Ken's voice in her ear was a lifeline cutting through the chaos.
"Lyse, hold your position. Get to cover. That's an order."
For a moment, she couldn't move. Her body felt frozen between instinct and terror, her mind still trapped in the image of Lily dangling over the edge of the catwalk.
"Lyse!" Ken barked again.
The command snapped her back to reality.
Lyse scrambled back down the metal steps, her boots clanging loudly against the grated surface. Her hands burned from gripping the rusted railing too tightly, skin scraped raw as she half-slid down the last few steps.
She darted across the open space and ducked behind a massive shipping container. The corrugated steel was cold against her back, grounding her as she pressed herself flat against it.
Her breath came in ragged gasps that fogged the cool air.
She had almost gotten herself killed.
For a second, she had forgotten the plan. Forgotten the careful coordination, the positioning, the strategy.
