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( 57 一 DEATHS COLD EMBRACE. )
The PSF stationed at the door peered at the two girls through the darkness.
"Houghton—that you? Who's with you?" he asked, scanning Clara. His eyes strayed from her face to the rifle she had strapped over her shoulder uneasily.
Ruby nodded and a moment later the PSF relaxed, his face going slack. He scanned his security badge and when it beeped he opened the door for them, allowing them to pass.
A rush of warmth enveloped them as the door closed behind them. There were doors lining the walls and a set of stairs leading to the second level. A PSF entered the room, releasing a loud yawn as he did. When he noticed them he gave a smile, half embarrassed and half unapologetic.
The girls smiled at him, letting him pass. They moved down the hall to a room that had the door half propped open. It was lined with computers and monitors.
Choosing one of the computers Clara slid into the chair in front of it and it lit up to reveal a basic desktop. She felt along the side of the computer and when Ruby slipped her the flash drive she pushed it in with an unsteady hand. She took a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart.
She opened the file that appeared, transferring the program file over onto the desktop. JUDE.EXE appeared on the screen's black background and Clara felt a pang in her heart. Of course Nico named it that.
Remembering what Nico had told her she erased the original file from the flash drive and dropped it to the floor, crushing it under the heavy heel of her PSF boot.
Clara opened the COMMAND PROMPT window, typed START JUDE.EXE, and the icon disappeared from the desktop.
When nothing happened Clara felt her heart rate spike. She glanced behind at Ruby, hoping she had some explanation. Instead, she was met with the sight of a gun cracking against the side of Ruby's head, her expression flaring into pain.
Clara tried to jump off the chair but was met with her own blow, stars exploding behind her eyes. She slumped off the chair, falling against the cold floor. A hand gripped her collar, wrenching her up. A PSF was glaring at her, his head doubling as Clara's sight remained unfocused.
"Here!" he yelled.
A camp controller slipped into the seat Clara was previously in, their hands flying across the keys. The other camp controllers in the room stood, alarmed.
"Stay clear," O'Ryan barked. He glared venomously at Clara, his face inches from hers. "What did you do?" he snarled.
Clara didn't know how she summoned the strength but somehow she found herself shrugging, a smirk tugging at her lips. Kill me, she taunted in her thoughts, I've done what I needed to do.
