Page 111 of Stars in Umbra
He nodded once, the gesture calm, but she didn’t miss the slight clench of his jaw.
‘I’ll fetch the Queen,’ Rina said as she headed for the door, throwing him a half-smile over her shoulder. ‘Try not to break anything while I’m gone.’
She slipped through the corridor like an apparition and bypassed the standard lifts, opting instead for the secure route leading to the eastern access platform.
Mirage arrived just as the outer doors slid open, in a glittering jumpsuit with a floor-length ebony leather coat flaring behind her, eyes gleaming with readiness.
The moment they were through security, Mirage moved to Rina’s side. ‘What the hell happened?’
Rina didn’t miss a beat. ‘I’m still trying to piece it all together. We’ll talk on the way.’
They rushed down the executive wing, boots ringing on the titanium floors.
Rina filled Mirage in between portals and turns, about Mo’s predicament - the fall, the hospital attack, the insane escape, and the strange flickers of power lighting under his skin.
By the time they reached the Data Nexus, Mirage was already pulling up diagnostic overlays on her wrist comm. She paused at the threshold and glanced at Rina.
‘Tell me you’ve got a full scan of his neural architecture.’
‘Not yet, but the gear in the room we’re in isfokkin’ spectacular,’ Rina replied, palming open the reinforced door.
Inside, Mo stood waiting, his eyes wary but resolute.
Mirage stepped in, and the door sealed behind her with a quiet hiss.
‘Mirage,’ he rasped.
‘Molan, you worried us.’
‘Enough to fetch me at Kainan’s behest?’
‘Of course, you’re family.’
At this, Mo appeared to choke up, turning it into a clearing of his throat.
Rina’s heart went out to him as the Sable AI glimmered into the Faraday cage and strode to him to pat his muscled shoulder.
‘We’ve got your six, and Kainan is willing to listen once we have a full report to make.’
‘Good.’
‘All right, soldier,’ she said, voice crisp. ‘Let’s take a look at what’s inside that gorgeous head of yours.’
Mo didn’t flinch. He just met her gaze, then gave a short nod.
‘Just don’t delete me,’ he murmured. ‘Rummage too hard in my skull and I’ll turn into a vegetable.’
Mirage blinked, then glanced over at Rina. ‘Regardless, this is going to get messy.’
Rina exhaled. ‘Hell, it already is.’
20
The Deity’s Heir
RINA
Rina stood, tensed up just outside the Faraday cage, arms crossed, her heart thudding way too hard against her ribs.
