By the time they hit the tenth floor landing, Kai had already started narrating.
"Floor ten," he announced, like a hotel elevator with a grudge. "Executive suites, complimentary decapitations, continental breakfast not included."
"You've been doing bits since floor twelve," Ben said.
"I peak under pressure."
"You peaked in high school and never came down."
"That's slander. I'm still climbing."
Erik pushed the stairwell door open without acknowledging either of them, though Penelope caught the faint downward tug at the corner of his mouth that meant he was listening whether he wanted to admit it or not. Killian moved in behind him, quiet as always, eyes already sweeping the corridor before anyone else had fully stepped through.
The hallway was empty. No bodies yet, no obvious damage — just the too-bright emergency lighting and a silence that felt less like safety and more like held breath.
"I don't like it when it's quiet," Kai said, dropping the bit for a second.
