Chapter 54 · Cornered Beast

"Reid, get your hand off the seal!" Mira shouted.

Her voice hit him through the roar in the ground. So did the blast that followed.

The floor split under his boots. Gold light punched through the cracks and threw him against the black stone ring around the underground core. His injured shoulder slammed first. Something tore. He bit down hard enough to taste blood.

Across the chamber, Mira went down on one knee. Her rifle spun away and skidded toward the open shaft. Three armored figures came through the smoke behind her, their helmets lit with corporate blue.

"Target is active," one of them called. "Quinn is compromised. Drop both."

"Try it," Mira snapped.

The nearest soldier raised a shock cannon.

Reid moved before he thought.

He crossed the space in two steps, caught Mira by the back of her harness, and yanked her sideways. The cannon discharged. Blue current cracked across the wall where her head had been.

Mira hit his chest with both hands. "I told you to move your hand!"

"And I told you to stop giving orders you can't enforce."

"You want to test that right now?"

"You brought an army.