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“Did I stutter?” Revik gave her a colder look. “Unlock the fucking door. Now.”

Neela hesitated, as if restraining herself from questioning him again.

Nerves rippled heraleimi, on the surface, where Revik could actually see it. Given Neela’s sight rank, he must have really rattled her, which meant she was thinking of Allie, and whatever orders Neela imagined coming from his wife regarding this particular point.

Even as he thought it, he saw Neela glance at the monitor for T3, the Barrier chamber he and Allie shared.

He could almost feel her wondering if she should clear this with Allie.

Angry for real that time, Revik sent her a hard flush of light, that time intense enough that Neela blanched, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Before Revik could speak, Raddi broke the silence.

“Follow your orders, lieutenant,” he warned Neela.

Revik glanced over. He noted the hard glare in Raddi’s eyes.

Neela looked at him, too. A beat later, she nodded, once. “Of course, sir.” She turned politely to Revik. “Of course, Illustrious Sword. My profound apologies.”

Raddi grunted, his eyes still holding a sheen of anger.

Raddi was old school. One of Wreg’s recruits.

Neela nodded a second time.

Her eyes still appeared openly worried as she reached for the console. Her fingers moved rapidly through the primary security sequence for the T1 quadrant. Revik watched her hands as she manipulated security keys on the board after she’d verified her identity with DNA and retinal scans, using Barrier keys she held in the higher reaches of heraleimi.

Raddi was already walking towards the door.

Revik turned to follow him.

He waited behind the other male once they reached the appropriate hatch.

Raddi took hold of the wheel in one hand and looked backwards, waiting for Neela to finish her end of the security sequence. Unlike Neela, Raddi’s overall light and demeanor exuded approval when he glanced at Revik, especially when his eyes lingered on the gun Revik held in his right hand, its muzzle still aimed at the deck.

Revik even felt a glimmer of smugness there.

“Got it,” Neela said.

Revik’s jaw hardened. They’d put a few extra codes on this particular cell.

Made sense. He couldn’t say he disapproved.

He watched Raddi give a single nod to Neela, right before he keyed a whole separate set of security numbers into the outside panel, utilizingaleimickeys shielded from the outer construct. The panel opened, indicating the secondary IDs required.

Raddi leaned over a retinal scanner, simultaneously pressing his palm to a flat sensor panel.

Revik knew the keys and even the procedures would change with each rotation, and that no one seer would be able to access any of the cells on their own.

Further, the codes would be checked upstairs.

Every time this door opened, someone upstairs got a ping that it was happening.

The last part meant he couldn’t dick around in there.

They might know where he was by now anyway.

Knowing Balidor and Wreg, he should expect to have company soon.