Kikaru hit Yui Raki like a falling weight.
She did not aim for his chest. She aimed for the shoulder joint, trying to break the line between his arm and torso before he understood the attack came from above.
Gold light flared around her as her boots struck, and the tile cracked under Yui's feet while his collarbone refused to give.
Violet energy ran along the edges of his black tech suit and swallowed the worst of the impact. He bent one inch, then twisted and caught Kikaru's shin against his armored forearm.
"A rat fell from the ceiling today," Yui said.
He shoved upward.
Kikaru flipped away from him and hit the floor in a roll.
In the duct, Elias had no time to watch her recover.
Junijo's portal dumped the dying Federation guard onto the metal behind Wes. The man thrashed once and arched wrong. Blood ran from his mouth and nose. His armor had caved inward where Yui had thrown him into the server bank.
The blue timer sat in Elias's vision.
29:05.
