The strobe lights in the hallways flicked on and blinked. Red lights joined soon after with a horn. Milo pulled Cat into an alcove between two panels and listened. An intercom blared: “Warning! Unauthorized activation detected in the hangar! Warning!”

“This ain’t the hangar,” Drake yelled over the horns.

“Someone else is here,” Milo said. He hesitated to move from the shadow. Were these other intruders their friends or their foes? It wasn’t uncommon for other gangs to hop in and lend a hand, but every gig became even less predictable with even more people.

Cat shot into the hallway suddenly, ripping him from his solemn thoughts. Four guards fell and convulsed on the floor as probes shot thousands of volts of electricity coursing through their bodies. Drake slammed two more into the wall and let them fall as well.

“Put their uniforms on,” Cat yelled.

“No!” Drake snapped. “They can track us!”

Milo lifted one of the helmets and inspected it. A blue light blinked beside the visor. It was likely a unit meant to track GPS and vitals of the individual contractor. “The gun is likely finger-printed. Leave them alone, Cat,” he warned.

She visibly deflated and looked over her shoulder. He was angry at her, but she dared look like a puppy that had been stricken? He was giving up his life that he’d established for her. He’d found his place in the world. Now he was a criminal. He could be studying and praying before his official naming as a full priest, but he was here, ransacking paid thugs’ belts.

“All units to the hangar! Report!”

Drake looked over his shoulder. There was only silence. “We can make a run for it now,” he said.

“No. We have to get to the hangar. The city police probably have our faces up all over the city,” Cat said. “We either get on that ship before everyone else, or we’re done for!”

Milo sighed. Cat was dramatic and could see the world for its truths so quickly. He could almost remember being so rambunctious. He pushed her between himself and Drake, a makeshift shield on both ends, and let Drake lead the way to the hangar.

The guards were distracted. They were going to be lucky. Milo was shocked with the silence with which they moved through the echoing chambers. He detested excess noise, the worst flaw of any criminal. When they accidentally tailed a pair of guards, Drake dispatched both in complete silence. He was a big lad, but he moved lithely. When did his childhood friend become so strong?

They reached a small hole in the wall that still smoked. The guards ran around the wall to a main door. Milo grabbed Cat and indicated to the hole. They were small enough to squeeze in, but the guards wouldn’t break formation to sneak in. She hissed to Drake to stop and investigate.

“I can’t get through that,” he said.

“Well, lift us, and we’ll find a way in,” Cat said. She furrowed her brows, her notorious no-nonsense look.

“And leave me?” he yelped.

“I won’t leave you behind,” Milo said simply. Drake’s pale indignation vanished immediately.

Drake cupped his hands and helped Milo first. He looked over the room, but they were on top of a plating machine. Three figures moved on the loading dock near the door. They were close. If they sealed that door…

Cat landed on her feet and dusted her knees. Then, with a groan, Drake crawled through. His hips caught in the hole. His gun caught between him and the rubble. With a shake, the gun clattered to the platform.

“Hush!” Cat hissed. “We have to get up there! They’re going to take the ship!”

Up close, the Federation Supernovae was even more incredible. The ramps looked like pincers holding the slender ship in place. The deep blue sides shimmered in the starlight. It was massive, but its sleek design made it a gentle giant. Cat counted the panels where its assault weapons would pop out. A cylinder coned the center near the middle jets where three escape pods would eject.

Cat grabbed Milo’s hand and yanked him toward the platform. Milo pulled his hand back and shoved her into the platform just as a barrage of bullets rained down across the metal floors. Drake cried out as a bullet ripped his leg. Cat turned to help him, but Milo wrestled her again. She couldn’t get killed saving him, or they would both die. He pulled her gun from her belt and shot the drones with a mighty stunning bolt.