I needed a distraction to cover the sound.

“Madison,” I said loudly. “Are you alright?”

Madison looked up, blinking through tears. “Natalie, I’m scared.”

“Stay down,” I said, raising my voice slightly.

At the same instant, I flicked the toggle switch upward.

A tiny green LED light glowed on the front panel of the radio.

A soft, static hum began to vibrate through the desk.

Hayes frowned, his eyes scanning the room. “What was that?”

“It’s just the backup generator,” my father said quickly, pointing toward the window. “The rain must have knocked out the main line down the road.”

Hayes accepted the explanation and turned back to me.

“You’re smart, Natalie,” Hayes said. “But you’re too loyal to the uniform. It makes you blind.”

I kept my hand behind my back, my fingers moving to the frequency dial.

I knew the base emergency channel by heart: 142.350.

The dial had notches that clicked every half-turn.

I had to turn it blindly, counting the clicks in my head.

“I’m loyal to the people who don’t poison their own family,” I said.