Twenty-four hours passed.
We spent time getting them ready. Packing up our gear. Mapping out escape routes in case we needed to run. Borealis tried to trace where the signal came from on that call but it bounced through so many relays that he gave up after six hours. Elena barely talked. She just sat there staring at nothing. Kenji stayed with Leo the whole time. Caiman watched the door like always.
Maja stayed close to me. Like she knew something bad was coming. She didn't say much. Just sat next to me and held my hand.
At exactly the same time the next night, the tablet lit up again.
Helena Voss was there on the screen. Same calm face. Same polite little smile.
"Twenty-four hours," she said. "I trust you have an answer."
I stepped forward so she could see me. "We do."
"And?"
"No.
