The server vault door hissed shut behind us, cutting off the sounds of the firefight. The sudden quiet was worse. It was the quiet of a tomb.
We were in a tight huddle – me, Kenji, Caiman. Elena stood a few feet apart, the gray emitter box still on her back like a weird camping gear. Her three defectors were against the far wall. Mikal, the jumpy one. Liv, with the burned face. And the kid, Kael, who looked like he was trying not to pee himself.
The room was small, all blinking lights and the low hum of machines. One way in. No way out. We were all holding guns, and nobody was pointing them at the floor.
The silence stretched. Too long.
“So,” I said. My voice sounded too loud. “You’re the help.”
Mikal’s eyes darted from my face to Kenji’s to Caiman’s. He saw the blood, the busted knuc
