the floor and scattering them. The scene is unbearably gruesome. I shy away as the worms devour his eyes.
His screaming stops and the only sound left in the room is my hacking breaths. My whole body is shaking. I open my eyes and try to stand, but my arms are still shackled and stuck to the poles beside my seat. I look around for the remote that Excelsior used earlier. I spot it on the ground beside his head. The worms are squiggling in and out of his cranium, their shiny, rippling white flesh turning rosy from the blood they’ve consumed. I try not to look at them as I rise up as far as I can and point my toe, sliding the remote closer to me with my foot. I use my pointed high heel to press several buttons. Kyon’s manacles release, and he drops to the ground with a loud thud. I cringe, knowing that probably hurt him more. I point my toe at another button on the remote. My hand slips down from a pole. I tap the same button again and my other hand slips down as well.
Rising to my feet, I bypass Excelsior’s corpse and run to Kyon. His skin is cold. I look behind me seeing torture devices strung out on the floor. Finding the razor blade, I clutch it and crawl back to Kyon’s side. His blond hair is pulled back in a ponytail at the crown of his head. I gather what I can and lop off huge chunks of it. It regrows, the shorn-off pieces shriveling and melting away as I cut. I wait for a second to see if he’ll regain consciousness. He doesn’t. I put my ear against his chest. I can hear shallow beats. That’s all I need to get me moving again.
I stand and run to the hovering coffin in the corner that brought me into the room. I touch it, and it moves with me like a baby duckling following its mother. I guide it to Kyon and push it to the ground. I don’t know how to operate the extension arm, so instead, I push and shove Kyon with all of my might, rolling him over and over until I force him into the transporter. Sweating and panting, I place my hand on top of the coffin, closing the lid.
I guide the black transporter to the door, which I open. My plan is to bully and intimidate my way out of here. With that in mind, I square my shoulders and almost run straight into Dobrey. He puts his finger to his lips, reaching out and plucking something off the bodice of my dress. He shows me the little disk before dropping it on the ground and crushing it with his heel.
“You did it!” he breathes, as if in awe of me.
“What did I do?” I ask.
“You brought down the Brotherhood! Everyone in Alameeda saw it. The entire world will see it by nightfall!”
“You recorded it!” I exclaim.
He nods vehemently. “I fed it live stream to the hologram network. They aired it in real time. There is a crowd forming outside as we speak! They’re attacking the Strikers, demanding the release of their empress!”
“We have to get out of here. My consort is wounded. I have to get him help! Will you help me?” I ask. My knees are shaking so hard that I don’t think I’ll be able to keep standing if I don’t move.
“I have a trift. I can sneak you out of here.”
“I’ll pay you back. I swear it.”
He sheds his black lab coat and hands it to me. “Put this on.” His scrawny hands touch the lid of Kyon’s transporter. “It’s this way,” he says. “The Strikers and everyone else are watching the crowds at the front of the building. We’ll head to the hangar.”
“Do you have a code to get this collar off me?’ I ask as we traverse an empty corridor.
He shakes his head no. I try not to worry about it. Instead, I help guide the transporter, running ahead to open up doors. There are a few guards posted at the entrance to the hangar. Dobrey hides me around the corner in an empty exam room while he rushes over to the guards. “There are people breaking into corridor three two five! They have sanctumizers!” He points away from me, before wringing his hands. The guards all run in the direction he indicated.