Too clean.
Too deliberate.
The commander’s jaw tightens.
Then his eyes shift toward Hannah.
Decision made.
I see it happen in real time.
He’s taking her.
No.
Absolutely not.
The commander gestures sharply toward two nearby fighters.
They immediately start moving toward us.
“Doctor comes with me.”
I step forward before they make it three feet.
“No, she doesn’t.”
Weapons snap upward instantly around the loading dock.
The tension becomes suffocating.
One wrong move and this entire place turns into a massacre.
The commander studies me calmly.
“You are outnumbered.”
“Maybe.”
Russ shifts beside me slightly.
Miles and Lucas reposition subtly near the civilians.
Nobody says it out loud.
But we’re all calculating casualties now.
The commander’s gaze settles back on Hannah.
“You have value,” he tells her evenly. “These people do not.”
Something cold flashes across her face instantly.
“You’re wrong.”
The commander tilts his head slightly.
“Am I?”
