They moved toward the dining hall exit without hurrying, because hurrying in a room full of people was information, and information in the wrong direction was a liability.
In the corridor, the pace changed.
---
William contacted Morris through the small communication crystal she had distributed to them at the beginning of the competition — a simple one-way pulse system, three pulses for urgent contact request.
He sent three pulses.
The response came back in ninety seconds, which was faster than expected, which meant she was already at her communication point rather than in the field.
The crystal produced her voice, low and compressed by the small device's limitations. "Cross."
"The perimeter," he said. "When the operative was contained — how much coverage was redirected inward."
A pause.
A pause that was two seconds longer than a pause should be from someone who had an immediate answer.
