The Child stood halfway up the hidden stairs with Caleb's face and Sefa's stolen light behind its ribs.
No one fired.
That was Tali's discipline holding the room together, because every weapon in the yard had found the target. Hiro had the cleanest line from the right. Kikaru had already shifted her weight for the charge. Iharu's hands were open, low, ready to break something metal if it came close enough.
The Child smiled at all of them.
"You brought witnesses," it said in Caleb's voice. "Good. Father learns slowly when nobody watches."
Caleb kept his mask on. The air over the open square tasted like old chemical rain even through the filter. "Where is Marek?"
"Below."
"Alive?"
The Child considered the question as if alive were a category it had been asked to sort for a classroom.
"He is still making a room."
Rina's tracker answered from her hand, a hard green pulse that washed her fingers in light.
"Caleb," she said. "He's there."
