First step is to sleep for whatever time is left of our designated night shift. When I wake up my eyes still feel like they've been rolled in roach dung, but that's still better than the night before.

  Agni is there at breakfast. I manage to slip her a note when she hands over my cracker. It bears the message Margie and I painstakingly scrawled with instructions on how to make it to our meeting tonight. She slips it into her pocket without acknowledging my stare.

  Next, unfortunately, is another work shift. I go into it with renewed energy, but the rock is hard and my limbs are already aching and enthusiasm only covers for so much. Margie keeps me on sorting duty as much as she can, enough that Drey notices and complains. Then it's back to the rock face, chipping out splinters of glassy black axonite until the baskets are full and we can stagger back to the barracks. I force down another cracker and wait.

  As everyone settles down for sleep, Margie takes young Basof aside and speaks with him in low tones. He seems to react badly, and I sidle over to listen.

  "Come on," Margie says. "You're crying over an opportunity to get your rocks off?"

  "You know it's not like that," Basof says, crossing his arms protectively. "If she's had a bad day she me. I agreed to do this for work shifts, not when I'm supposed to be sleeping."

  "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," Margie says more gently. "Like important." She leans closer to him and whispers. "Like maybe if you do this tonight, you won't need to ever again."

  "You're fucking kidding," Basof hisses.

  "No. But I'll say so if you breathe a word to any of the others. Secrets die."

  "Secrets die," Basof mutters. "Fuck. You're sure she's up for it?"

  "She's coming here right now."

  A few minutes later, Margie and Basof slip out through the doorway, and I follow. Shtreig soon appears, sauntering down the corridor like a glutton sighting a big meal, and Agni strolls behind her.

  "Now is one of my favorites," Shtreig says, stopping in front of Basof. She reaches out to cup his cheek. "He has such a beautiful whimper, and he looks at you with those big puppy eyes. I can't get enough." She cocks her head and glances back at Agni. "Want to share him? I don't mind."

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  "No, thanks," Agni says dryly. "Enjoy yourself. I'll handle the rest of the patrol."

  "Obliged." Shtreig sets her hand heavily on Basof's shoulder. "Let's find a quiet spot."

  We wait until their footsteps have faded. Then Margie gestures in another direction, and Agni looks to me. I nod, and we follow. After a few minutes, Margie clears her throat.

  "How long do we have?"

  "Hour and a half until the next patrol takes over," Agni says. "I told Shtreig to meet me back at the guard room. Twelve above, she's a piece of work."

  "You don't know the half of it," Margie says grimly.

  "I hope this is important." Agni looks at me. I see uncertainty in her eyes, like she doesn't know quite what to expect. "I had to trade a month of garbage duty to get this shift."

  "It's important," I tell her. Then, before I can help myself, another question pops out. "What up there? This was never the plan."

  "Do we have to do this now?" she says.

  "Yeah." The wound inside isn't as raw, but its still there. "I think we do."

  "Fine." She tugs her collar, embarrassed. "I could tell the plan was fucked as soon as I walked into the commandant's office. He's a paranoid bastard, had the transect ready and waiting to shoot whatever I told him back to the City for confirmation. So I told him the truth."

  "The truth. Because you were never a prisoner, never court-martialed. You lied to us."

  "Not at first. You just assumed. The fucking raider attack caught me in my underwear. And then I was shot, and …" She swallows. "I didn't think you'd help a guard. Why would you?"

  "Of I would have --"

  "And Quarter? Raz?" She shrugs. "Maybe. I didn't know any of you. I just didn't want to ." She shakes her head. "I figured it would never matter, right? We were going to spend the rest of our lives on the run in the desert. As far as the City's concerned, I would have died with the rest."

  "But …" I stop. " were going to run into the desert, because we're escaped prisoners. But you could have just gone back to your … your real life." The way never would be able to. "Why wouldn't you want that?"

  "You think I asked for this?" She tugs weakly at her uniform collar, with its insignia of rank. "I spent four years as a conscript. Signed up again because they offered to train me as an officer and it was that or go back to a shit-poor mountain village and break rocks. But since I'm not a City girl with a big name, all I get are shit assignments, and the latest one is out here at the end of the world. My life might be shorter out in the desert but at least it'd be worth living, you know? Besides…"

  She trails off, biting her lip.

  "Besides?"

  "You saved my life. saved my life. The way I was raised, that means something." She snorts. "My old sergeant would tell me I'm being an idiot."

  "He'd probably be right." I let out a long breath and let the last of my rage drain away. "But I'm glad you are."

  Hesitantly, she smiles.

  "Touching," Margie interrupts. "But if you two are done, we've got an hour twenty left. Let's keep moving."