I sat in the passenger seat, staring at Zaphron through the windshield. He leaned over the open bonnet—his hair slicked back in the rain as he waited for the charged battery to sync with the car. The sight of his fingers drumming idly on the front fender made me warmer than it ought to. It was only minutes ago that those fingers had slid up under my hoodie, tracing their way along my ribs and down my stomach as he kissed me.

I'd actually been disappointed when the car's battery finished charging.

I tore my eyes away from Zaph and looked down at the pair of chips in my hand. The gold drive looked shiny next to the black one I had picked up at Dad's apartment, but they were identical in every other way. It had to mean he had left it there for me.

Curiosity over the chip's contents was my only real incentive to leave the mountain. Without it, the temptation to hide in a post-apocalyptic wreckage with Zaphron may have won out. It wasn't just the daunting return to reality and all the weight of my responsibilities that made me want to stay. It was the fear that things might change between Zaphron and me once we were back with the group—that everything between us would fade out in the chaos.

And I really didn't want that to happen.

I looked up and caught Zaph staring at me over the bonnet, his gaze unwavering as it caught mine. He winked and bit his lip to reign in a smirk. Heat trickled through my body and I glanced away before he could see the colour in my cheeks.

In an effort to distract myself, I blinked on my Lens and fired off a quick message to Delta. I told her we'd be back soon, but didn't mention the chip. I figured that would be better as a surprise.

While I waited for her reply, I checked the radar one more time. The storm had now left the Ark completely and was tracking out into the Western Pacific, petering out into a low-pressure system. Feeds rolled down the side of my vision, full of articles on the destruction it had caused. I gave them half of my attention, until one headline caught my eye.

46 confirmed dead in building collapse after tornadoes tear through the Eastern Territory.

I swiped and jabbed at my overlay, ice threading through my veins as I scanned the article and found the address.

It was Mum's estate.

I covered my mouth to muffle the strangled sound that crept out of my throat, my eyes blurring with tears.

It couldn't be possible.

Instinct took over and scrabbled though the duffel for an earbud. I needed to check she was okay.

Before I could reconsider, I dialled her Lens ID from memory—shifting my focus briefly to check Zaphron was still preoccupied with the battery.

The line rang three times before someone answered.

"Hello?"

I swallowed, almost choking on the lump in my throat. "Mum?" I croaked.

There was a pause, a sharp intake of breath. "Astrid?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Honey is that you?"

"Mum," I repeated in a whisper. My brain so scattered with relief I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Astrid are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm safe," I said. "I saw the estate on the feeds and had to check you were okay."

"The estate?" she said, confusion clear in her voice. "Astrid I'm home now, there's nothing wrong with the estate."

"There isn't?" I asked, my gut clenching as my brain caught up. "Mum, I've got to go. I love you."

Before she could reply, I hung up, swinging open the car door and practically falling out in the process. My stomach swirled and my whole body shook as I pieced it together.

That article was a trap. I'd been set up.

I pinched the Lens from my eye and flicked it into the soggy fake snow. Tears brimmed at my lower lids and not only because of the desperate roughness I'd used to remove the contact. How could I have been so stupid?

I willed my wobbly legs around the front of the car to Zaphron, my throat so tight I could barely get enough air to my lungs.

"Hey." He grinned, closing the bonnet and grabbing me around the waist. "It's all done, we're good to go now." He caught sight of my expression and paused, his eyes roaming over my face. "What happened?"

I leaned into him as the tears I'd been fighting spilled over. "Zaph, I fucked up."

Debris littered the roads, turning the drive back into a high-speed obstacle course.

Zaph and I sat in silence, both wincing at the occasional metallic thud of random unavoidable junk going under the car. Lingering rain splattered noisily against the windshield.

I twisted my hands in my lap, clenching and unclenching my fist around the pair of chips—trying not to notice how white Zaph's knuckles looked as he gripped the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry," I said, for the fifth time, flinching at the abrupt halt of rain on the windshield as we slipped into a tunnel.

Zaphron exhaled, but his jaw remained tight. "You don't have to keep apologising."

"I just—" I swallowed back the wobble in my voice. "I can't believe I fell for it."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Zaphron's knuckles eased on the wheel and he slipped a hand onto my knee. "It was pretty convincing. Really clever actually—using the storm to their advantage like that."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Clever was not the word I would have used.

It was cruel.

"What did Axel say?" I asked.

Zaphron's brows dipped. "Axel?"

"Isn't that who you messaged as we were leaving?"

Zaphron squeezed my knee and let go—casting a brief but heart stopping smile in my direction. "Yeah, it was Axel." He hesitated; his expression oddly guarded. "No reply though."

"Right." I sank down further into my seat and watched the overhead lights run into a nauseating blur. Despite all his reassurances, I still couldn't help feeling like Zaph was a little pissed with me. "Did I mention I was sorry?"

He let out a laugh and grabbed my hand, planting a kiss on my knuckles. A tiny flutter broke through the pit in my stomach. "You did. Now shut up about it."

I laughed and pulled my hand away, a double shot of relief flooding me when we rounded a bend and I caught sight of the first American border sign looming ahead.

Until I noticed something beneath it.

Blue and red lights bounced off the tunnel walls, filling the bend with strobes of colour. All seven lanes were obstructed by a Forcer road block.

"Shit." Zaphron swerved and threw a high-speed U-turn. I flung my arm out in surprise, hitting him in the chest.

We started speeding back in the other direction, only to find the way back blocked as another wall of Forcers and their cars rolled out of a service tunnel. Zaphron hit the brakes again, jerking us forward in a sudden stop.

We were surrounded.

I clawed at my harness and unbuckled myself, preparing to make a run for it.

"Astrid." Zaph's hands covered mine, stilling them. "You can't go out there, they'll shoot you."

I went limp in my seat, my pulse throbbing in my throat. "This is all my fault," I whimpered. "What are we going to do?"

Zaph turned my hands over in his, gently prising the chips from my fist. "It's not your fault," he said, leaning in to press his forehead to mine. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?"

Before he could answer, my door opened and a pair of rough hands pulled me from my seat. I fought them wildly, kicking and scratching to no avail—screaming Zaph's name over and over.

He sat there, stony faced as he watched them take me. Then he started the car and drove off, saluting the Forcers at the roadblock as they let him through.