Wren rocked by the cell door, itching to get out. Her throat was raw from shouting for Titus and Abigail in turn. She wasn't sure if it had been ten minutes, or half an hour—all she knew was that at some point, Abigail's screaming from the cell beside theirs had stopped...and the silence was far worse.

Wren was usually good under pressure. The stress of a high-stakes situation made her think quickly on her feet, didn't give her time to second-guess herself. She saw everything crystal clear: her path forward, if dangerous, was as obvious to her as the letters of the alphabet.

But now, when she was under the most pressure she'd ever faced in her life and desperately needed to figure out a game plan, she felt completely lost. She was unmoored, left out to sea.

The others weren't much better. Teddy sat with his back hunched against the door, his great head hanging between his knees, his face hidden. His fists were swollen and bloody from trying to force the door open to get to Abigail. Wren had tried to stop him, but she'd nearly gotten a black eye for her effort. Scarlett was clutching her injured side and knelt by Godfrey, who was conscious again—but he was still dizzy.

Wren squeezed her eyes shut and banged her knuckles against her forehead, trying to spur her brain into action. Fogging think of something! You've been caught by the Paragon, but you need to escape. How do you do it? Titus is going to spring you from this cell anytime now, so you'd better have a plan...

But her mind wouldn't cooperate. It kept looping back around to the same questions: was Abigail alive? How badly was she hurt? Had they moved her? Was Tae going to come back, and choose another torture victim...or was she going to keep going at Abigail?

Wren couldn't bear the thought.

She gritted her teeth, and knew only one thing for certain: Tae would die for what she'd done.

A tiny rattle came from the lock of the cell door, and Wren immediately jerked her head up. Teddy heard it, too, and was up in a flash. After what seemed like ages, it finally swung open to reveal Titus.

Teddy didn't say anything—he pushed past the fox and ran to Abigail's cell.

"About time," Wren snapped at Titus.

"I got here as quickly as I could," Titus insisted. "What happened?"

She hurried past him, followed by Scarlett and Godfrey. Thankfully, Tae and the soldiers were nowhere in sight.

"Open this door now, Titus! Hurry!" Teddy said, looking through Abigail's cell window. There was an edge of panic in his voice.

Wren tried to ask what he saw through the small window, but found the words wouldn't leave her mouth.

Titus immediately got to work on the lock. "What happened?" he repeated.

"Tae, the vice-president," said Scarlett, holding up Godfrey. "She took Abigail. We couldn't stop her..."

With a click, the cell door slid open.

Abigail was a tiny ball in the far corner of the room, clutching her hands to her chest. Shudders wracked her body.

Wren and Teddy ran over and knelt down on either side of her, but she recoiled. Her face was pale and streaked with tears.

Teddy placed a gentle hand on her back. "It's just us...you're okay, now. We're getting you out of here. Let me have a look at your hand." Wren was grateful to him for doing the talking.

Teddy gently lifted her hand from her chest, as carefully as if he was handling a baby bird.

Wren stifled a gasp. It was worse than she'd imagined.

Tae had hacked away at Abigail's right hand like a careless butcher, leaving her fingers a mangled, broken mess. A greaser's hands were their most precious tool, and their dominant hand was worth its weight in gold.

Teddy, to his credit, didn't even flinch. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of fabric, and began wrapping Abigail's hand. He didn't say a word—he simply went about his task with a surgeon's precision and detachment. Every time Abigail gasped in pain, Teddy would pause, then try to wrap the area in a different way so it wouldn't hurt.

Finally, the job was done. Teddy picked Abigail up like she weighed little more than a feather, and together the crew moved out into the hallway.

Godfrey grabbed Wren's arm, leaning on her to keep balanced. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"We need to find a way out of here," Wren breathed. "Abigail needs an infirmary."

"This is the Paragon headquarters," Scarlett reminded them, her tone bitter. "Even if we'd planned for weeks, we wouldn't have a clue how to get out of here."

"We'll figure out a way," Wren insisted, even though she didn't have a clue of an idea.

Footsteps echoed down the far hallway and the crew stopped in their tracks, eyes wide. Someone was coming.

They had no weapons, no defences. They were barely managing to stand upright. Wren steeled herself...if it was Tae coming around the corner again, they were all done for.

"Run, quickly!" Wren hissed. The group turned and ran, disappearing from sight as the person rounded the corner.

"Godfrey!" a voice called. Wren was flooded with relief—it wasn't Tae, after all. But her relief hardened into anger as she realized the voice came from Constance...or should she say, Althea Glass.

"Please don't run! I can help you! You don't stand a chance at escaping without a guide, and I know this place better than anyone."

Wren stepped out to meet Althea's gaze. The girl wasn't in a simple shirt and trousers anymore, but a black Paragon uniform. She had a strange look on her face—it wasn't the guarded, cold look she'd had in the brig of the stolen ship...instead, it was distant and emotionless.

All of a sudden, Althea's feet were swept out from under her, and she landed hard on her back. Titus leapt on top of her, a razor-sharp claw pressed Althea's her throat.

"Titus, don't!" Godfrey said, stumbling over.

"Why not?" he snarled. "She's nothing but a filthy Paragon traitor!"

"I told you," Althea said, her voice tight. "I didn't turn you in. I'm trying to help you."

Wren stood over the pale-haired girl. "Like we're going to trust you again..."

Scarlett appeared at Wren's shoulder. "How do you plan on helping us?" she asked. "Is there a passage out of here?"

Wren scoffed. "We trusted her once, Scarlett, and look where it got us!"

"She's the president's daughter—that gives us leverage."

"Unfortunately, that will only go so far," Althea interrupted. "The president is dead."

"What?" Godfrey asked, confused.

"He's dead," she repeated. Her tone was flat, and Wren wondered if she was in shock. She certainly had been, after enduring the death of both parents herself.

Part of her felt sorry for the hard-faced girl, but she stamped out any sympathy. She had to focus on one thing, and one thing only: getting them out of here and well away from Tae before she came back.

"I can get you a ship," Althea said. "My brother is with the mages, and my...my mother is in the Settlement."

Wren, Titus, Godfrey, and Scarlett looked at each other. Clearly Althea wanted to give them a ship to go to the Settlement, but after everything, they just needed to get clear of the action. Wren knew that even Godfrey—the one among them most intent on going to the Settlement—would prioritize Abigail.

Althea didn't need to know any of that.

Scarlett nodded. She wanted to take Althea up on her offer. Titus nodded, too. Wren turned to Godfrey.

"We either go with her or stay in the brig and wait for Tae to come back," he said. "You know which option I'll vote for."

He was right. They weren't spoiled for options right now.

Scarlett shot a glance back at Teddy and Abigail. "They'll have medical supplies on board any Paragon ship."

Titus gave a final parting growl and leapt off Althea, who pushed herself up to standing, dusting off the dirt from the floor.

"I have an idea for how to get us all to the aircraft bay, but you aren't going to like it."

Wren rubbed her temple. "Why am I not surprised?"

#

The handcuffs weren't locked, but they still burned Wren's wrists. She and the others kept their heads down, shuffling through the Paragon headquarters in a line.

Althea led the group, navigating the twisting path with ease. She saluted various officials as they passed, keeping up appearances.

Abigail was placed between Wren and Teddy, while Scarlett and Godfrey brought up the rear. Titus was concealed again beneath Wren's coat. He, at least, was a small comfort. None of the rest of them had any weapons—only Althea was armed.

Wren glanced up at her white-blonde hair. They couldn't trust Althea Glass, that was for certain...the only reason they were allied now was because they had the same end goal.

The hallways grew more crowded as they went. Soldiers streamed past, and Wren was heartened to see some of them wearing puffy jackets and goggles. They must be getting close to the aircraft bay. She forced her eyes down to the floor.

Wren shivered. She detested being here in the Paragon headquarters. This place felt like quicksand—if she didn't get out soon, she might be trapped forever.

The hallway widened, and she sniffed something of a breeze in the air: fresh, crisp air mixed with burning coal. She'd recognize that smell anywhere: ships. Lots, and lots, of glorious ships.

They approached a set of steel doors. Just beyond, Wren could hear the roar of engines, blaring alarms, and the clamour of clinking tools and tool chests.

Althea looked around and, seeing no one in the vicinity, spoke in a low whisper. "Quickly, take off the cuffs."

They removed their unlocked shackles, and Wren rubbed her wrists gratefully.

"This is the side entrance to the hangar," Althea continued. "Prisoners aren't transported from this bay, so they'll sound the alarm if they spot you, whether I'm with you or not. Keep low to the ground, stay quiet, and follow me. We're going to move fast. Ready?"

The crew nodded. Teddy hovered protectively near Abigail, who, Wren was glad to see, had regained some colour in her cheeks. Wren's body tensed, ready to bolt.

Althea opened the door an inch, enough to peek into the aircraft bay and give the cue.

Don't turn on us now, Althea. Not when we're so close.

"...Now!" Althea said. She led the way and pushed through the doors, breaking into a crouched run. The crew followed, keeping to the shadows. They were used to this: slipping through undetected and not drawing attention to themselves...although they'd never infiltrated the Paragon headquarters before.

This would make a great story, provided they made it out alive.

Black-uniformed soldiers streamed into combat cruisers, and white-uniformed medics into medical frigates. Ships were roaring to life all around them, rising into the frigid open air and moving out of the bay. This was where Wren belonged, among ships, and she felt herself slowly coming back to life.

A minute later, Althea darted up a ramp and onto a ship. Wren ushered the others up the ramp and picked up the rear herself, eyes scanning the bay to make sure they hadn't been seen. When they were all safely inside, she shut the door behind them. Titus leapt out of her jacket, headed straight for the bridge. Teddy and Abigail disappeared to the med bay.

Scarlett leaned back against the wall, her chest heaving. "I can't believe we made it," she said, out of breath.

"Yeah. That was easier than I thought," Godfrey said, narrowing his eyes at Althea—but she wasn't paying any attention to him. She was looking around the ship.

"This one's smaller than your last Paragon vessel, but it's got speed," she said. "We should lift off as soon as possible, before anyone else tries to board."

"Agreed. So..." Wren looked pointedly at Althea. "We've got it from here." In other words: you aren't needed. Leave, please.

"What do you mean? We're all going to the Settlement. Let's just go."

"We aren't going to the Settlement. We're going..." Where were they going? The Mothers would be furious with them, and Leonard's was gone.

"...elsewhere," she finished lamely.

"I don't understand," Althea said, looking to each of them in turn. "You all lost people on the Settlement. Why won't you help?"

"We're not 'not helping'," Wren corrected her. "We have to prioritize Abigail."

"Abigail is on her feet," Godfrey finally said. "I know it's not pretty, but she'll live. After everything we've been through this week, it would be a shame to not see this through."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing! "Frey, don't be daft! You saw the fleet of Paragon ships they're sending in. Between the soldiers and the moraiths, going to the Settlement is a death wish!"

Scarlett put a hand on Wren's back. "There are survivors, Wren. And they need all the help they can get. That shade chose us for a reason...we're going to the Settlement."

Wren looked around hopelessly, but the decision was made. Yet again, it felt like hers was the only voice of reason in the group! "You've all lost your minds. You know that, right?"

"Yup," Godfrey said, then headed to the bridge.

Wren heaved a deep sigh. She was certain this wouldn't end well.

Althea moved to follow Godfrey. "I'll get us up in the air."

"Don't even think about it!" Wren said, pushing past her. "I'm piloting..."