Morning light crept through the cracked blinds. The acid rain had finally softened from roof-drumming punishment to slow drops ticking through the clogged gutter outside.
The motel room was freezing. Caleb sat on the edge of the sagging mattress while the springs complained under him, pulling his stiff canvas trousers into place with his left hand and fastening the combat belt one notch at a time. His right arm hung heavy. Bruised muscle dragged against bone, and the torn strip across his collarbone pulled tight whenever he breathed too deep.
Kikaru stood near the foggy bathroom mirror with her gray academy jacket zipped to her throat. She smoothed a crease along one sleeve until the fabric lay flat over her wrist. Her carbon-fiber leg brace clicked when she shifted her weight, loud in the quiet room. She kept her back to the bed like the mirror could make a wall.
