The grav-lift carried me above the dust and wreckage of Shelter 7. The lower doors closed before the ruined corridor dropped out of sight.
The upper doors opened onto The Arbiter's bridge. Crew crossed between consoles under clean white lights, and the engines sent a steady vibration through the deck.
The quiet felt strange after the alarms below. Nothing flickered. No one waited for Julian's permission before doing the job in front of them.
Leo waited with a small group of surviving guards. They straightened and saluted when I stepped off the lift.
"Chief Engineer," Leo said. "We followed orders after we should have stopped. We're sorry."
Their uniforms were torn and gray with shelter dust. I could still see the mark on Leo's shoulder where Julian had grabbed him.
"You followed the
