Page 46 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

The environmental control sector lay two levels up through maintenance shafts never meant for someone my size. I carried Nalina’s gear along with my own, watching her force her trembling body to climb. The scent of blood grew stronger with each passing minute - the cellular breakdown accelerating faster than even Dr. Gondon had predicted.

“Wait,” Nalina whispered. She pressed her hand against a junction box, fingers finding hidden catches. “Secondary access route. Maintenance uses it when primary systems fail.”

The panel slid aside, revealing a narrow passage that would bypass two security checkpoints. Even dying, she kept finding ways to fight.

“How much further?” I asked, tracking multiple threats through sound and scent.

“Almost there.” She stumbled slightly. “Just need to-”

The passage erupted with weapons fire. Security forces had anticipated our route - three of them in modified tactical gear, their movements unnaturally precise.

I moved to engage, but Nalina caught my arm. “The coolant lines,” she gasped. “Upper left junction.”

Understanding instantly, I adjusted my aim. The pressurized line ruptured exactly as she’d predicted, spraying the corridor with freezing vapor. The security team’s enhanced vision worked against them in the sudden chaos.

Two went down to precise shots before they could adjust. The third got off a wild burst that would have caught me if Nalina hadn’t yanked me sideways - moving faster than any human should be able to. The effort cost her. She sagged against the wall, blood trickling from her nose.

“I’ve got you.” I steadied her with one arm while finishing the last attacker with a clean shot. “Almost there.”

The environmental control center sprawled ahead. My senses caught subtle wrongness - scents that shouldn’t be there, tiny sounds out of place.

“Trap,” I breathed.

Nalina nodded, pressing close to whisper back. “Maintenance access panel. Behind that junction.” She gestured minutely. “If I can reach it...”

A sharp click echoed through the chamber. Automated defense turrets emerged from recessed panels, their targeting systems coming online with deadly precision. At the same time, security forces emerged from hiding - at least six officers with neural control devices glinting at their necks. Behind them, technicians worked at consoles with mechanical efficiency.

“Move!” I pulled Nalina behind a support column as energy blasts carved chunks from the wall. The station’s superstructure groaned in protest.

“They’ve locked down the primary controls,” she gasped, blood trickling from her nose. “But if I can get to that panel...”

I understood her plan instantly. “How long?”

“Twenty seconds.” Her hands shook as she pulled up schematics on her tablet. “Maybe less.”

“You’ll have it.”

I launched myself from cover, drawing the turrets’ fire while Nalina crept along the outer wall. My speed let me stay ahead of the blasts, but only barely. The air crackled with energy as I wove between columns.

Nalina reached the panel just as my luck ran out - a blast caught my leg, sending me sprawling. The turrets realigned, preparing to finish me.

Then every light in the chamber went dark.

The turrets froze mid-rotation as Nalina’s override took effect. When emergency power kicked in thirty seconds later, they remained silent.

“Basic maintenance protocol,” she managed a weak smile. “Everything needs a reset function.”

I caught her as her legs gave out. “Brilliant. But we’re not done.”

The security team had regrouped during the turret chaos. They opened fire as one, their movements showing that same jerky precision we’d seen before.

I moved on pure instinct, decades of combat training taking over. My first shot took down the nearest officer - careful aim striking neural controls rather than killing. The second caught another in the leg as Nalina threw herself toward the main console.

“Cover me!” she called, fingers flying across controls despite her trembling hands.

I did, falling into a rhythm of controlled violence. Each shot precise, each movement calculated to keep their attention on me rather than her. The controlled officers fought with unnatural coordination, but their artificial abilities made them predictable.

A blast caught my shoulder, painting the wall with gray blood. I twisted away from a second shot, taking down two more attackers.

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