Chapter 11 · The Kill Order

"Put the gun down." I don't raise mine yet. Vera's got hers aimed at Iris's spine, fifteen feet across the server hall, and her finger's already on the trigger.

"She's the architect," Vera says. Her voice is flat. No shake. "Core log just dumped the first reset command. Iris Vaughn's biometric signature. She built this."

Iris doesn't turn around. Her hand's still on the terminal, fingers frozen mid-type. "That's not—"

"Move and I fire," Vera cuts in.

I step left, angling for a clean line between them. "Vera. Look at me."

She doesn't. Her stance is textbook. Two-handed grip. Shoulders squared. If she wanted Iris dead she could've dropped her already.

"The log's been seeded," Iris says, voice tight. "Someone wrote my name in after. I didn't—"

"Save it." Vera's jaw works. "I've got three dead teams and a building that won't let me out. You're the only constant."

I take another step. "Vera. You shoot her, we lose the only person who can pull the plug."

"Or I end the one who's been hitting reset every time you get close."

That stops me.

Iris turns then, slow, hands coming up. Her face is pale under the server lights.