Chapter Three: The First Person to Wake

White Noise shrieked static into the air, and Lu was flooded by emotions: terror, triumph, hunger, and a cold instruction that belonged to neither man nor boy. “Zero!” “Look at the access panel.” Above the door, permission codes flashed across the security display. Zero marked pale blue branches around each sequence. One path led to Old Ma smashing through the glass and running into traffic. The other led to the sprinklers firing and a low-voltage pulse knocking him unconscious. “You can choose only one,” Zero said. “I can only let you see.” Lu sprinted to the console and entered the administrator code. Before he hit the last digit, Old Ma raised the axe. Su placed a hand on Lu's shoulder.