Chapter 7 Bloodlines and Blasterfire

Celia had faced her fair share of high-stakes standoffs-pirates, bounty hunters, black market scum who'd sell their own skin for credits. But none of them radiated control like Cassian Everen. The man didn't just walk into a room, he owned it, like even gravity obeyed his orders. Cassian's gaze slid from the flickering override panel to the chip now buried in the control board. "A stolen prototype. A traitorous son. And some gutter rat with a gun." He clasped his hands behind his back. "You've turned my day into a soap opera." Lawrence stood tall, his jaw set.

"You turned your world into a weapon factory." Cassian chuckled. "Everything is a weapon when you understand its purpose." "You don't get it," Celia cut in, blaster raised and steady. "This isn't about you anymore." Cassian's eyes finally flicked to her. "Ah. The mechanic. The one from Lower Nine. You know, I once told the city council that even rats can be useful-when they stay in the sewers." "Careful," she snapped. "This rat bites." Cassian gave a slight nod, and one of his guards lunged. Celia fired. The shot slammed into the man's chest-stun mode, but enough to send him sprawling unconscious to the floor. The room exploded into motion. Lawrence tackled another guard while Celia ducked behind the console, firing precise bursts toward the advancing soldiers. The core's rotating rings whirred faster now, disturbed by the system interference. The room dimmed with flickering red emergency lights as Marek's voice buzzed in their ears. You've got fifteen seconds before lockdown. I can't override it once the core stabilizes. You need to get out! Celia dove to the side as another shot sizzled past her. "No way out unless we go through them!" Lawrence grabbed one of the fallen guard's weapons and spun, disarming another enemy with the kind of fluid efficiency that surprised even Celia. "Remind me to ask where you learned that," she shouted. "Boarding school," he panted. Of course. Cassian remained near the doorway, untouched, watching the chaos unfold like a conductor at the crescendo of a symphony. He didn't need to lift a weapon-he had people for that. But then his voice rang out, cold and commanding. "Stand down." The remaining guards froze, confused. "Father?" one asked. "I said, stand down." Slowly, reluctantly, they lowered their weapons. Celia held her aim. "What are you playing at?" Cassian stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "You won't get far. Not with the system rebooting. Not with a prototype that's now traceable by every satellite I own." "We don't need to run," Lawrence said. "You lost." Cassian chuckled again, a dark, knowing sound. "You think uploading that little broadcast changes anything? Let the city know. Let them all scream. Give them a day, maybe two of righteous fury." He leaned in slightly. "Then they'll remember the lights in their homes come from my grid. The food in their domes grows with my reactors. And the orbiters that protect them from offworlders? My ships." "You're bluffing," Celia growled. "They'll revolt." "Revolts are easy to crush," he said, "especially when you own the air." The weight of that truth settled like concrete in the room. For a second, just one, Celia's confidence wavered. But Lawrence stepped forward, between her and his father. "Then I guess it's time to take the sky away from you." Without warning, he fired-not at Cassian, but at the console behind him. Sparks flew. The emergency override panel burst in a shower of light. The system went dark. "No signal," Marek's voice cracked. "You fried the uplink!" "I redirected it," Lawrence said calmly. "To the public grid. He can't cut it now. Everyone's seen it." Cassian's eyes narrowed for the first time. "You really are your mother's son." "That's the first honest thing you've said to me," Lawrence replied. Alarms blared as the chamber began locking down. Celia grabbed Lawrence's hand. "Exit now!" she barked. They bolted past the stunned guards, sprinting toward the emergency shaft on the far side. Celia fired behind her as they ran, covering their escape. The door hissed open just in time. As they disappeared into the shaft, Cassian's voice echoed behind them: "This isn't over!" And Celia, grinning despite the burn in her lungs, called back, "Good! Neither are we."