Chapter 22 · Neither of Us Lets Go First

"It's counting up now." Milo still had my wrist pinned flat against the console, his forearm a bar of heat across mine, and the numbers on the little screen kept climbing. 4:01. 4:02. 4:03. "Somebody wanted it going the other way. Somebody at Dock 7."

"I can read a clock, Drake." I twisted, tried to get my thumb under his grip, and he just leaned his weight in harder, bone grinding on bone through the thin meat of my forearm. "Let go of my hand and I'll shut it down."

"You'll shut it down with what?" His mouth was an inch off my ear, breath scorching hot against the side of my throat where the suppressant patch had already given up. "Your override's dead. I watched it die on that screen ten seconds ago. Somebody outside this room owns the clock now."

He was right and I hated that he was right, hated it in my teeth. The console showed two locked fields — MASTER OVERRIDE: REVOKED, and under it, blinking red, PERIMETER AUTH REQUIRED — DUAL SIGNATURE.

Dual signature. Not mine. Not his. Both.

"They want us both in the system," I said. "That's the play.