Harper
"How'd you find her," Vane said.
"Half a day east. Contamination zone." Aton kept his voice flat the way he did when the answer was worse than the question. "She was walking a vector that's marked red on every map we issue. Either she didn't know, or somebody told her it was a safe corridor."
"That's a kill route," I said.
"That's the route."
Vane and I traded a look. Whoever had handed Emma her getaway plan had handed her a coffin with directions.
"Pickup was loud," Aton went on. "Rogues hit us inside thirty seconds of contact. Two of mine took claws. We dragged her out."
"Her state," Vane said.
"Scared but holding. Right up until she clocked we were bringing her back to Camp 07."
"And then."
Aton paused. Long enough that I felt my stomach get cold.
"She came apart. Biti
