Chapter 25 · Gun to His Heart

My finger's on the trigger and I can't stop it.

The gun's aimed at Ian's chest. My hand's steady. Too steady. Like someone else is driving and I'm just watching from the back seat.

The countdown's at seven minutes. Red lights pulse across the core chamber. Ian's standing three feet away, hands loose at his sides, and he's looking at me like he's been waiting for this.

"Seren." His voice is calm. Flat. "You're going to shoot me."

"I—" My throat locks. The command in my head is a cold wire pulling tight. My hand doesn't shake. Doesn't drift. "I don't want to."

"I know."

"Then move."

"Can't." He tilts his head. "This is the loop. The ninth one. You always shoot me here."

No. That's not—

My finger tightens. Half a pound of pressure left.

"Ian, get out of the way."

"You won't miss." He steps closer instead. Close enough I can see the faint scar under his jaw. The one I asked about in loop three. Or was it four? "You never do."

The core hums behind him. A vertical column of liquid light and spinning rings. Nora's encrypted file is in there.