The tunnel to the server room was lit by a single emergency strip. He slid the door open, expecting to see the familiar dull blink of Axekin’s amber heartbeat light.
“Yes. But you are not. Run.”
The man opened his eyes. They were calm. Too calm.
A pause. Then, whispered: “Is Axekin safe?”
He ran.
Kael’s blood went cold. That was their challenge code. Their secret. No one outside their cell of twelve knew those three words.
“I’m the one who built her,” the man said. “I came to see if my daughter was still alive.”
Except one.