"Keep moving, Cain!" Lila yanked his arm as a burst of blue rounds tore through the scrap wall behind them.
Cain hit the ground on one knee. His fingers dug into the dirt hard enough to crack the black crust over it.
"I am moving," he growled.
"You're kneeling. That's not moving."
Another round punched through the wall. Metal screamed beside Lila's head.
Cain caught her around the waist and dragged her behind an overturned transport shell. Her back slammed against his chest. Heat rolled off him, too much heat, even through two layers of worn cloth. His breath scraped against her ear.
"Don't touch me," she snapped.
"Then stop standing where they can shoot you."
"You shoved me into a wall."
"You're welcome."
She twisted and drove an elbow into his ribs.
Cain barely moved. His hand closed around her wrist before she could hit him again. His grip was hard, but not crushing. Not yet.
"Let go."
"No."
"Cain."
His eyes locked on hers. The pale lines beneath his skin had turned bright, crawling from his throat to his jaw like hot wires. His face looked steady, but his pulse jumped under her fingers.
"They're using suppression rounds," he said. "The next hit goes through this shell."
"I know what a suppression round does."
"Do you?"
"It shuts you down."
"It shuts me down slow."
A sharp tremor ran through his arm.
Lila saw it. So did he.
His jaw tightened. He released her wrist and pushed himself upright.
"How long?" she asked.
"Until what?"
"Until you fall over."
"Long enough."
"That's not a number."
"Three minutes. Maybe two."
"And you waited until now to mention that?"
"You were busy yelling at me."
"I can yell and save your life at the same time. Keep up."
She grabbed the strap of his torn harness and pulled him toward the drainage trench cutting through the dump. Cain followed, but each step landed heavier than the last. His boots dragged through ash and broken plastic.
Behind them, the hunters moved through the wreckage.
Not scavengers. Not raiders.
The squad wore sealed black armor with white marks over the chest. Six soldiers spread in a half circle, rifles raised. Their helmets showed no faces. Only narrow red lenses.
A voice rolled over the scrap field through a loudspeaker.
"Asset Cain. Drop to your knees and place your hands behind your head. The girl is not your concern."
Lila glanced back. "They called you an asset."
"They usually call me worse."
"You know them?"
"I know what they want."
"That's not what I asked."
Cain looked down at her. "You ask too many questions."
"You answer too few."
"Keep pulling."
She did. The harness strap cut into her palm. Cain's body was larger than it had any right to be, built for breaking doors and people, but he kept his pace matched to hers. That should have made her feel safer.
It didn't.
The bond under her skin pulsed once. Cain stopped so fast she ran into him.
"What now?" she demanded.
He lifted his head.
"They brought a tracker."
"You can sense that?"
"I can smell the charge."
"You can smell electronics?"
"I can smell everything right now. Your blood. The oil on that rifle. The copper in the dirt."
His gaze dropped to her mouth for half a second.
"And your fear."
Lila shoved his shoulder. "Try saying that again and I'll give you something real to smell."
His mouth almost curved. Almost.
Then his knees buckled.
She caught him under the arm. The impact drove her down with him, and his weight pinned her against the side of the trench. His hand landed beside her head. His face stopped inches away.
His breath was hot. Too hot. A fine sheen of sweat covered his temple.
"Get off me," she whispered.
"Tell me to stay awake."
The words came rough, stripped of the command in his voice.
Lila blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
"You want me to babysit you?"
"I want your voice in my head."
The bond tightened between them, a faint pressure beneath her ribs. His eyes stayed on hers. No threat this time. No order.
A request.
That scared her more than the rifles.
"You don't get to ask me for things," she said.
"I just did."
"You nearly broke my arm yesterday."
"You tried to put a knife in my eye."
"You deserved it."
"Probably."
A round cracked over the trench. Dust spilled across Cain's shoulder.
He turned, putting his body between her and the fire.
"Lila," he said. "Keep me awake."
Her throat tightened. She hated that he sounded like he trusted her.
She slapped his cheek.
His head shifted with the hit. His eyes snapped back to focus.
"Hey!"
"You're awake. Move."
"That was your plan?"
"It worked."
"Hit me again and see how well it works."
"Keep talking, then."
Cain pushed away from the trench and hauled her up with him. This time, he didn't release her hand. His palm closed around hers, hot and rough, his thumb pressed over the bond mark at her wrist.
"Why are you holding on?" she asked.
"You gave me the kill command."
"That doesn't answer me."
"If you trigger it, I need to know before I drop."
"You think I'd kill you?"
"I think you want to live."
The answer hit harder than it should have.
Lila pulled free. "Then don't make me choose."
They ran.
The trench dropped into a narrow service tunnel beneath the dump. Lila jumped first, landed badly, and caught herself on a rusted pipe. Cain came down behind her, one hand braced against the wall.
The second his boots touched the ground, the tunnel lights flickered on.
Red dots appeared across Cain's chest.
"Down!" he shouted.
He grabbed Lila and spun her beneath his arm. The first suppression bolt struck him in the back.
Cain jerked.
A sound tore out of him. Not a shout. Not human enough for that.
The blue charge spread across his coat in branching lines. His fingers locked around Lila's shoulder.
"Cain!"
"Run."
"You got hit."
"I noticed."
"You can't fight like this."
"I don't need to fight. I need you to run."
Three soldiers dropped into the tunnel behind them.
The lead hunter lifted his rifle. "Asset secured. Kill the scavenger if she resists."
Lila snatched a broken length of pipe from the floor.
"She won't resist," Cain said.
"You don't speak for me."
"For once, let me."
The lead hunter stepped closer. "Cain, your core is failing. Your reflexes are already dropping. Come back, and the technicians can stabilize you."
"They can repair what they broke."
"They made you."
"That's why I know what they'll do next."
The hunter aimed at Lila's chest. "Move away from him."
Lila raised the pipe. "Come take me."
Cain's hand shot out and caught the back of her coat.
"Don't."
"You said you don't speak for me."
"I changed my mind."
"You don't get to—"
"Lila, if you swing that pipe, they fire. If they fire, I lose control. If I lose control, you won't get the chance to use the kill command."