Antigone tried to give him a brave version of the rabbit-smile, and rose up onto her knees so she could reach the button. It buzzed, louder than she expected, and she jumped like the buzz had been electric. But the speaker did connect, to a harried sounding voice on the other end. "Yeah," he said, when she explained where they were. "You ain't the only ones. Someone'll get to you as soon as they can."
"How long?" Antigone deliberately turned her face away from Asterion, so he didn't have to see the look on her face.
"Soon as we can. It's not just your building, love."
It was like she went blind, for a moment. Love. Antigone ended the call and with a vicious swipe she punched the side of her fist into the wall panel, with a sharp clang against the metal. "Fuck," she said, in what was probably the least reassuring way ever.