The west wall rose three inches on the arms of dead suits.
A brown bottle rolled toward Nessa, crossed a dip in the street, then climbed back toward the rubble. The floor had tilted. She watched the bottle strike her boot while slabs along the wall settled onto gray shoulders and stood with them.
Behind that moving shield, something living pushed a narrow forelimb through the gap. Davi's voice reached the implant behind Nessa's molar. "The west wall is walking on dead suits, and three live shapes are using the slabs to reach our truck."
"Count the brewery tunnel sockets before that shield reaches the truck."
Nessa tried to raise five fingers toward Vey. Her smallest stayed buried in her palm. The two beside it lifted late, so she pointed with her whole forearm and let him count the roof line himself.
Davi answered around a burst of rifle fire. "All five sockets are empty. Every intact cage is still strapped to a soldier who thinks the roof matters more."
