Chapter 19 · The Name They Erased

"Don't touch that."

Mina's hand stopped inches from the console. The black file pulsed on the cracked screen, its red header blinking like a warning light.

"I wasn't going to," she said. "I was only—"

"Lying?"

Jace pushed away from the doorframe. Pain tore through his ribs, but he stayed upright. Silver coordinates crawled beneath the skin of his forearm, burning brighter with every pulse.

Mina looked at him. "You shouldn't be standing."

"And you shouldn't be breaking into the ward's private archive. Guess we're both having a bad night."

"You're bleeding again."

"You're avoiding the screen."

Her mouth tightened. That was answer enough.

The room was barely wide enough for two people. Server racks filled three walls. An old medical console sat beneath a layer of dust and dried blood. Mina had dragged him through a vent two floors below, and his knees still hurt from crawling over rusted metal.

The black file blinked.

SUBJECT 717 — TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION — SEALED.

Jace stepped closer.

Mina moved in front of the console. "Don't."

"That's not a warning. That's panic."

"It's both."

"Move."

"Jace—"

"Move, Mina."

He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.