Page 75 of Stars in Halo

In seconds, the keypad beeped.

The tiny bots had done their work.

The shield fell away.

As Mirage had predicted, klaxons sounded beyond the blast doors.

Katya had just a few moments before the ALMQ gendarmes were through them.

Sighing, she rushed into the cell where Xion lay on the floor.

Katya knelt beside the Rider, her fingers hovering over his pulse as she checked to see if he was out cold.

He was breathing, but it was shallow, and he was non-responsive to her touch.

The dim light flickered above, casting eerie shadows across the room as Mirage once more spoke into the Ccyth woman’s ear.

Listening with intent, she reached out and touched Xion’s lips.

Another quiver rushed over her suit, and this time she saw a silvery cloud of noids float over his mouth and vanish.

She pulled back, fascinated, eyes fixed on his chiselled jaw and sculpted features.

A stab of need and compassion went through her, and she clenched her fists, wanting to stroke his locks and smooth her hand over his still forehead.

She jolted when his eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his mocha-jade gaze before recognition dawned.

‘Katya?’ Xion rasped, his voice hoarse and ragged.

‘In the flesh,’ Katya murmured, her eyes glinting. ‘Time to fokkin’ light out of here.’

He tried to push himself up but fell back like his limbs were lead. ‘What happened?’

‘No time for that now,’ she urged, helping him to stand. ‘We need to move fast before anyone realises you’re gone.’

She hoisted him up and was moving his limp, heavy body onto the bench when a wild commotion erupted outside.

A syncopated boom of laser fire blasted from somewhere behind the reinforced door she’d walked in through, and Mirage had sealed it well.

It was thick and made of synth steel, fortified with plex.

It would take a reasonable effort to break through.

Regardless, the laser fire thundering from without sounded concentrated and fierce enough to break the barrier.

Katya jerked as if some of the energy weapons had hit her, choking back the panic that flooded her.

Xion swayed against her, still half incapacitated.

‘Freakin’ hell!’

She pushed him onto the cell’s solitary bench even as a renewed burst of rays and the edge of a flaming laser cutting a circle through the blast doors hurried her.

After scrambling through her backpack, she set a small pad on Xion’s chest that latched onto his torn undershirt.

She tapped it, and it shimmered as a stream of metanoids flowed from it, creating a matte silver-grey combat body armour system as if from thin air.

It formed all over him in a tight fit, merging into a sleek helmet that slid over his locks.

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