Chapter 29 · Zero Hour

"Drop the core, Jace, or the cub gets crushed." Vera's rifle stayed aimed at my chest while the countdown burned red above the vault door.

Pip squealed beneath the descending iron cage. One side of his scrap-built nest had already buckled. His tiny claws hooked through the gaps, scraping uselessly at the floor.

I stood three steps from the black glass core.

Three steps from the only thing that could break the reset lock in my skull.

Three steps from saving Pip.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said.

"I look like I'm joking?"

"You always look like you want to shoot somebody."

"That is because I usually do. Pick."

The timer flashed.

00:08:42.

A low mechanical groan rolled through the vault. The cage dropped another inch.

Pip cried out again.

My claws dug into the metal floor. It bent under them with a sharp shriek.

Vera's eyes snapped to my hand, then back to my face. She had her rifle locked against her shoulder, but her finger was not on the trigger. Not yet.

That was the lie she thought I would miss.

"You cannot pull that trigger," I said.

"Try me.