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He peeked under each of the tarps Beneath one, he found loose tools and scattered parts, a drone partly disasse repaired Recent work? It was impossible to tell There was no dust, but there wouldn’t be under the tarp He walked the periround fro panels that may have been disturbed, checked the offices at the very back, looked for any places where the shelves h up He headed toward the barracks and noticed the low ar door for the first tiripped the handle on the door and threw it up, then crouched down and ailoom

He very nearly shot up someone’s bedroll There was a rumpled pile of pillows and blankets that looked at first like a person sleeping He saw ather from the conference rooed had been hiding He’d have to show Brevard and get the place cleaned up He couldn’t iar and moved to the door down the wall, the one that led to the barracks Opening it a crack, Darcy made sure the hall was clear He n of habitation in the bunkroo the wo beyond the doorway at the very end

Darcy readied his pistol and stood at the end of the hall He pressed his ear to the door and listened

So He tried the knob and found it unlocked, took a deep breath Any sign of afor a weapon, and he would shoot He could already hear hi to Brevard what had happened, that he’d had a hunch, had followed a clue, didn’t think to ask for backup, had co He drew first Darcy had been protecting himself One more dead body and another case closed That was his line if this went badly All this and h his mind as he threw the door open and raised his weapon

A man turned from the end of the room Darcy yelled for hirained and co as naturally as a heartbeat "Don’t move," he shouted, and the ray coveralls, one arm over his head and the other held li rong Everything rong It wasn’t a man at all

••••

"Don’t shoot," Charlotte pleaded She raised one hand and watched this un aimed at her chest

"Stand up and step away froestured with his gun to indicate the wall

Charlotte glanced at the radio Juliette asked if she could hear her, asked her to finish what she was saying, but Charlotte didn’t test thisfor the trans of tools, the screwdrivers, the wire cutters, and reht fro It hurt to raise her hand even to her shoulder The man closed the distance between them

"Both hands up"

His stance – the way he held his gun – re She did not doubt that he would shoot her

"I can’t raise it any ain, Juliette pleaded for her to say so to?"

"One of the silos," she said She slowly reached for the voluainst the wall Now"

She did as he said Her one consolation was the hope that he would take her to her brother At least she would knohat they’d done with him Her days of isolation and worry had coe of relief to have been discovered

"Turn around and face the wall Place your hands behind your back Cross your wrists"

She did this She also turned to the side and glanced over her shoulder at hilimpse of a white plastic tie pulled from his belt "Forehead on the wall," he told her And then she felt hi, and thoughts of spinning around and putting up a fight evaporated as the tie cinched painfully around her wrists

"Are there any others?" he asked

She shook her head "Just ripped her elbow and spun her around "What’re you doing here?" Seeing the bandage on her arm, his eyes narrowed "Eren shot you"

She didn’t respond

"You killed a good man," he said

Charlotte felt tears well up She wished he would just take her wherever they were going, put her back to sleep, let her see Donny, whatever came next "I didn’t want to," was her feeble defense

"How did you get here? You ith the other pilots? It’s just … women don’t …"

"My brother woke me," Charlotte said She nodded at the man’s chest, where a Security emblem blazed "You took hi nized this man in front of her, and more tears came "Is he … still alive?"

The man looked away for a moment "Yes Barely"

Charlotte felt tears track down her cheeks

The ain "He’s your brother?"

She nodded With her arms strapped behind her, she couldn’t wipe her nose, couldn’t even reach her shoulder to wipe it on her coveralls She was surprised thisfor backup "Can I see hi hiun at the radio as Juliette again called for soood, you know You’ve put these people in danger, whoever you’re talking to What were you thinking?"

She studied this e, early thirties, looked more like a soldier than a cop "Where are the others?" she asked She glanced toward the door "Why aren’t you takingbefore I do How did you and your brother … how did you get out?"

"I told you, he woke lanced at the table where Donny’s notes lay She had left the folders open The uard turned to see what she was looking at He stepped away from her and rested a hand on one of the folders