The Shadow in My Hand

The Price of Betrayal

Red laser dots dance across my chest like tiny drops of blood.

Sloan stands near the edge of the balcony, herpulse rifle resting steady against her shoulder. Her dark jacket flutters in the cold wind, and her long scar looks stark and pale under the harsh neon glow of the surrounding towers. Four stealth transport ships hover in a tight circle around us, blocking every path of escape.

"Hand over the boy, and maybe I let the girl walk," Sloan says, her voice completely calm.

I feel Elena stiffen beside me. Her fingers tighten around the handle of her combat knife. She does not look at me, but I know her mind is already running through ten different ways to trick Sloan, slice her throat, or blow up the balcony. That is who Elena is. She does not panic when things go wrong; she looks for an angle.

"You think I would ever let you walk away with the bounty?" I ask, letting a cold smile touch my lips.

I lift my right hand. The barcode on my skin flares white, sending bright sparks dancing across my knuckles.

Sloan's eyes dart to my hand for a split second. That is all the opening Elena needs.

Instead of attacking Sloan, Elena suddenly turns and drives her combat knife straight into the control panel beside the sliding glass doors. A shower of yellow sparks flies into the air as the heavy doors jam open with a loud screech.

"Move!" Elena snaps, grabbing my arm and pulling me hard toward the dark hallway inside the building.

"Shoot them!" Sloan barks.

Red plasma bolts fill the air instantly, melting the metal railing where we stood a second before. We dive headfirst through the shattered doorway, sliding across the dusty concrete floor of the empty office level as a storm of laser fire chews up the walls behind us.

"That was close," I say, pushing myself up to my feet.

"Stop talking and run," Elena fires back, already sprinting toward the far end of the floor where an emergency stairwell door stands open.

We charge through the stairwell and start climbing down as fast as our legs can carry us. Metal stairs ring out under our heavy boots. Above us, the sounds of enforcers and bounty hunters pouring onto the upper floor echo down the concrete shaft. Shouts bounce off the walls, growing closer with every second.

"They are cutting off our exits," I say, taking three steps at a time.

"Not if we go down to the subway lines," Elena says, her breath coming in quick, sharp gasps. "The old maintenance tunnels connect to this sector. Sloan's ships cannot follow us down there."

We burst through a heavy fire door on the tenth floor, dashing past rows of empty desks and shattered glass walls. The entire building shakes as another heavy explosion rocks the skyline outside. The Council is destroying anything connected to our breakout, burning the evidence so the rest of the city never learns the truth about the simulation.

We reach the service elevator shaft. The cables hang loose and snapped, swaying gently in the dark drop below.

Elena grabs a thick yellow utility rope dangling from a broken winch above the shaft. She loops it around her waist with practiced skill, testing the knot with a sharp tug.

"You first," she says, handing the other end of the rope to me.

"No, you go," I argue, shaking my head. "If they catch up, I can hold the door."

"Caleb, do not argue with me," Elena snaps, her eyes flashing with sudden anger. "We do not have time for your hero act. If I die down here, who is going to keep you from getting yourself killed?"

Before I can answer, the office doors behind us blast inward in a cloud of smoke and splintered wood.

Sloan steps through the dust, her pulse rifle raised and ready. Two armed bounty hunters flank her sides, their weapons glowing with deadly red energy.

"Found you," Sloan says, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

I do not think. I shove Elena backward toward the open elevator shaft and step directly into the middle of the room, raising both of my hands.

The white energy explodes from my skin, flooding the entire room with a blinding flash of light.

Sloan screams, raising her arm to shield her eyes as the wave of raw power hits the bounty hunters. The two guards fly backward through the air, crashing hard into the computer banks and smashing them to pieces.

I turn to look at Sloan through the smoke, my chest heaving, the power burning hot inside my veins.

"You talk too much, Sloan," I say.

Sloan lowers her arm, coughing in the thick dust. Her face is twisted in pure rage. She slowly raises her rifle, aiming directly at my heart.

"You might have beaten the Council, boy," Sloan rasps, her finger tightening on the trigger. "But you forgot one thing about bounty hunters."

Before I can move, the floor beneath Sloan shifts.

A sharp metal blade bursts straight up through the concrete floor directly beneath her boots, pinning her heavy jacket against the wall before she can pull the trigger.

Sloan gasps, dropping her rifle as wide eyes stare down at the steel blade protruding through her shoulder.

I blink in surprise and turn around.

Standing by the elevator shaft, Elena lowers her combat knife. Her face is completely blank, cold and distant, just like it was the first day I met her in the fake tavern.

"Never turn your back on someone who knows how to use a knife," Elena says quietly.

Sloan spits blood onto the floor, glaring at Elena with pure hatred. "You... you were working with the syndicate..."

"I work for myself," Elena interrupts, walking over to pick up Sloan's fallen pulse rifle. She checks the charge and slings it over her shoulder. Then she looks at me, her eyes hiding something dark and impossible to read. "Come on, Caleb. We have a train to catch."