Page 28 of Craze

“What about Jeela?” she asks.

I scan and realize she didn’t make it out with us.I’ll get her.

But I don’t know how I’m going to do that. And I don’t want to go back onboard. But we couldn’t have made it this far without her taking one for the team.

I need a gun.

Craze rips one out of a holster on his side and tosses it to me as the last few women climb onto the platform themselves. Thenhe pauses and smiles like it’s his birthday, and I’ve just brought him a gift.Hello, gorgeous.

Time ekes to a crawl.

He is a flawless machine next to my sack of bones.

A shot whizzes between us, cutting through my cloak. Craze doesn’t look away from me as he aims behind him and shoots our attacker. He doesn’t blink when the flash goes off or the Solcrue falls. He just takes me in, grinning the whole time, like he can’t think about anything else and doesn’t want to.

I back away.

Proximity Alert.

Two targeting brackets pop up in my mind. The splay helps me aim the gun he just handed me and shoot. Both soldiers stumble and slip off of the ramp’s edge.

Time speeds up.

I need to get Jeela,I tell him.

Craze looks over at the dead soldiers and heaves a deep breath. Then he looks at me with wide eyes and pride.Hurry back. I’ll finish here.

When I climb the ramp, I find Rochir still sitting against the wall, glaring at me. The magazine of his gun is dark. He’s out of ammo. All he has is the knife by his foot.

Pellucid Command: Internal ramp sealscreen, disengage.

I fire at him. A green body shield lights up around him.

Rochir lets out a pitiful choking-on-his-own-blood kind of laugh. He shifts like his entire body aches, and he can’t find a comfortable position.

“It was worth a shot,” I say, kicking the knife away from him. Then I march down the hall and find Jeela still on the floor.

She’s barely conscious. A bruise has darkened the side of her head.

“Come on girl. We’re not leaving you.” I help her up, and together we stumble out of the room.

Axe>>Local: Three squads incoming! Two emissary vessels touching down! Get your asses moving!

I glance down the ramp, searching for the other Titans and the Solcrue they speak of.

Craze gets the last two women loaded, notices a Solcrue climbing the ramp and kicks him off. Three more fire up at Craze, but he doesn’t stand down when he takes hits. He laughs. He fucking laughs like they’re tickling him.

Craze>>Tangle: Go! These mother fuckers need agoddamned lesson. Get the innocents out of here! We’ll circle under to the starboard side.

When Craze looks up to where I descend, his smile—lit up by the muzzle flashes of his rifle—exposes a deep lust I struggle to believe.

Craze>>Pellucid: You found her! Nice work, Gorgeous. Belly-rub evac! On me!

“What?” I don’t know what a belly-rub evac is, but I follow him anyway.

Rochir squints at me as I limp Jeela past him. “You’re talking with them, aren’t you?”

I snatch up his wristband and help Jeela over the edge of the ramp.

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