Chapter 26 · The Name in the Dark

"Step away from the console, Hera."

The command came through the speakers, smooth and close enough to feel like breath against my ear.

I kept my hand on the stolen access chip.

"You can come say that to my face."

"I already did. You just haven't turned around."

The vault door slammed shut behind me.

Red security bars snapped across the entrance. My wrist display flashed once, then went dead. No signal. No exit code. No emergency release.

I jammed the chip into the console anyway.

The screen woke under my fingers. A black field filled with lines of red code, most of them locked behind Silas's private encryption. I had maybe thirty seconds before the system noticed the breach.

"You broke into my archive," Silas said. "That was stupid."

"You built a city that watches people sleep. I'm not taking life advice from you."

"You weren't sleeping when I found you. You were bleeding in a restricted zone with three dead hunters around you."

"And you still dragged me home."

"You were dying."

"You should've let me."

The console gave a sharp electronic chirp.

ACCESS DENIED.

I punched the panel. Pain shot through my knuckles, but the screen flickered.