"Let's go." Christof pulled her.

She held her ground. "What about my mama?"

"We don't have time."

"You said you'd get my mama freed."

"I don't think I can. All I can do is get you out of here."

He pulled again. She didn't budge.

"I could leave without you," he threatened.

"I'm not leaving her here."

For one moment, he considered heading up the stairs without her. Somebody had to have found those bodies by now. By all rights, Christof was amazed he'd gotten this far already.

But the mother was only a few rooms away in the public detainment wing. If she was still here once Naema was gone, she'd be the last scapegoat for Alex's axe. "Fine. Just follow my lead." He guided her as though his captive.

The detainment wing was just as he'd seen it last week—filled over capacity with masses of defeated people. The smell was worse, as though none of the cells had been cleaned since then, and it seemed more crowded. Several cadets were on guard. One was stationed at a desk before rows of cells.

Christof approached. The men saluted.

"General," said the one at the desk.

Christof passed Naema off to a cadet. "Watch this detainee for me for a second, will you?" To the man behind the desk, he said, "I need to take one of the detainees out."

"Sure thing, General. Do you have the paperwork?"

This again.

"No. It's in connection with the assassination. The Exemplar Committee wants them taken up."

"Understood, sir." The cadet came around and headed down the hall of cells. "Just point them out."

Christof nearly startled at how easy that had been. Though following the man, it occurred to him just how many detainees the Committee must have taken away for interviews recently.

There were several hundred people crammed in here. Christof wouldn't have bothered looking for Zauna Madaki. Except most of these detainees were from North America, where the Manakin was last stationed. Naema's mama was the blackest person here.

"Her." He pointed her out.

"Detainee," the cadet yelled. "Come forward."

She hesitated just like her daughter, but for her, it was apprehension. She at least took this more seriously than Naema. The cadet cuffed her and took her out. At the front, Zauna spotted her daughter and moved toward her. Christof held her back.

"I'll take them from here," he said.

"Yes, sir." The cadets saluted. Christof escorted the two women away. Extracting them had been so easy it bothered him. He was using up his luck.

"Who are you?" Zauna asked.

"No. Don't talk," he muttered. "Don't acknowledge each other. Just go up the stairs."

Naema did so. Christof pushed Zauna to do the same. As confused as she was, she cooperated.

Coming back up took them much longer than coming down. Each deck was a nerve-clenching crawl.

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"How many floors?" Naema called down.

"Just keep going."

On they climbed. All three were panting when Christof finally called up. "Get off here. Wait for me."

Once he dismounted, she watched him closely. Despite Christof's warning, Zauna clutched her daughter.

"Come." He hurried them along. The grid bay was still. No ships glided in or out. Christof could hear their own footsteps echoing off the cavernous walls.

Lock down. Damn. Of course it would happen right after an assassination attempt, but he couldn't stop now. Hopefully the citadel grid was still coordinating with the Porto Maná. He'd learned enough about this modern world to know that adding and removing nodes from the grid was no simple thing. It involved registration and paperwork, so maybe this lockdown wasn't hardcoded.

He hurried toward the nearest shuttle. It looked civilian. The hatch unlocked, revealing enough room inside to walk while hunched. He ushered both of them in, handed Helena to Zauna, then turned on the shuttles menu screen. The grid was online.

Thank God. He navigated the menu, trying to figure out how to start it. He'd seen others do this. It just needed a destination, but when he went to destination, it wanted him to type something in.

"God damn it," he murmured.

"Where are we going?" Naema asked.

"We just have to get off the citadel."

"Then just take the last destination."

"Where do I do that?"

She leaned and tapped the screen. On the home menu, she went to Previous, then selected the first option.

"No. That's no good," said Christof. "That's a military base."

"We won't go there." Naema pointed at an emergency button. "After it flies, we hit this. The shuttle will land at the closest place."

"...Oh."

Naema confirmed the destination and set it to go. Christof climbed in.

"Hey," someone yelled.

Two exemplars were running up to him—a men and a woman. "Hey. Stop there." The man grabbed the shuttle door, keeping it from closing. They both rested their hands on holstered repulse pistols. "You're coming with us."

"No," said Christof. "I'm escorting these prisoners to a safe holding loc—"

"Don't fuck with us," said the man. "Alex wants to see you."

That eliminated any remaining doubt Christof had. "He can wait. I'll return when I'm—"

The man backhanded Christof across the jaw, then yanked him out.

The woman drew her pistol and brandished it toward Naema and her mother. "Get out."

Naema shuffled out of the shuttle.

"Ah fuck," the woman said. "You're the plaque bitch, aren't you?" She checked herself. "Yeah, my plaque is broken."

The man's face twisted. "Isn't that just great." He shoved Christof against the shuttle and punched him. Christof crumpled.

The man kicked him in the side. "What were you doing with her, huh? Where are you going? Alex isn't done with her yet."

Christof rolled in pain. Slowly, his hand crept under his coat to his gun.

"Christof, right?" the exemplar said. "That's your name? Thought you'd kill Alex? Traitor fucks like you sicken me?"

"...Traitor?" Christof was too winded to point out the irony.

The man kicked Christof again.

"Shut your fucking mouth, shithead." He grabbed Christof and pulled him to his feet. In the same motion, Christof drew his gun. The man caught his hand. They struggled. Within the same moment, the man kneed Christof, pressed him against the shuttle, and slammed his hand against the hatch frame, causing the gun to drop. The man pressed his own gun to the back of Christof's head.

"You think you're faster than me? You think you're going to shoot me?"

Naema swung her cuffed hands at the girl, and toppled her, but the girl pulled Naema down with her.

"Naema!" Zauna move to get out of the shuttle.

"Stay where you are," the male exemplar yelled.

Christof took advantage of the distraction to swing his arm back, hooking the man's gun off his head just as it discharged. In older days, a deafening bang would have gone off next to Christof's head. What he heard sounded like a stapler next to his ear. Pain erupted on the side of his scalp. Blood poured. He shoved the exemplar away. The gun scattered.

From the distance, half a dozen more exemplars were rushing toward them. There was no time to fight.

Naema was struggling on the ground. With her hands cuffed, the woman had easily gotten on top of her. Christof kicked the woman off and dragged Naema toward the shuttle. Zauna caught her too and pulled, but then the man latched onto Christof, and the woman caught Naema. Both Naema and Christof kicked and fought. Christof was in the shuttle now, but Naema was still half outside.

The man punched Christof, sending him reeling into the shuttle, then backhanded Zauna. She keeled over. Helena went flying. The man now yanked Naema away from the shuttle, but she caught the edge of its door with a death grip. They couldn't pull her away. The shuttle lurched from their strength.

Gathering his wits, Christof clambered to Naema, but it was too late. Even if he could knock the others off of her, the incoming exemplars would catch them before he could get her in.

A look passed between him and Naema, and they both understood. With all her strength, Naema yanked the shuttle door down, and the exemplars grappling her stumbled back as though the tree root they'd been tugging had finally come loose.

Christof caught the door and closed it.

"No!" Zauna yelled. She lurched toward the door. Outside. The exemplars swarmed Naema. Several tried opening the shuttle door, including Zauna, but it was locked. The flight had begun. As the shuttle lifted, Zauna could only watch as Alexander's henchmen dragged her daughter away.