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The back of the Mess Hall faced the forest, providingand the fence The cameras never recorded what happened there, but only pointed out into the woods It was one of the "blind spots" we’d learned to be afraid of very quickly

She pushed the back door open with her shoulder, and I had a second to react

I yanked the PSF around, twisting her ar the bone She let out a choked noise of surprise that cut off sharply as I entered heroff her boots, the black camo shirt and pants, the belt, the dark cap, and let the to match the frenzied pace I’d set in herit on with a look of blank obedience Too cal at the heart of the ca in I only eased up when she started to cry

The flash drive fell out of rass and I quickly palht to reassure myself it was really there

The swap had taken no , maybe I couldn’t tell--the PSFs were allowed to walk us into dark, unh us up a little bit before actually carrying out the punishin the Control Tower, I’d be fine

I walked the PSF toward the Garden,the air white with each sharp exhale I kept my eyes on the thin chains hooked around one of the fence posts

I wanted to say I was a good enough person not to feel some satisfaction as I sat the PSF down in the coldthe fence, her back to the ca the platfor soback or looking at them sideways on a bad day, I wanted at least one of them to knohat it felt like I wanted one of theht her out here

It wasn’t until I alking back, passing the red vests posted along the path to the Control Tower and Mess Hall, that the first touch of nerves found rown to be twice its original size; its crooked walls seemed to lean even more sharply up close

This is an Op, I reminded myself This is no different than any other Op I would finish it and go home

The PSF stationed next to the Control Tower’s door peered at hts from the watch platfor around the cahts couldn’t reach

"Houghton--that you?"

I nodded, adjustingto the rifle I’d slung over reen and white and red I needed hiainst the black pad behind him, so he did I needed hi I asked, even holding the door open for me as I stepped inside

I crossed the threshold into the warh the layers of borrowed clothes, straight to my skin and bones As I looked down the hall, toward the stairs leading up to the platform two stories overhead, I don’t knohen I had ever felt so powerful in ht opened, and a ca of coffee between his hands The roo shut, but not before I saw the TV, the couches and chairs His black button-down shirt wrinkled as he brought a hand up to yawn The look he gave me was a friendly, what can you do? Half e was one big joke

I set to the door propped open a short ways down the hall After a beat, I followed The left half of the building’s lower level was little e and sle of the cae of the weather; one showed a news channel on h only half of the seats see to pack this roo the nonessential stations

This is why they needed the Reds, I thought The draft was up for sowith the newer recruits, were tasked withthe files and supplies in advance of the camp’s closure

Focus

I stepped down to the second row, sliding into the seat Theup to reveal a basic desktop Blood pounded in ly steady as I inserted the flash drive

The folder opened and I transferred the prograht I’d misread it at first, my mind half-consumed with anxiety, but JUDEEXE transferred quickly and appeared on the screen’s black background, next to the trash icon, just below a black triangular outline labeled Security

When it finished, I erased the original file fro the plastic shell under the heel of ht-hand corner of the screen read 19:20

I opened the COMMAND PROMPT , typed START JUDEEXE, and the icon disappeared frolancing at the sht? Why would--