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**Monday, September 25th. T-Minus 93.**
**7:15 PM.**
The hallway mirror sat above a scuffed console table littered with unpaid heating bills and spare quarters.
Cate stood in front of the glass. She wore a tight, ribbed black tank top that stopped an inch above the belt line of her low-rise jeans. A strip of bare, pale skin showed when she shifted her weight. She commanded the cramped space without trying, her posture relaxed but aware, exuding a sharp confidence that made the peeling wal