ce is a mask of professional calm,

than," she says, her voice pitched

ose, her voice dropping to

om the blind-spot camera.

r me, so powerful

ements efficient and practiced. "That stunt your

to my hand, concealing it within the

ring the shift change. You'll have

ce returning to its normal

e and a racing heart. The weight of it

. I have

gency. "If you are ever in a situation you can't get out of, a situation where no one can be t

ood. I ne

commotion down the hall. A crash, fo

dow is

e out. I power it on. My thumbs feel like sausages as I punch

s once.

r voice answers.

riend. A senior official at the DoD. The man wh

oice a raw, broken thing.

he other end. "Ethan? My God, son. We

med me." My words are a torrent, desperate and weak. "Hospital.

phone slips from my grasp

my room opens. It's Maria

says, her face p

d into the chair. I'm a dead weight, my head lolling to one side

e move fast, heading for a service exit. We're

he traitor is t

Anthony are standing at the end of the hall, pointing

. They turn

ony shouts, his voice filled with righteous fur

and growing anger. They look at me, slumped in the wheelcha

!" Sabrina

of bodies blocking our path. A

the administrato

erson spits at Maria. The scene dissolves into a nightmare of

my chest. We