Chapter 20 · Ghost Signal - Chapter 20: More Than One Ghost

Qin's not moving.

He went down hard thirty seconds ago and he's still on the floor, blood pooling under his shoulder. The shot came from the east corridor. Whoever fired is gone now. I can hear their boots fading into the maintenance shaft.

I should leave him.

That's what he'd do. That's what the squad would've done back when we all had each other's backs and nobody was secretly dead or tracking my neural signature for a payday.

But I'm already kneeling next to him, fingers pressed to his neck. Pulse is there. Faint. His face is gray under the grime and his breath comes in shallow pulls.

"Qin."

Nothing.

I yank open his tactical vest. The entry wound is high, just under the collarbone. Clean hole. Exit wound in the back. I can see bone. He's losing blood fast and I don't have a kit.

"Zero-Seven," I say, keeping my voice low. "I need a medkit. Closest supply cache."

Silence.

"Zero-Seven."

Still nothing.

I bite down on the spike of panic. She's been quiet since Qin showed up. Since he used that callsign. Since the recording played.

Don't trust Qin. He's already dead.

My own voice. My own words.