Page 21 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

I vaulted over a coolant line, ducking as his massive arm swung where my head had been. The blow dented the pipe, sending freezing spray into the air. I used the slick floor to slide between two conduits, forcing him to choose which one to follow. He chose wrong - I popped up behind him, using a hanging cable to swing around and land a kick to his back.

He crashed into a junction box, sparks showering around us. The electrical discharge seemed to make the device at his neck spark in response.

“Your assistance to the fugitive has been noted.” That horrible empty voice again. “Submit for processing.”

“Sorry, not interested in whatever they did to you.” I grabbed a loose panel, swinging it at his face.

He barely flinched. One hand caught my wrist, crushing. Another wrapped around my throat.

The world started to dim at the edges. I clawed at his grip, but it was like fighting a wall.

A gray blur slammed into Grot from behind. The pressure on my throat vanished as I dropped to my knees, gasping.

”How did you find me?” I managed between breaths.

Tyrix pulled me to my feet, his nose brushing my neck. “I’d find you anywhere. Anytime. Never worry.” His voice was rough, possessive. But there was no time for that now - Grot was already recovering.

I’d moved like I would behind the bar - quick, efficient, always where the threat wasn’t. Duck under a swing, slide past his guard, use his momentum against him. Bar fights had taught me to end things quick and dirty.

Tyrix was something else entirely. Each movement precise, calculated, deadly. Where I dodged, he redirected. Where I looked for quick strikes, he set up killing blows. The perfect predator against Grot’s uncanny precision.

“Are you alright?” Tyrix’s low growl sent heat through my chest despite the situation.

“Been better.” I scrambled up as Grot turned to face us again.

Tyrix flowed around Grot’s strikes like water, each movement calculated and deadly. But even his Vinduthi strength barely slowed our friend down.

“Getting some workout tips I should know about?” I called, drawing Grot’s attention so Tyrix could land a hit to his knee joint.

“Clearly I need to up my training regimen.” Tyrix’s fist connected with Grot’s jaw. “Though the instant healing seems excessive.”

I dove between Grot’s legs as he stumbled, coming up behind him. “Show off.”

Our eyes met over Grot’s shoulder. Without a word, I dropped low as Tyrix went high, our movements perfectly synchronized. My sweep took out Grot’s legs while Tyrix’s strike caught him in the throat - right where that metal device glinted.

Grot convulsed, the purple marks pulsing faster as he fought the device’s control. His tentacles writhed, half reaching for us, half trying to tear the metal from his neck.

“The children,” he gasped, his real voice breaking through. Sweat beaded on his skin as he fought for each word. “In the labs below... Dr. Gondon tried to stop them, but-” His eyes cleared for a brief moment, showing the terror and pain beneath the Consortium’s control.

Then the device sparked, purple light surging through his veins like lightning, and his spine went rigid as what-ever-the-hell it was took him over again.

“Grot, fight it!” But he was already moving again, faster and stronger than before.

The next few moments were chaos - strikes, dodges, the clang of metal on metal. We had no chance of taking him alive, not with whatever was controlling him. But before we could land a final blow, he suddenly twisted free.

For a moment, his movements became his own again - uncoordinated, desperate, real. Then the purple light surged, and the weapon they’d made him into reasserted control.

Something clattered to the ground - a child’s ID bracelet that had fallen from his jacket pocket. The data crystal embedded in it still glowed faintly.

I stared after where Grot had disappeared, my hands shaking. Tyrix pulled me against his chest, fingers gentle as they checked for injuries.

“I’m fine, I-”

The words died as his mouth crashed into mine. Heat exploded through my body as he pressed me against the wall, his kiss desperate and hungry. His claws scraped carefully against the metal by my head, caging but not trapping.

My fingers dug into his shoulders as I pulled him closer, feeling the strength in him carefully restrained. When he finally broke away, we were both breathing hard, the station’s constant hum barely audible over my pounding heart.

“I thought... when I saw him choking you...”

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