It has been a while, hasn't it? Everything in the room is very still, from the hundreds of empty eyes to the air around them. There's only the scratch of Adia's pen and Ghost's fluttering as he trains all his attention on the circuits he's fooling.

"I nearly have it," he says, trying not to think about predatory claws creeping up on him. Knotted fingers closing over his shell, clenching over him like a cage.

And then something cold and rubbery presses against the points of his shell and

he's
not
imagining
that

"Adia!" He clenches his shell tight about him and launches forward, twisting and folding himself until he squeezes free of the closing fingers. There's a thunk as he bounces off the panel glass and throws himself upward, darting away as fast as he can propel himself. Unfortunately that gives him a shockingly good view of the ribbon-like arms stretching down from a ceiling vent. They're coiling and contracting now, flesh bunching as they rise back and angle up for him.

He knows what he has to do. He flies for the far end of the room and waits, high up by the ceiling. Letting them come for him, staring right at them. Holding the solution to the security locks in his mind.

When they're almost close enough to grab again he dives. Drops down and shoots back toward the security panel, skimming over floor and glassy eyes alike. He pops up at the keypad and snatches at the interface.

I know this, I know the way through, I know this... Layer after layer opens up, peels away before him. But behind him, they are coming. Just let me get this. Let me finish this...

The last code falls into place. The last countermeasure falls for it. The pad lighting turns green, the panel clicking open. Ghost throws himself aside as fingers reach for him. "Get it now!"