Page 82 of Alien Warlord's Fury

I focused on the sensation of the energy flowing from the guardian, letting my markings react instinctively. They flared across my skin, pulsing in counterpoint to the guardian's energy signature. I extended my hand, channeling a burst of disruptive energy directly at the construct's core.

The guardian shuddered, its movements becoming erratic as my counterpulse disrupted its systems. Nirako had maneuvered around the first guardian, driving his blade deep into a gap between its plating where Ravik had told us the control circuits would be located.

"Claire, move!" he shouted as he yanked his blade free, the guardian collapsing in a shower of sparks.

I darted past the disoriented guardian toward the interface. Behind me, the guards engaged Nirako, their weapons discharging with sharp cracks. I felt his focus and determinationflowing through our bond—he would hold them off while I freed the children.

Just as I reached the console, a shimmer of energy materialized between me and the controls. Hammond stepped through, a personal shield flickering around him, an artifact-derived weapon glowing in his hand.

"Not so fast," he said, leveling the weapon at me. "I've been waiting for this moment."

Nirako appeared behind him, moving with impossible speed. "Your wait is over," he growled, blade slashing toward Hammond's neck.

Hammond spun, his shield deflecting Nirako's strike. The weapon in his hand discharged, sending Nirako skidding backward across the floor.

"Ah, the protective mate," Hammond sneered. "How touching. Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for Nyxari interference?"

Nirako regained his footing, his energy signature flaring. "You know nothing of what you're interfering with."

"On the contrary," Hammond replied, circling to keep both of us in view. "I understand the Nexus better than your kind ever did. That's why you failed during the Great Division, and why I'll succeed."

Nirako's eyes narrowed. "The Great Division wasn't a failure. It was a warning."

Hammond fired again, but Nirako anticipated the move, rolling aside. The guards closed in, but Nirako dispatched one with a swift kick that sent him crashing into a second. The remaining two fired their weapons, forcing Nirako to take cover behind a column.

I needed to reach the interface. The children's pain pulsed through me in waves, each one more desperate than the last.

"Hammond!" I shouted, drawing his attention. "You wanted me here. Well, I'm here."

"What exactly do you think you've accomplished by luring me in?"

His eyes gleamed with fanatical intensity. "You're the key, Claire. Your connection to the Nexus is unique—more powerful than these children, more adaptable than any Nyxari."

"With you connected to my interface, I can stabilize the entire system."

"Stabilize?" I laughed bitterly. "You're tearing it apart!"

"Temporary disruption for permanent control," he replied, taking a step toward me. "The planet's consciousness will bend to human will, as it should have from the beginning."

The second guardian had recovered from my disruption and was advancing again. Nirako engaged it, drawing it away from me while simultaneously fending off the remaining guards. His movements flowed with deadly precision, each strike calculated to create maximum damage with minimal effort.

Hammond turned toward Nirako, raising his weapon. "Your mate is quite impressive. Too bad he's fighting for the wrong side."

NIRAKO

Istaggered backward, blood trickling from a cut above my eye. Hammond's energy weapon had caught me with a glancing blow, but even that was enough to send pain shooting through my skull. The corrupted guardian construct circled behind me, its movements jerky but deadly, forcing me to divide my attention.

"Is this the best the mighty Aerie can offer?" Hammond taunted, his artifact-enhanced shield absorbing another strike from my blade. The impact jarred my arm to the shoulder.

"Pathetic."

I didn't waste breath responding. Every second I kept Hammond engaged was another moment Claire had at the Nexus interface. Through our bond, I could feel her psychic struggle—like swimming against a current that threatened to drown her.

The younglings lay unconscious behind her, their small bodies finally free from Hammond's machines but still dangerously weak.

The guardian lunged. I pivoted, barely avoiding its strike, only to catch another blast from Hammond's weapon across myshoulder. The energy burn seared through my armor, scorching skin beneath.

"Nirako!" Claire's voice—strained, distant through our bond. I couldn't turn to look.

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