“Clay.”
Warning.
Doesn’t matter.
Because Hannah is frozen beside me.
Completely frozen.
Like her body suddenly forgot how to function.
Her face has gone pale under the red tunnel lights, eyes locked on Wu with naked horror.
And all I can think is—
What did they do to you?
Wu watches her carefully.
Not like a man looking at a former patient.
Not even like a commander looking at an operative.
Like ownership.
Like he’s studying something that belongs to him.
I hate him instantly.
Violently.
“She was a child,” I say.
My voice echoes down the tunnel low and deadly.
Wu tilts his head slightly.
“Yes.”
Not denial.
Not shame.
Agreement.
That somehow makes it worse.
Hannah’s breathing turns uneven beside me.
“I don’t remember volunteering.”
Wu’s expression softens almost imperceptibly.
“You were frightened when we first found you.”
Found you.
Not rescued.
