Our team swept into the room on a wave of plas pulses. The telekinetic shouted something that I couldn’t make out over the sound of shots, and her power crashed around me. She jerked me toward her until I hovered in front of her, where Cien had been before.

I felt Torran’s rage a second before his presence in my mind dimmed, replaced by a squeezing pressure filled with knives as the other telekinetic tried to smash through my resistance. I poured more energy into my mental shields, but it was like stopping a tidal wave with a toothpick.

The telekinetic spun my body around so I faced Torran and my team. With a flick, she opened my visor then wrenched my helmet off. “Move and she dies,” she said, wrapping a cool, gloved hand around my throat.

I fought to move, to do anything, but she had telelocked my armor, freezing me in place. With her power clamped around me, my body was beyond my control, and even blinking was difficult. I couldn’t see much, but Nilo and Cien had made it to safety behind Torran and the others. Both remained on the ground, so Torran must’ve dragged them closer, but I would take it.

If this was my last stand, then at least my life had saved a kid.

I focused all of my energy on moving a single finger. The telekinetic shook me like a rag doll. “Stop resisting, human, or I’ll rip you piece from piece.”

Pain stabbed into my brain as she again tried to pierce my mental shields, but I could feel the tiniest hint of Torran’s power still protecting me. No matter what happened next, I hoped he wouldn’t let me turn my weapon on my friends.

I kept trying to move my fingers. The enemy telekinetic’s power spiraled higher, and I clenched my teeth against the urge to scream. I lost precious seconds as I fought to stay awake and aware. Once I could think again, I redoubled my efforts. Torran was helping me, and if she could feel the resistance, then it meant my focus was doing something. If only I could reach my plas blade, I’d have a chance.

A very tiny, nearly impossible chance, but a chance nonetheless.

“You have already lost,” Torran growled. “Let her go and die with honor.” His eyes bored into mine. He was trying to tell me something, but I was in too much pain to figure out what it was. But if he could get me free, then I’d do my best to stab the bitch holding me.

The telekinetic dragged me backward, toward the reinforced door. Locked in her power, I floated along like a balloon—not a comforting thought. One of her soldiers was down but still alive. She left him where he lay. When the other tried to help him up, she snarled, “Leave him!”