Page 187 of Aviatrix

“I’m sorry for what I said,” he begins.

But we don’t have time for this.

“Go,” I say, stepping back beside Eli. “Get back to Camp Obsidian. Find out who’s leaking information to Rourke.”

Lark hesitates. His body leans toward me. He’s still trying to choose me.

But I don’t have to say anything.

Eli steps in.

“Take them to safety while we look for the alert system,” he tells Lark. “Every second you stand here is one less we have to get out alive.” Then, he turns to Sasha. “If we don’t make it, you need to find out everything you can about the Legion and Project Aviatrix.”

She nods. No questions.

Amber pulls Lark into the shaft, and he shuts the door.

They begin manually lowering themselves as Gary starts banging on a panel along the wall.

“What are you doing?” I ask as Eli grabs my hand, his touch the only thing grounding me.

Gary points to the floor. “There’s a door here. Help me!”

Eli lets my hand go and slams his shoulder into the steel panel, but it doesn’t budge. There has to be a handle. Something.

I run my hand along the right side. Nothing. But the left, there’s a concaved rectangle. I press the top. Nothing. Then the bottom. A handle pops out. I wrench the door open.

Gary exhales in relief. “The warning system.”

Inside is a red lever. I reach for it, but it’s jammed. My fingers are slick with sweat as I scan the low red light until I spot the problem. There’s a lock.

“Do we have something to break this?” I ask, panicking.

“Stand back,” Eli says. I step away.

He yanks down hard on the lever, smashing the lock with pure adrenaline.

The emergency system kicks on instantly, blaring sirens, red, blue, and white strobes flashing through the hall like fireworks.

“One minute,” Gary warns, glancing at his watch.

“What do we do?” I ask, desperate.

The escape shaft opens at the end of the corridor empty and waiting.

Two options: save ourselves, or die in a locked-down government facility seconds before alien annihilation.

“You two go,” Gary says, motioning to the shaft. “I’ll stay. Try to help others.”

“Three’s better than one,” I argue. Eli nods beside me.

“We can cover more ground,” Eli adds.

Gary shakes his head. “You need to get to VAL. Rourke knows she still exists. You have to get her out right now. Do you understand me?”

“I’m not leaving you here,” I say.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her,” Gary says. It comes out steady, but the weight behind it is crushing. “That was my call. Not Glitch’s. Not Fox’s. Me.”