I sprinted down the stairs, boots slamming the metal edges in rapid-fire cracks. The corner rushed at me, sharp, concrete biting into my shoulder as I pivoted hard.
Sinn exploded upward past me, face locked in tunnel vision, jaw tight, rifle swinging in a tight arc at his side. Code followed right on his heels, elbows pumping, sweat flinging off his brow in tiny glittering arcs under the thin veil of light.
Both of them in the focused movement of people who had stopped thinking about anything except the next step.
I seized the handrail with both hands. My body dropped, boots lifting clear as I slid fast, the smooth metal burning hot against my palms. Friction heat flared. The world blurred vertical.
Mercury shot past me going up, her dark hair whipping like a banner, strands lashing across her cheek. She didn't glance my way, eyes fixed on the ascent, shoulders driving forward.
