"The hangars behind those walls are full of pre-Fall mechanized walking tanks. They are heavily armed, piloted by humans, and they are powering up the artillery right now."
Mei Lin's terrified, trembling whisper hung in the suffocating darkness of the alcove. The air in Nikki's lungs turned to solid ice. Chancellor Vance hadn't called the recess to consult his delegates. He had cleared the biological collateral from the floor so he could turn the subterranean summit hall into an execution chamber.
"Get out of the Spire, Mei Lin," Nikki commanded fiercely, shoving the girl back toward the servant corridors. "Run. Now!"
Nikki didn't wait to see if her former friend obeyed. She spun around and sprinted out of the dark alcove, her boots slipping frantically on the frost-covered floor of the main hall.
