For a moment I think Conlan’s going to just
give up like all the other colonists. He kicks at the ground, his
lower lip caught between his teeth, he’s going to worry at it until
it bleeds. Then Dylan squeezes my hand and tells me, “The emergency
exit.”
I don’t follow. “What—” I start, but he’s
already off, dragging me along behind him. “Dylan!”
“We came out from the exit right near
here,” he reminds me. Looking over his shoulder at Conlan, he
explains, “You said there’s a passage from the exit leading into
the commons. We can reach it from the serviceway we used. Those
hatches aren’t coded, right?”
Hope lights up Conlan’s face. “Right,” he
agrees. He starts to follow us, then turns and looks back at
Ellington, still squatting on the floor, defeated. “Come on,
Ben.”
“You’re
