Jacob accepted it with shaking hands. "Okay."
Zaara touched my arm lightly. "Vincent…"
I turned toward her, searching her eyes.
"I'm still mad at you," she said quietly. "But I'm not letting you do this alone."
My throat tightened.
"Understood," I said
Zaara's hand lifted halfway toward me, then dropped. Her shoulders trembled as if caught between wanting to touch me and wanting to stay as far away as possible.
Theo slapped my back, a little too hard. "Let's go, hero. Time to save the world."
East Hallway
The hallways were dim, the flickering lights overhead washing everything in pulses of white and shadow.
Theo took the lead. Zaara stayed close behind me, fingers lightly brushing my jumpsuit sleeve every few steps.
We reached the east corridor and slowed our pace.
My eyes swept the walls. Metal panels. Exposed pipes. A thin trickle of water ran across the floor from somewhere overhead, the puddles shining under the lights.
"There," Theo pointed.
And finally…I saw it.
