I told him. If we’re playing chicken, with an end of the world rushing at each of us… I’ll take oblivion over us losing our humanity.

“If you don’t, the Wardens will,” he said.

He started walking toward the door. I floated up, ready to follow, to press the argument, but the simple shift in orientation made my head swim, the darkness creeping in again, my consciousness slipping so very easily, followed by what felt like a desperate two-steps forward, one-step back uphill struggle to recover.

And I wasn’t sure what I’d even say. Chris, still shedding feathers, becoming a child again, walked past me.

The door slid closed.

He was gone.

“So that’s it?” Rain asked. “The Simurgh wins?”

“The Simurgh set all the pieces down. Everything went where she wanted it,” I said. “I don’t know if she wins, though. For that to happen, we need to tell Dauntless and Fume Hood to back off, tell Legend to leave her alone.”

My voice felt far away.

“We’re not going to do that?” Rain asked.

“No.”

“Okay, good. I think.”

I would have nodded, but I wasn’t sure my consciousness could take that particular beating. Not with my collarbone being like it was.

“No objection.”

The voice was Riley’s, from the back of the room.

“How’s the project coming?” I asked.

“Not very well,” Riley admitted. “I don’t have a lot of the things I’d like to have. It’s like… if I were explaining it to Mannequin, back with the Slaughterhouse Nine, I’d describe it as trying to make an oxygen recycler out of a toilet and a microwave. I don’t have the pieces I need. Then I don’t have the means of getting the end product where it needs to be, and…”

“It’s not going very well,” I echoed her.

“No. But I’ll keep at it.”

“Thank you.”

“It was a good idea, I think. Maybe.”

“I—” I started, my words interrupted by the thought, she said it in the past tense. “Thanks. I think.”

“I have to say it, or they’d revoke my medical tinker license, but you need medical attention.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll get right on that.”

“Who or what do you need?” Rain asked.

“Sveta,” I said. “Let’s… let’s get out of this shitty lab. Maybe she found someone. We’ll meet her halfway, and if we can’t, we’ll find someone to patch me together.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said.

“Can I lean on you?” I asked. “I might pass out, it’d be great if you could catch me. I shouldn’t fly more than necessary.”

“Got it,” he said.

“Gently,” I said. “Ribs—okay. Great.”

We made our way out of the labs, into the partially lit hallway. Lights flickered here and there.