Lightning Seeker

Over the Side

The fall brought out a scream as confusion wracked Vale. He had been so sure a moment before why did he let go now? But her question was answered as her body slammed into the deck of the AI's ship, filling her with a terrible sense of deja vu. She almost laughed, a wild sense of relief mixed with irritation. He could have at least told me what he was doing.

Suddenly, the AI that had hitched a ride and broken her leg jumped on her, snapping her back to the present. She was far from safe. Two metal hands wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air supply.

Vale transformed her metal arm into a sword but the AI dodged the first two strikes and her lack of air was making it hard to think. Vale began to see spots when the AI's grip inexplicably loosened.

The skymaran had ripped the AI in half, flying through it, leaving behind a lower half with unattached hands. The AI slumped off of her, destroyed.

Vale transformed her arm back to its original design and pushed herself up, putting all of her weight on her good leg. Sky spun the skymaran around wildly, clearly getting used to driving it, and brought it to hover next to her. He reached out his hand to help her in. "I thought you changed your mind," Vale admitted as she took it. He rolled his eyes, taking on a look of mock insult.

She let out a pained groan as her injured leg hit the side of the rail. She bit back a swear as she finished her climb. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you had." She stopped talking when he shot her an irritated look. "Fair enough," Vale said, throwing her arms up. "I get it. I should have trusted you." He gave her a sharp nod. "Let's get out of here," Vale said, settling down onto a crate inside the very small Skymaran and let out an unsteady breath.

They lifted into the air and moved over the side. A flash to their left caught Vale's attention. An AI, sprinting towards them at full speed. It launched into the air, determined to land on the skymaran. Before Vale could warn Sky, the AI crashed into him.

The skymaran barreled towards the water below as Sky struggled to push the AI off of the control panel they had landed on.

Mist surrounded them, cutting off their ability to see anything. A moment later, they were through the clouds and the sea below threatened to swallow them whole. Sky moved quickly, yanked a wrench from his bag, brought it to the AI's neck and pulled something lose, causing the AI to freeze, glitching.

He had just enough time to shove the AI out of the way and bring the skymaran level before they hit the water, sliding across it in a wild frenzy, water sloshing over the side.

The surface became slick, sending Vale sliding forward, slamming her head against the control panel. The skymaran kept moving, half hovering, half swerving down and colliding against the water, causing them all to jump, throwing them back and forth across the skymaran.

Sky reached up and yanked on a lever, causing the skymaran to stop and drop onto the water. Vale fell back and hit the ground, head spinning. Sky landed next to her, his chest rising and falling quickly. His hair wet with ocean spray, hung in tangles around his face. Droplets of water fell from his lashes, sending sparks of light across his face, a breathtaking sight just for her. His name was truly fitting of him. A tapestry of light, gold, and blue that made up the best attributes of the sky itself.

Sky caught her looking at him and gave her a tired smile. He reached out and tucked one of her wet strands of hair behind her ear, taking a moment to trace her cheek with his thumb. His fingers left a trail of fire behind, sending her heart thumping wildly in her chest. The look on his face made her mouth go dry. A want, a desire filled his stormy eyes that sent fire down to her very core. He leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers. Suddenly he jolted back, a look of surprise on his face.

A metal hand wrapped around his throat and Sky was hoisted over the side of the skymaran falling into the water below. The AI that had glitched, moved to grab Vale, and she brought up her metal arm, punching it through the head. But before she could stop it, the sparking AI tumbled over the side after Sky, setting the ocean bright with electricity.