Chapter 347

SILVIA We stood in the corridor now, free from our cell but far from safety. Voices still echoed from deeper in the complex—Jerome's coalition still arguing about their failing plan. "Which way?" Samuel asked. "Away from the arguing," I decided. "Toward what I hope is an exit." We moved down the corridor with what I generously called stealth and what Samuel would probably describe as 'elderly people trying not to make noise and failing.' Every step seemed to echo. Every breath sounded deafening. But we made progress. Past empty cells, past storage rooms, past what looked like some kind of planning area with maps spread across tables. "Wait," Samuel said, stopping at the planning room. "We should grab intelligence. Maps, documents, anything that shows what Jerome's coalition was planning." "Samuel, we're escaping," I hissed. "This is not the time for reconnaissance." "This is exactly the time," he countered. "When else are we going to have access to their operational headquarters? Five