The battle came in waves.
The first was brute force—bikes fitted with ramming spikes and cloaking rigs crashed against the outer defenses. Sparks lit the sky as the first wall gave way. But Reyna's team held the line, pushing back with mounted EMPs and stun traps.
From the control room, Avery watched it unfold on half a dozen monitors, her heart in her throat.
She could see Reyna on the front line, weaving between attackers with that feral grace, like she belonged in chaos. Her bike spun, sideswiped an enemy, and flipped it into a wall with one well-placed charge.
But it wasn't enough.
The second wave came with drones—swarming, skittering, black-shelled insects carrying disruptors and nerve-pulse shots. Avery darted from screen to screen, punching in override codes to disable them mid-air, her fingers moving as fast as her thoughts.
"They're targeting our power core!" Nova yelled from across the room.
Avery's heart stopped. If that core blew, the entire garage would go up.
She didn't hesitate. She grabbed a toolkit, a pulse gun, and ran.
The tunnels beneath the garage were hot and narrow, steam hissing from the walls. The power core chamber glowed violet, pulsing like a heartbeat. Two drones had made it inside—already slicing into the paneling.
Avery fired. Once, twice. The drones dropped, twitching.
But then she heard footsteps behind her.
A shadow moved. A figure in rogue leathers—a rival runner.
"Step aside, girl," the woman said. "This isn't your fight."
Avery raised the gun higher. "She's my reason. That makes it exactly my fight."
They lunged at the same time. Fists, metal, fire. Avery fought like someone with everything to lose.
She won. Barely.
By the time she staggered back into the main floor, bruised and bloody, the garage was holding—but only just. Fire kissed the outer wall. Someone was screaming. And Reyna was nowhere in sight.
Panic surged.
Then she saw the flash of Reyna's bike, skimming back in, trailing smoke, sparks flying from one side. She dismounted, limping, but alive.
Their eyes met across the chaos.
Reyna crossed to her, fast.
"You're hurt," Reyna said.
"So are you."
They both laughed, breathless and battered.
Avery leaned against her. "Still think I shouldn't have come out?"
Reyna kissed her—quick, rough, desperate.
"You're mine," she whispered. "And I'm done pretending I can do this without you."
Avery nodded. "Then stop trying."
Outside, the city burned.
Inside, love held the line.
---
Want to see what they do when the smoke clears?