“C’mon,” he whispered, guiding Rue around the perimeter, keeping to the blind spots he’d identified during one of his many recons of the station during their days here. He normally felt like a complete freak for his near-obsessive need to plan for every contingency, but now he felt vindicated. You could never be too prepared.
They pressed themselves flat against the outer wall, the metal siding cold enough to burn through their gloves. Twenty yards ahead, the maintenance access waited—a large rolling door with a smaller personnel entrance built into it.
“Two guards,” Rue breathed, nodding toward the figures standing on either side of the door. Both held rifles at the ready, their breath creating small clouds in the frigid air.
Elliot scanned the area, looking for alternatives. Ten yards to their left, a ventilation duct protruded from the wall—large enough for a person, but likely too noisy to open without alerting the guards.
“Wait,” Rue whispered, pointing. “Look.”
Behind the guards, a third figure had emerged from the personnel door—Koos, carrying what looked like trash bags. The crazy man wore only a T-shirt and overalls, like the cold was nothing more than a spring breeze instead of the razor that had been sawing through Elliot’s bones all day.
One of the guards turned to speak to him, momentarily distracted. The other kept his eyes on the horizon, scanning for threats from the opposite direction.
“Now,” Elliot mouthed, and they slipped from shadow to shadow, timing their movements with the howl of the wind. They reached the far side of the building just as Koos finished his task and turned back toward the door, the guards still facing away.
“Hey!” Rue called softly, just loud enough for Koos to hear.
He startled, eyes widening as he spotted them. Elliot tensed, ready to move if the man called out to the guards. But after a moment of stunned silence, Koos gave the barest nod and propped the door open, then walked over to the guards. Their weapons came up in unison, and he raised his hands, saying something that made them both laugh and lower their weapons slightly. The guards seemed relaxed around him, treating him like a harmless eccentric rather than a potential threat.
Smart man.
Elliot didn’t waste the opportunity. He grabbed Rue’s hand, and they slipped through the door while Koos kept the guards talking.
The hallway smelled of machine oil and the peculiar antiseptic cleanliness that seemed to permeate all Antarcticstations. They stood still for a moment, letting their eyes adjust to the dimness.
“Thank God for Koos,” Rue whispered.
“Yeah, the crazy bastard,” Elliot muttered and pulled her into an alcove.
“Well, at least we know he isn’t with Praetorian.” Her voice was so full of hope that he hated to dash her optimism.
“Do we? They’re letting him wander around freely while they have the station on lockdown.”
Rue’s face fell slightly. “But I like him.”
“Me, too, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t playing both sides. We need to move.” He led the way deeper into the building, his hand hovering near the knife sheathed at his hip—the only weapon he had. The corridors were eerily quiet compared to the bustling activity they’d left days ago. The sense of wrongness prickled at the back of his neck.
“Where would they keep everyone?” Rue asked softly.
“Common areas, maybe. Or the labs. Somewhere they could control access and—” He stopped abruptly, raising a hand in warning. Footsteps sounded from around the corner ahead, light, quick, and coming their way.
And there was nowhere to hide.
Elliot drew his knife and stepped in front of Rue, muscles coiled to spring?—
Jess appeared, her short green hair unmistakable even in the dim light. She froze when she saw them, eyes widening comically.
“Holy shit,” she gasped. “You’re alive! Noah said you fell into a crevasse, and it collapsed. How did you escape that?”
“We’re stubborn,” Elliot said, deadpan.
“Jess,” Rue breathed and stepped out from behind the shield of his body. “What’s happening here?”
Jess’s gaze slid past them to the corridor behind, lingering a beat too long. Then she exhaled, her shoulders relaxing by degrees, and ran a hand through her hair. “These soldiers showed up yesterday morning. Just... descended on the place. Armed to the teeth. They’ve got us all locked down—no comms, no going outside without a guard. They say it’s for our protection, but I don’t believe them.”
“Protection from what?” Elliot asked, though he already knew the answer.
“We don’t know, but we think it has something to do with Tyler and the black stuff he found.”
