Chapter 27 · The First Sun

Nolan’s fingers clamped around mine.

I jerked back so hard my shoulder slammed into the relay housing. “Nolan?”

The core screamed above us. White light punched through the control room, and every screen flashed the same red command.

SECOND CONDUCTOR DETECTED. PURGE IN PROGRESS.

“Evelyn, move!” Mika shouted through the speaker. “The system is burning the room down!”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“You don’t have a choice!”

Nolan’s hand tightened again. His skin was cold. Not dead-cold. Worse. Like his body had forgotten what warm meant and was trying to remember.

I pressed two fingers to his throat. Nothing.

“Come on,” I whispered. “You don’t get to pull that dramatic hero crap now.”

His jaw twitched.

The core released another blast. The floor kicked under my boots. A row of ceiling panels tore loose and crashed behind me.

“Nolan!” Mika yelled. “His pulse is gone, but the relay still reads him as active. That means his neural contract didn’t break all the way.”

“Then fix it!”

“I’m working on it!”

“You’re locked in a life pod!”

“And you’re standing next to a power core that wants to erase your nervous system.