Payton's eyes widened. He was clearly expecting her to deny it.
"Then why are you pretending to be a Dreg?" he whispered, his voice trembling more now, curiosity mixing with something like fear.
Willow shrugged lightly. "We'll talk about that once we're out of here, Payton."
He looked down, a faint smile pulling at his lips, though it barely held against the grief in his eyes.
"Ivy and Gage are dead," he whispered.
Willow's throat tightened. Her chest squeezed painfully.
"I know," she said softly.
She forced her eyes back to her screen, typing faster, because the truth pressed in on her.
It was now or never. They had to get out of this hellhole and fast.
"I'll put out the fire," Payton said suddenly, rising to his feet.
"Yeah," Willow muttered, already deep into her work.
Her fingers flew across the holographic keys, dismantling one security feed after another. Out of seventy-six cameras, she'd taken down twenty-six. It was progress. Slow, exhausting progress.
