“What do we do about Kaia?” Flint asks.
“If we stop, we all die,” Rei says. “She never wanted to be a part of our alliance. She has no one to blame but herself.”
I hate that she has a point. Flint stumbles, and I grab his uninjured side to steady him.
“The extraction point is marked on the entry panel,” Rei pants. “We came in through the north wing. Ground level.”
I pause.
“We won,” I whisper.
“Not yet,” Rei says.
I grab her elbow.
“No, we won, Rei,” I say. “Aric is going to be at the exit waiting to steal this. They’re not chasing us because they plan to ambush us.”
Rei pauses before she curses under her breath.
“There were two doors,” I say. “Theirs and ours. Let’s go out through theirs.”
“We don’t even know where their door is.”
“South wing,” I say.
“How do you know?” Flint asks. “Those doors were right next to each other.”
There were only walls on either side of us. I doubt this place was built with any sort of logic.
“It’s a simulation wing,” I say. “It’s not supposed to make sense.”
“Let’s do what, Mercy says,” Rei says. “She’s got the brains.”
We round the corner and almost collide with Rigel.
He swings first. I duck, and his fist slams into Flint.
“Sorry!” I squeak.
I slam the folder into Rigel’s face. He’s with Tyson.
Aric is missing, probably waiting at our door for us.
Flint crashes into Tyson, shoving him into the wall.
“Go!” Flint roars.
“We’re not leaving you!” I shout back.
Tyson raises a hand, knocking me swiftly off my feet. My back slams into the wall, making my chest rattle. I wince, struggling to catch my bearings.
Tyson snatches the folder from my limp hand.
“Give it back,” I snap.
He waves it in my face with a mocking smile before he turns on his heels. I grab his ankle and bite his calf. Tyson howls, and the folder falls to the ground.
Rei snatches it and elbows Tyson in the face, breaking his nose. She offers me her hand, and I take it, scrambling to my feet.
