Elias tensed. The motion was small, but the shard pulsed in response—colder, sharper. A warning drawn from his spine.
"You're defending them?" The words cut. His eyes narrowed, the tone edged. She's loyal, he thought, but to what?
"I work for them," she said, the defense steady but careful. "I see their angle. Holding society together. Before the aliens, things were... stable. As long as the politicians kept out of it."
Her fingers curled against the cot's frame. Nails dragged along the underside of the metal. The sound was soft. Telling.
"After?" she added, quieter now. "It's a mess. I wasn't sure if I was killing real threats… or just holding up someone's idea of order."
Elias turned toward her. The motion wasn't forceful, but there was weight behind it. His gaze found hers. The tremor in his hands didn't matter.
She's questioning, too.
"Then why stay?" he asked.
Her eyes didn't hold steady.
A flicker passed through—too fast for her to smother. Doubt. Real.
