Chapter 3

Daphne had twelve minutes left when she called Gina for the seventh time.

The communication device rang until the screen went dark. She tried again.

RECIPIENT UNAVAILABLE.

Daphne stared at the notification, then at the clinic's wall clock.

Gina had promised to return before the deadline. She had said she would find the credits, even if she had to work until her legs gave out. That was several hours ago.

A contraction tightened Daphne's abdomen. She grabbed the edge of the medical bed and breathed through it, her eyes fixed on the countdown projected above her wrist.

MEDICAL AUTHORIZATION EXPIRES IN: 00:11:43.

"Please," she whispered, rubbing her stomach. "Just a little longer."

Her baby moved beneath her palm.

Daphne swallowed the lump in her throat.

She had spent three weeks convincing herself that Trent would come back. Surely he would return before their child was born. Surely, once he knew how bad things had become, he would never leave them to suffer.

She needed to hold on until Gina arrived. After the delivery, she would find a way to reach Twilight City.

She knew Trent had won the Ascension Trials. She knew he was an A-Class now. But he was still the boy who had once held her hand in an abandoned tunnel and promised that neither of them would ever have to face the world alone.

She needed to believe that boy still existed. A sharp knock interrupted her thoughts.

The clinic attendant entered with a tablet tucked beneath her arm.

"Your payment authorization is about to expire."

"I know. My friend is bringing the credits."

"Then she should have arrived before the deadline."

Daphne pushed herself upright.

"Could you please give me another hour? I'm in pain, and the doctor said the baby could come at any time."

"The doctor also explained the payment requirements."

"But I can't leave like this!"

The attendant glanced at the medical monitor. "Your vital signs are stable enough for discharge."

"My stomach hurts."

"You're experiencing contractions. That doesn't automatically qualify you for extended care."

Daphne stared at her.

"Are you asking me to leave while I'm in labor?"

"I'm informing you that your authorization is expiring."

The attendant tapped her tablet.

Daphne's remaining credits appeared on the screen. The number was painfully small.

"Look," Daphne pleaded, "I'll find the money. My mate lives in Twilight City. He's an A-Class now. I only need to reach him."

"Then you should contact him."

"I've been trying!"

"That's not the clinic's responsibility."

The attendant turned toward the door.

Daphne caught her sleeve.

"Please. Just let me stay until my friend comes back."

The woman pulled free.

"Do not touch me again."

She left.

She called Gina once more.

Nothing.

When the authorization expired, two security attendants arrived with a discharge notice.

Daphne refused to move at first.

Not because she thought she could force them to change their minds, but because standing up felt impossible. Her lower back ached, her legs trembled, and every few minutes, a painful tightening seized her abdomen.

One attendant held out a thin emergency blanket.

"You need to leave."

"Where am I supposed to go?"

He avoided her eyes.

"Outside."

Daphne took the blanket.

She had no energy left to argue.

With one hand supporting her stomach and the other gripping her small bag, she walked out of the clinic.

Nobody asked whether she had somewhere to sleep.

Outside, Omega City's afternoon traffic moved through the streets under a network of elevated transport rails. Delivery drones passed overhead. Advertisements shimmered across buildings, promoting luxury apartments in Twilight City and exclusive medical packages for citizens with sufficient credits.

A holographic advertisement displayed an A-Class couple standing in front of a beautiful apartment.

YOUR RANK. YOUR FUTURE. YOUR CHOICE.

Daphne looked away.

She had once imagined herself standing beside Trent in a place like that. Now she needed somewhere to give birth.

"Gina," she whispered into her device. "Where are you?"

There was no answer. She started toward home.

---

She had barely walked two streets when she heard two men talking beside a damaged vending machine.

"Did you hear about the woman they caught stealing earlier?"

"Which one?"

"The one near the old recycling depot. They beat her to death."

Daphne slowed.

"What did she steal?"

"Food, apparently. She tried to sell it for few credits. Doesn't matter now. They tied her body to a post as a warning."

The other man snorted.

"Twenty-four hours, wasn't it?"

"That's what I heard. The patrol won't remove her until the display period is over."

Daphne's stomach tightened.

A woman caught stealing near the recycling depot.

Her hand closed around her communication device.

Gina worked at the recycling plant. She had left the clinic to find money, and Daphne knew how desperate she had been to get the credits.

"No," Daphne whispered.

She turned toward the men.

"Where?"

They looked at her.

"Where is the woman?"

One of them pointed down the street. "Old depot. Take the service road past the abandoned transport station."

Daphne was already moving.

"Hey, lady, I wouldn't go there if I were you," the man called after her. "The security patrol doesn't care who you are."

She didn't stop.

Her breath came in short bursts as she hurried along the service road. Twice, she had to brace herself against a wall when pain gripped her abdomen.

She kept going.

Gina had promised to come back. Gina wouldn't leave her alone without a word.

The old recycling depot appeared beyond a row of rusted transport containers. Several people stood across the road, watching a figure tied to a metal post.

Daphne pushed past them.

Then she saw the woman's face. Her feet stopped moving.

"No."

The word came out so quietly that nobody heard it.

Gina's head hung forward. Her dark curls were matted against her forehead, and bruises covered the skin Daphne could see. Her clothes were torn, her hands swollen.

Her face had already begun turning blue.

For a moment, Daphne couldn't understand what she was looking at.

Gina was supposed to be at the clinic.

She was supposed to come through the door with that crooked smile, complain about the terrible shift she'd worked, and tell Daphne she had found enough credits.

She wasn't supposed to be here.