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Archer hauled himself to his feet and banged on the door, which was covered in arxium on this side. “Tell Christa to come quickly!” He coughed several more times before sucking in a deep breath. “It’s urgent!” When no one responded, he thumped his fist against the door one last time before moving away from it. Ridley pulled herself up and leaned against the wall, waiting for her pounding heart to slow. Archer, his breathing still heavy, slid down the wall opposite her and sat. She didn’t say a word, and neither did he, but she knew they couldn’t ignore what she’d done. At some point, she’d have to confront the fact that her secret was no longer secret.
She mustered enough energy to pull her commscreen from her soaking wet pocket. As she suspected, the screen remained blank instead of
