CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Rex applied the third compression, followed quickly by the fourth, fifth, and sixth. The sequence was rapid enough that Virella had no time to recover between each one. By the end, the sounds she made were involuntary, reflecting significant pain, and despite her efforts, she could not contain her reactions entirely.
"STOP!" Virella shouted, her voice lacking any trace of calm this time.
Kregg was on his feet, both hands raised, looking at Rex with an expression that had fully abandoned the calculated patience he'd maintained through the chamber engagement and most of the canyon sequence. What was underneath the patience looked like the kind of feeling that develops when someone watches another person suffer and can't stop it.
"Enough," Kregg said, his voice hoarse. "I yield."
"Then talk," Rex said.
