STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

containment trap.”

Lucien ’s eyes widened as he realized the terrifying truth—the gate wasn’t just sealing the central control relay. It was trapping Lyra on the far side.

His breath caught in his throat. She ’s not going to make it. She’s going to be trapped in there.

Time seemed to slow. His instinct overrode fear. He sprinted to a control panel, his hands slamming against the interface. His fingers flew over the keys, his mind scrambling to interpret the unfamiliar system. “Come on, come on... there has to be a manual override!”

Harun barely glanced up. “Lucien, what the hell are—”

The gate was halfway down now, the rumble filling his ears as Lyra ’s boots pounded against the floor reaching the stairs.

He scanned the interface, his eyes catching a flashing icon—something labeled in archaic system code. It looked like an override. It had to be. Without thinking, he slammed his hand against it.

For a heartbeat, the gate shuddered, freezing in place for the briefest of moments.

“Lucien!”

He turned in time to see Lyra diving through the gap, her body hitting the floor with a sharp thud as the cage slammed shut behind her.

The room fell into tense silence, the relay's steady rhythm returning.

Lucien stumbled back, his legs trembling from the rush of adrenaline. I did it. She’s safe.

Lyra pushed herself up, brushing off the dust and turning to him, her eyes locking onto his with an intensity he’d never seen before. She didn’t speak, and neither did he.

Then she stepped forward, her voice low but steady. “You saved my life.”

Lucien swallowed hard, his voice coming out rough. “I... I couldn’t let you —”

“Thank you.”

Lucien could see something shift in her expression —something softer, deeper—but before he could process it, Harun’s voice shattered the stillness.

“Not to ruin the moment,” Harun barked, “but we’ve got about ninety seconds before someone notices the hiccup. We need to move!”

Lyra ’s focus snapped back into place, her sharp nod all business. She turned to Lucien, her voice firm. “Lucien get to a terminal. Finish the upload.”

Lucien steeled himself, shoving the last traces of his fear aside as he moved toward a relay terminal across the room. No hesitation. No doubt.

147