In the soft LED light, I could see bags the size of cricket balls under her eyes. Even her head stubble looked tired. “This is just about the perfect way to cap off today,” she said. “Every precinct has been on tactical alert since the strike started, and that means making all my people wear armor while carrying half their bodyweight in water bottles and riot foam. You know how unbreathable our armor is?” “Is that why you’re not in it?” She gave me a weak smile. “The advantages of command. My armor is back at the Fourteenth Street Precinct, air drying in my office. I’ve been on my feet since four this morning.” She closed her eyes. “Believe it or not, I am happy to see you. I heard about you walking around today, talking with people. But you vanished for a bit after the fire at your building.” “I went back to Tanque.” She made a face. “How? The outbound buses had stopped.”
