Chapter 17 · Ghost on the Line

"Get away from the console, Ev. Right now."

Nolan slammed his palm against the emergency lock before I could reach the door. The metal shutters dropped with a brutal clang, sealing us inside the old control room.

"Move your hand," I snapped.

"You keep touching that panel, the bond spikes again."

"Mika is bleeding out downstairs."

"And if you trigger the core, the whole station cooks us. Pick one problem."

His voice sounded steady. His hand didn't. It shook against the lock, fingers jumping like the nerves underneath had turned live.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him away. Heat flashed across my palm. The silver lines under his skin lit up, then burned white.

Nolan sucked in a sharp breath.

So did I.

The neural contract snapped tight between us. Pain punched through my skull and dropped me to one knee.

"Damn it!" I shoved him back. "You said you could control it."

"I said I could try. Big difference."

"Try harder."

He caught the edge of the console before his knees gave out. His pupils had gone wide, almost black, and a thin line of blood ran from one nostril.

I looked past him at the medical monitor.