Page 38 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

“That would force them to split their security teams,” I noted. “But what about the children? Those stasis units must have backup power, failsafes.”

“They do.” Dr. Gondon pulled up new diagrams. “Each unit has an independent power supply. But they’re all networked through this control station. If we can access it, we can prep the units for evacuation while we synthesize the compound.”

“So our sequence has to be:” Nalina counted off points, “First, secure the lab and start synthesis. While that’s running, I access atmospheric controls and set up our escape route. Then we move to the children’s section, prep the stasis units, and coordinate everything to happen simultaneously - distribute the compound, power down the units safely, and evacuate before they can lock down the section.”

“The maintenance crews change shift in two hours,” I added. “That’s our best window. Security will be distracted by handover protocols.”

“We’ll need a fallback point,” Dr. Gondon said. “Somewhere to take the children if something goes wrong.”

“The old quarantine bays in Green Section,” Nalina suggested. “They’re designed to run on independent systems. I can reroute emergency power there without raising alerts.”

“What about after?” I asked. “Once we have them out?”

“I have contacts,” I said quietly. “People who can get them off-station quickly, safely. But first we have to reach them.”

A sudden burst of static cut through the room’s silence. The security feeds on Dr. Gondon’s screens flickered, then stabilized showing new movements.

“That’s not good.” Nalina warned. “They’re changing patrol patterns. Moving equipment into... gods.” She zoomed in on one feed. “Those are mass neural interface units. Military grade.”

“They’re accelerating their timeline.” Dr. Gondon added. “These power signatures indicate they’re preparing for large-scale implementation.”

“How large?” I asked, though I already suspected the answer.

“Station-wide.” Nalina’s voice was tight. “They’re going to try to take control of everyone at once.” Her hands trembled as she pulled up more data, and I wasn’t sure if it was fear or the progression of her condition. “The environmental system modifications, the neural control compounds they’ve been testing - it was all leading to this.”

“Then we move now.” I checked my weapons again, an old habit when nerves threatened to overcome training. “How are we handling the security teams?”

“Non-lethal if possible.” Nalina pulled up more schematics. “Some of them might be like Grot - controlled rather than willing participants.”

I glanced at Nalina, remembering how fast she’d moved during our fight with Grot. How unnaturally quick her reactions had become.

No. I couldn’t think about that now.

“First checkpoint here.” Nalina traced our route through the maintenance shafts, her movements precise despite her fatigue. “I can loop the security feeds, make them see empty corridors. But we’ll only have minutes before their systems detect the anomaly.”

“Then we move fast.” I memorized the path. “Doctor, you have everything you need for the synthesis?”

Dr. Gondon patted her pack. “All my research, calibration data, everything. Once we reach the lab, I can begin immediately.”

“What’s our signal for the atmospheric system diversion?” Nalina asked.

“This.” Dr. Gondon handed her a small device. “When the synthesis is complete, it’ll emit a specific frequency. That’s your cue to trigger the environmental protocols.”

“And that’s when we move on the children’s section.” I studied the layout again. “How many can we evacuate at once?”

“The stasis units are mobile,” Dr. Gondon explained. “Designed to maintain life support during transport. But moving ten at once...”

“We’ll need help.” Nalina’s fingers danced across the controls one last time. “Give me five minutes. I need to send a message.”

“To who?” I asked.

“Odra.” Her lips curved slightly. “He has contacts in every maintenance crew on this station. People who’ve lost friends to the Consortium’s experiments. They’ll help.”

“Can they be trusted?”

“With their lives. With their children’s lives.” She met my eyes. “They’ve been waiting for a chance to fight back. They just needed to know how.”

She swayed suddenly, catching herself against the workstation. This time I didn’t pretend not to notice, wrapping an arm around her waist.

---