Toni struggled to keep up, her breath ragged. “Azazel, they’re getting closer!”
“Don’t worry,” he said in a clipped voice. “We’ll make it.”
Her legs burned and her heart pounded, but she didn’t dare slow down. Not that she could while the man had a tight grip on her wrist. A part of her wanted to yank free and curl into a ball into a corner and let the nightmares run by. But the memory of those glinting, faceless soldiers burned into her mind. At least Azazel’s tight grip grounded her in this endless chaos.
“Here!” he barked, releasing her wrist as he shoved open a door that led into a dark chamber.
Toni stumbled through the door behind him. When she straightened, she gasped.
They were in a vast room filled with strange, crystalline machinery in a multitude of colors. Each pulsed with faint, rhythmic lights in random patterns.
He moved to the center and waved a hand over the strange console. “JR14, can you disable their tracking signals?” he asked in his soothing voice.
“Working.” The AI fluttered down to the control table. One of his thin legs jabbed into the crystal material, causing the yellow glass to glow.
She bent with her hands planted on her thighs to catch her breath, her chest heaving. Gulping, she looked up. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Let’s find out.” Azazel’s hands flexed on the hilt of his katana as his gaze fixated on the door.
The rumble outside grew louder. The Krystalii were here.
“Signal interference activated. Pursuit delayed.” JR14 chirped.
Azazel exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. “Good. That buys us—”
A deafening crash cut him off as the door splintered open, shards of crystal scattering like shrapnel.
Three Krystalii Elite guards stepped through. Their clear angular forms gleamed in the dim light.
Toni’s blood ran cold. “Azazel...”
He stepped in front of her, his katana gleaming as he shifted into a fighting stance. “Stay behind me.”
Her throat tightened as the Elites advanced, their movements unnervingly smooth and synchronized. She had a wild idea that the raw power emanating from them pulsated with alien energy that reached out, trying to grab her.
Azazel didn’t wait. He surged forward, and his blade sliced through the air with precision.
The first Elite shattered under his strike, shards blowing apart like a chandelier crashing to the hard floor. The other two adapted, their movements faster, more deliberate.
Her heart raced as she pressed herself against the wall. She had to help, to do something. But what could she do? Her gaze darted around the room, searching for anything—something—that could give them an edge.
She glimpsed a glowing panel near the far wall. Its symbols flickered like a heartbeat. She didn’t know what it did, but it looked important.
“Toni!” Azazel’s shout snapped. “Get out of here!”
“No!” She bolted toward the panel, her fear drowned out by a surge of determination. If she couldn’t fight, she’d find a different way to help.
“What are you doing?” Azazel yelled. His voice was tinged with panic as he parried another strike.
“Just keep them busy!” she shouted as her fingers flew over the panel. Hoping for a miracle, she pressed the meaningless symbols.
With a roar, machinery sprang to life, shaking the room.
When the surrounding lights flared, the Krystalii stumbled and hesitated.
“Toni!” Azazel demanded, his katana slicing through another Elite. “What did you do?”
“I don’t know!” she admitted, her voice shaking. “But it’s working!”
