Chapter 15 · I give you command of the Northern Line convoy

His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist. Not tender. A warning. A last chance.

"I give you command of the Northern Line convoy," he said. "I surrender my rank, my access, and every protection attached to my name."

The seal flashed once.

The console accepted the transfer.

Every lock on the train clicked open, then shut again in sequence.

Dorian's service insignia went dark.

The change hit faster than I'd expected. The soldiers outside would know. The tribunal would know. Whatever authority had kept Dorian alive this long had just been cut out from under him.

His hand stayed over mine.

"Now unlock the custody car," I said.

"You don't trust me enough to breathe, but you trust me to free your brother?"

"I trust the contract."

"That's not the same thing."

"It's all you gave me."

He pulled back and entered a command on the dead console.

The screen rejected it.

Dorian swore under his breath.

"The firewall's still active," he said. "I need to kill the command relay manually."

"Then do it."

"The relay sits between the gun controls and the custody locks. When I cut it, the rail guns will default to tribunal targeting.