His armor burst from his back, covering his arms and chest, and he fought the slope. Smoke filled the air. Cries and screams punctuated the silence.
Janae!
She landed thirty meters from him and started to roll as the platform sunk on the far side.
He headed for her, but he'd been blown to the opposite side of the platform. The platform cracked in the center, and the deafening noise seemed to still everything.
Until a female cried out.
And the far side started to collapse.
Khalzin pushed himself up, shaking off the pain and ringing in his head.
More dread hit him.
He wasn't going to make it.
She was going to--
Fiviel caught Janae before she rolled off the side. Fiviel's metal leg deployed a hook that held him stable, and he steadied Janae as the platform tipped.
Conscious or not, Janae clung to him as he pulled them back away from the edges.
Khalzin sprinted over and helped pull Fiviel and Janae back up to safety.
Khalzin now owed his friend a life. Whatever he needed, Khalzin would help him get it for saving Janae.
She started to jerk away from Fiviel just as Khalzin caught them both.
"I'm here," he said.
She blinked at stared at him. "Whoa, what's happening?" She glanced around. "We're falling!" She grabbed Khalzin, and he pulled her against him. Fiviel held onto him.
"Dhomhes?" Fiviel cried. "Stron?"
Dhomhes had managed to perch himself on a railing. The platform was tipped now to an approximately forty-degree angle.
Females screamed as they ran back aboard their ship. Their big ship slid down the platform.
"Where are the backups," Dhomhes yelled as he climbed back to his feet.
"Should have kicked on by now," Khalzin said.
The platforms, while high in the air, had multiple backup controls that would have to fail for the platforms to twist and crack this much--
A grind of an engine kicking on, and the hum of repulsor backups began to level off the platform. Metal groaned as the platform attempted to return to its proper angles.
"Are you well?" he asked Janae, stroking her dark hair out of her face.
She nodded. "I think so. My head hurts, but nothing too bad." She glanced around. "Please tell me this is a regular occurrence."
He shook his head. "It is not.”
She muttered what he assumed to be a curse. "That's not a good sign."
"No, it is not. We need to get everyone off this platform as soon as possible."
About that time, security and more Kantenan help emerged and started getting everyone to safety.
