Page 43 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

One of the security officers suddenly stopped mid-stride, his whole body shuddering. “The children,” he gasped, fighting against the device at his neck. “We saw... we knew something was wrong, but they... they made us...”

His partner grabbed him, trying to drag him back into formation. But he resisted, each word clearly costing him. “Archives... level 3... proof of other stations... has to be stopped...”

Purple light surged through the control device. His spine went rigid, eyes glazing over as the Consortium’s programming reasserted itself. When he raised his weapon again, all trace of humanity had vanished from his movements.

I put him down with a careful shot to the shoulder. Better unconscious than trapped in that hell.

“Second node ready,” Dr. Gondon called. “But these power readings...”

The station’s warning system shifted from purple to red. Emergency shutters began closing across the sector.

“No!” Nalina exclaimed. “They’re starting a cascade lockdown. If those shutters seal-”

“On it.” I moved to cover her position, taking down two more security officers with carefully placed shots. “How many nodes left?”

“Three.” Dr. Gondon’s skin had gone ash-gray. “But these readings... the power surge they’re building...”

A massive tremor shook the station. Warning klaxons blared as systems began overloading.

“They’ve hardwired bypasses around the normal shutdown sequences,” Dr. Gondon said, her voice tight with sudden understanding. “Any remote shutdown triggers automatic data transfer. The lab is continuously transmitting research data off-station.”

“So we can’t just cut power?” Nalina asked, still fighting the lockdown protocols.

“No. It has to be done in a specific sequence, from inside the lab itself.” Dr. Gondon’s expression changed, something resolving behind her eyes. “I’m the only one who knows the correct sequence.”

More security forces converged on our position. I put down two more with precise shots, but they kept coming. And Nalina...

I risked a glance at her. She was still working, still fighting, but her movements had grown jerky, unnatural. The tremors were getting worse.

“How much longer?” I asked, reloading with practiced efficiency.

“Final node calibrating now.” Dr. Gondon studied the lab schematics with unusual intensity, her expression settling into something that made my combat instincts scream warnings.

She knew something. Something she wasn’t telling us.

Another tremor rocked the station. Nalina’s hands stilled on the controls for a moment, her focus visibly sharpening as she pushed through whatever was happening to her body.

I shifted position to cover her more effectively, noting how her movements remained precise despite everything. She was fighting this the same way she fought everything - with stubborn determination and grace under pressure.

“I’m okay,” she whispered against my chest. “I can finish this.”

I pressed my lips to her temple.

“I know.” The words came out rougher than I intended. My fingers found the pulse point at her throat, memorizing its rhythm. When she looked up at me then, everything I couldn’t say burned in my throat.

All the moments we might never have.

All the futures slipping away with each passing second.

Dr. Gondon’s voice cut through the moment. “The compound is ready for distribution.” She paused, studying the lab schematics one final time. “We need to discuss the next stage.”

Her tone said she’d made a decision. One she knew we wouldn’t like.

NALINA

Dr. Gondon’s hands stilled on the console, her skin shifting through troubled patterns of color. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

Something in her tone made my stomach clench.

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