Gojaro arrived through Waddell's radio because the front doors were no longer trusted.
The emergency unit on Waddell's belt coughed static across the freezer room. Waddell slapped it twice with the heel of his hand, more annoyed than hopeful. The third burst carried Gojaro's voice with the tired authority of a man who had made worse machines obey him by sounding disappointed.
"Fujiwara, give me status before the building lies for you."
Jade closed her good eye and kept one hand against the side of the milk cooler. Her knees wanted the floor. Her mark wanted the phones. Her right side wanted darkness and pressure and the good manners to become someone else's problem.
"I am breathing, standing, and making worse choices in sequence."
"That answer already sounds like a refusal to cooperate."
Waddell looked up from the freezer record.
"I said something similar before she stole my incident command."
"Sergeant Waddell, confirm you are the unlucky adult beside her."
