Chapter 25 · Marked for the Blast

"Feeds are lit," Jude said, eyes locked on the screen. "Every district. Every precinct terminal. She can't pull this back."

I didn't answer. My hands were still shaking from watching Mara's chest rise and fall while that signal ripped through her implant. The raw feed had gone out clean. Drake's signature. The hardware spec. The timestamp that put her hands on the trigger two hours before the blast tore through Grayharbor Station.

"Lyra." Jude's voice cut through. "We need to move. Now."

"I know."

"Then move."

I turned toward Mara. She was slumped against the console, one hand pressed to her sternum, breathing shallow. Her face was gray. "Can you walk?"

"Can you stop asking stupid questions?" she said. "Get me out of here before Drake sends the drones through the window."

Jude was already at the door, one hand on the frame, listening. "Three units inbound. Forty seconds. Maybe less."

"Where's the nearest exit?" I asked.

"Sublevel two. Service shaft. Drops into the old metro line."

"That's a twenty-meter fall."

"So don't miss the ladder." He turned, and his eyes were flat. "You want another option, you should've picked a different building."

Mara pushed off the console.