The next morning, Vermillion was still functioning.
Damon considered that a victory.
During the night, no new orders had emerged from the original archive, no agents had died because of the authentication marks, and all twenty-four patients had remained stable. The six who had undergone Phase Three still required constant monitoring, but Mereth had managed to reduce the artificial circulation in one of them without causing any drop in vital signs. It wasn't much, but it was enough to prove that the dependency created by Serik's procedure didn't have to be permanent.
Damon found Aria asleep over a table on Level Zero, her head resting between two notebooks.
He knocked twice on the wood.
She opened her eyes.
"I'm awake."
"Now you are."
Aria straightened and looked around as though she needed to remember where she was.
"What time is it?"
"Past the time normal people wake up."
"That means nothing."
"Agreed."
