Rohan felt a fresh chill settle over the cautious, hard-won progress of the past several days. Being so close to his goal of returning, this was the last thing he wished to be hearing right now.
"What do they want?"
"What consortium investment groups always want," Renna said flatly. "Control. Exclusive access. Whatever profit or advantage a confirmed boundary crossing might represent, in the hands of people with considerably more resources than any of us currently have access to." She was quiet a moment, weighing something. "I can't tell you how much time you have before they move more directly. But I'd recommend assuming it's considerably less than you'd like."
Rohan looked toward Corven, then toward Dr. Farr, both of their expressions carrying the same grim, focused understanding.
Not just a race against the fracture's own failing stability anymore. A race against whoever else wants what's waiting on the other side of it.
[Great System Note: New complication detected.]
