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“Ernie,” she whispered. “Are you in there, buddy?”

He didn’t make a sound.

Ernie’s dented body was sprawled across her palm as she gathered all the legs she could find. “I’ll put you back together.” Ignoring the panic in her chest, she realized she’d never be able to fix him. Her skills were that of an enthusiastic amateur. Ernie needed a genius to repair all this damage.

She jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. “He was a good fighter, a worthy adversary of the cyborgs.”

“They tore him apart.” She swallowed down her tears.

“He sacrificed himself for you.”

“I’d rather have him here than sacrificed.”

Loka’s grip briefly tightened on her shoulder before letting go. “We must move. There could be reinforcements.”

“Where are we going?” She swiped the back of a hand across her cheek as she held Ernie’s body against her chest.

“I have a plan.” He looked down at her feet. “What happened to your shoes?”

“Stolen by the cyborg.”

“Get new footwear. Then we go.”

Heather ran into her ruined bedroom. She hopped over dead cyborgs, staring at them to make sure they didn’t move as she grabbed her boots, and tucked Ernie safely in her closet.

“I’ll come back for you, buddy. You have a rest. You’ll be fine soon.” She sniffed. Life would not be much fun without Ernie by her side.

“Are you ready?” Loka asked from the doorway.

“Sure. Where are we going?”

“To the docking bay. It’s time I get you to safety.”

Chapter 12

Loka could see Heather was holding back her tears as she hurried along beside him. Her chin wobbled as she looked at the single metal leg she had kept.

She tucked the leg into her pocket and looked over at him. “Will the docking bay be more secure? A safe place for us until this mess is sorted?”

“I don’t know. But that human who said she was going there gave me an idea. That’s where the ships are.”

Heather shook her head, confusion in her eyes. “I don’t understand. You want to abandon Prodigy?”

“The station has been compromised. It is not safe for you.”

“It’s not safe for anybody. We can get back control. We just need to get to engineering and see how they’re doing.”

“You have already put yourself in too much danger.”

She stopped walking. “I’m going nowhere. I’m not leaving this place. My friends are here. Everything I own is on this station.”

“I thought you’d say that.” Loka ducked, making sure to keep his horns tilted to the side, and lifted Heather onto one shoulder.

A shocked gasp flew out of her as he walked along the corridor.

“No, you don’t. You’re not playing that cyborg trick on me. You can’t treat me like this.”

“I’m not taking you prisoner. I’m taking you somewhere safe. You need to be off this space station.”