when they jumped off buildings. The thick vinyl fabric roiled beneath her on a cushion of air as she scooted forward on her butt, trying to find the edge. Suddenly her legs fell out from beneath her, and Persey pitched forward preparing to face-plant on the floor, but with a swoosh of black curly hair, Neela grabbed her arm and helped haul Persey to her feet.
“You made it!” Neela cried, sounding somewhat surprised. “I…I kinda thought maybe you were going to stay up there.”
It’s not like I had a choice.
Riot wrapped his arms around her from behind, a gesture that felt both comforting and presumptively intimate. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She indulged in his embrace for half a heartbeat, then wiggled free. “If I’m going to die, getting burned alive seemed like the worst possible option.”
“Careful what you say.” Riot pointed at the sky as if indicating a god. “You have no idea what else they have planned for us.”
“Are you hurt?” Mackenzie rushed toward them, and Persey was momentarily dumbstruck at the fleeting thought that Mackenzie was actually concerned about her well-being, a confusion that was remedied two seconds later when Mackenzie launched herself into Kevin’s arms. So much for being pissed off at him.
“Nope.” His smile shifted to Persey. “You?”
Kevin’s eyes reflected genuine concern, and when coupled with the closeness of Riot’s hug, Persey almost allowed herself to give in. It might have been nice to lean on someone. To trust again.
Stop. It.
“I’m fine.” She shook herself, hardly able to look him in the eyes. “Just short of breath.”
He smiled, unaffected by her brush-off, and rubbed the spot on his chest where she drop-kicked him. “I know how you feel.”
She seriously doubted it.
They’d landed in a narrow slit of a room, designed to look like the interior of a warehouse. Behind the crash pad, a blank wall of corrugated steel stretched to the roof, while the wall opposite was a third the height, a temporary division meant to separate this antechamber from what lay beyond. The roof soared above their heads with just a few stark lightbulbs hanging from the rafters to illuminate the room below, and the floor beneath Persey’s feet was cold, sterile concrete. The air felt dank. In fact, the whole space smelled like a swimming pool at the end of summer, and the only way out was a single door, set into the low wall, at once welcoming and menacing.
“Anyone try the door yet?” Persey asked, not even sure she wanted to know what was behind it.
“Really?” Mackenzie asked, her upper lip curling into a snarl of disgust. “That’s your first question?”
Persey’s patience was pretty much gone. “I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start, but since I doubt anyone here can answer them, I thought I’d start with something we might some have control over.”
“The door’s locked,” Riot said. Unlike Kevin, his calmness had an edge to it. Less terrified, more pissed off. “And it appears to be the only way out.”
Great.
“You want to tell us what happened out there with Shaun?” Wes said, eying her suspiciously. He thinks I had something to do with Shaun’s death.
The question had been meant for Persey, but Mackenzie took the opportunity to answer. “His screams…the stench…” She was all terrified victim again as she clawed at Kevin’s chest, still trying to wrestle back his attention. Right, because that was the important thing right now.
“Still think this is all faked?” Persey asked, unable to stop herself.
“I don’t…I mean, it can’t…” Tears overflowed Mackenzie’s eyes, streaking her once-perfectly-pristine makeup as they trailed down her face. She looked confused and terrified all at the same time. It was a combination of emotions that Persey could relate to.
“What did Shaun say?” Neela asked. “Why didn’t he move?”
“He couldn’t.” Best just to lay it all out for them.
“Fear-inducing paralysis.” Wes nodded. “Just like I said.”
Persey was really starting to loathe his cockiness. “It was definitely paralysis, but fear had nothing to do with it.”
Wes arched an eyebrow. “You think he had a stroke or something? Pretty sure that’s not how it works.”
“Shaun had been drugged.”
“Here we go again.” Wes’s head rolled forward, his hair hanging down over his face. “Do we really have to sit through more of your conspiracy crap?” He jabbed his thumb toward Riot. “You’re sounding more like your crazy-pants boyfriend every minute.”
“Why would somebody want to kill the Shaun-bot?” Riot asked, thankfully ignoring the “boyfriend” mention. “Why would they want any of us dead?