POV: Ayla

The compound looks the same from the outside.

The walls hold. The gates open on the same hinges. The elevated rotations have dropped back to a density that no longer feels like a held breath. From the approach road it would be possible to believe that the last weeks were a story told about some other set of buildings.

Inside, nothing feels the same.

We bring Ryker in through the medical wing entrance so that the main courtyard does not become a second performance. He is conscious, pale, and already arguing with the medic about the length of the restricted duty list. The argument has no real heat...