Chapter 80: The Echo from the Deep
The morning started wrong.
The sun was shining but the light felt thin and watery. The warmth that usually radiated from the fortress walls was damp. It felt like the sweat of a fever.
I sat in the nursery with Lyra. She was sitting in her high chair. Her bowl of oatmeal was untouched.
"Come on sweetie," I coaxed. "Just one bite."
Lyra did not look at the food. She did not look at me.
She was staring at the north wall.
Her mismatched eyes were wide and unblinking. Her tiny hands gripped the plastic tray of her chair until her knuckles turned white.
"Lyra?" I touched her arm.
She felt cold.
This was wrong. Lyra was never cold. She was a reactor core.
"Victor!" I called out.
Victor appeared in the doorway a moment later. He had sensed my spike o
