Page 94 of On a Rogue Planet
As she fell, Xander lunged forward and caught sight of giant metal spikes below, spearing up like needle-sharp teeth.
He reached for her, but her twisting body slipped through his grasp.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Mal flung her arm out and managed to brush Xander’s hand.
His mechanical fingers clamped onto hers with a punishing grip. She heard her panting breaths as she dangled over the wicked metal spikes beneath.
“I’ve got you. Hold still.” He pulled her up like she weighed nothing.
She felt the hem of her dress catch on something, heard it tear. Then he pulled her over the edge, and she scrambled into his lap, wrapping her arms and legs around him.
“Xander, Xander, Xander.” She couldn’t focus.
“Shhh.” He pressed his lips to her hair. His own hold on her was so tight she could barely breathe.
“I am so glad you’re fast.” One second later, and he would have missed her. She shuddered.
A strange clanking sound came from behind them. They both swiveled to look.
Mal frowned. It sounded like wheels…no, not quite. Tracks. It sounded like tracks moving across the ground.
The robot wheeled into view, and the air rushed out of her lungs.
It was bigger than Xander, maybe by a foot. It ran on tracks, had a long, solid body, and lots of arms. Each held a different weapon. Sword, knife, laser pistol, energy weapon, and a few other things she didn’t recognize.
“Stay back, Malin.” Xander rose slowly and set her behind him.
She looked between the two. She’d seen Xander fight and knew he was good. But a sense of dread turned her stomach. She was all-too-aware that his systems weren’t all back up and running.
The robot stopped and raised one arm. Laser fire hit the ground in a long trace. Mal stumbled backward. The laser fire hit right where Xander had been standing.
But he was already gone.
She crouched down behind a lump of metal. She watched as Xander ran, then leaped into the air, over the top of the robot.
He landed behind it and landed a hard kick to the robot’s midsection.
The machine rocked, but was already turning a hundred and eighty degrees to face him again.
Xander kept moving. Darting, leaping, landing blows where he could. The machine didn’t appear to be affected. Except when he managed to break off one arm.
She forced herself to take her gaze off Xander and study the robot. She took in all the parts, amazed that anything this dangerous could be made from scrap.
It had armor plates covering certain areas, under which she guessed were its power and control centers.
Then she spotted it.
A weakness.
She leaned out from behind her cover. “Xander! Flexible joint right at the base. Joining it to the tracks.” When laser fire came her way, she ducked.
“Stay down,” he roared.
She did but inched to the side to see around.
Xander was airborne again. Damn, the man moved like no one she’d ever seen before. Pure poetry. He slammed his foot into the joint.
