Chapter 32 · Lockdown Means Hunt

Taren's still staring at the wall screen when I grab his arm.

"Move."

He doesn't. His face is gray. The academy-wide announcement just looped for the third time—Selyra's voice calm and surgical, ordering all personnel to shelter in place pending security sweep. Translation: she heard my ghost rank welcome me home, and now she's sealing every exit on this moon until she finds me.

"Keira." His voice comes out wrong. Hollow. "That recording. The one from five years ago. I was—"

"I know." I yank him toward the corridor. "You were standing right behind her when she gave the kill order. I saw."

He stops dead. "You saw."

"Yeah. And I don't care right now." I do care. I care so much my hand wants to go for the knife still strapped under my jacket. But the detention wing is three floors down and those kids have maybe ten minutes before Selyra's sweep teams start checking cells. "We can hash out your betrayal later. Right now I need your access card."

He blinks. "My—"

"Instructor override. You can unlock the detention block from any terminal." I'm already moving, dragging him with me. The hallway's empty—