Chapter 17 · Zero on the Dial

Kade's eyes are still gold when the freight elevator stops.

Mara presses her palm flat against the wall panel, trying to keep her breath steady. The clinic gear she grabbed is still strapped across her back. Her hands won't stop shaking.

He's leaning against the opposite wall, head tipped back, eyes half-closed. The gold hasn't faded. It flickers when he blinks, like a bad neon sign. His shirt's torn where the core burned through, and she can see the edge of the implant housing glowing faint under his skin.

"Kade."

He doesn't answer.

"Kade, look at me."

His head turns. Slow. The gold dims just a little, and for half a second she sees his real color underneath—gray-green, tired, human. Then it's gone again.

"I'm here," he says. His voice sounds like him. Mostly.

She crosses the elevator in two steps and grabs his face, thumbs pressing against his jaw. His skin's too warm. "You hit zero. Your clock hit zero and you're still standing."

"Yeah."

"That's not how countdowns work."

His mouth twitches. Not quite a smile. "Guess Oryx builds different."

She wants to hit him.