Jennifer took a step back, her body tense. She glared at Henderson, who stood across from her.

“You’ve made a mistake,” she said, her voice firm but sharp with tension. “Why would my life force be significant? And by the way, you’re talking, I’m supposed to end up dead? That’ll open a case, no matter how far off Earth we are.”

Henderson tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as if weighing her words. Then, with a deliberate gesture, he raised a hand to cut her off. His tone was icy, measured. “Why do you think we’re here? Off-Earth?”

Jennifer froze, his words striking a nerve.

Her thoughts spiraled until she forced herself to focus. “What about James?” she asked finally, her voice quieter now. “Are you going to absorb his life force too?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Henderson’s mouth, but he shook his head, almost pityingly. “No. James, remove her limbs.”

James flinched as if struck. His hands trembled. “Henderson, I…”

“I said, now!” Henderson bellowed, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. His eyes hardened, and his voice dropped, low and dangerous. “James, you owe me. You’re nothing without me. You think you’ve made it on your own? I’ve been here for you since you were nothing. Don’t forget that. Now do as I say.”

James’s breath hitched, his eyes darting between Henderson and Jennifer, his hands still shaking. The hesitation lingered, an ocean of uncertainty in his expression. But Henderson’s stare drilled into him.

“There’s no going back now,” Henderson growled, his voice low and venomous. “You’re already in this, James. I made you, remember that. Now prove it.”

James clenched his fists, taking a shaky breath. “I… I don’t want to do this,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Henderson’s face twisted in disgust. “You want to back out now? After everything I’ve done for you?” His voice sharpened, the commanding tone tightening around James like a vice. “Do it now, or you’ll regret it. You owe me, James. You owe everything to me.”

The words lashed at James’s conscience, but as his eyes flickered to Henderson’s cold gaze, the weight of the threat settled over him like a prison. He turned to Jennifer, guilt flooding his features as metal disks materialized around him, their sharp edges spinning ominously.

Henderson’s cold eyes never left James, and the pressure of his presence seemed to crush the air. “You know what you have to do.”

James swallowed hard, fighting back the rising wave of nausea. The disks spun around him with deadly precision, the whirring sound cutting through the tension.

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Jennifer's body instinctively tensed, her third skill buzzing faintly at the edge of her awareness. She had to kill James, the weaker of the two now. She wasn't sure why Henderson needed James to attack her, but he should have been wise and been secretive about it. But from what she guessed, James was the one with the offensive capabilities. This life drain probably was incredibly slow or had strict conditions.

But before she could act, the disks—unexpectedly—turned toward Henderson. They spiraled through the air with deadly force, slicing toward him.

Henderson’s confident mask cracked for the briefest of moments. His eyes widened as the whirling projectiles tore toward him, too fast for him to completely avoid. He raised his arms in a desperate attempt to shield himself, but several disks grazed him, leaving shallow cuts across his skin. He stumbled back, his usual composure faltering as the reality of the attack settled in.

“What the hell?” Henderson snarled, his voice a low growl. His composure snapped back into place, but his eyes burned with fury. “What's wrong with you?!”

“We’re near the edge of the gate!” James shouted, his voice shaking with panic. “We can leave now!”

Jennifer blinked, her mind racing to piece together what had just happened. Henderson had relied on James to attack her—but why? The question felt irrelevant. She lunged forward, grabbing James’s hand.

With a sharp inhale, she activated her third skill—hyper movement. The world blurred around them as they shot forward, each step consuming her focus. Almost immediately they were out.

The transition hit her like a wall of icy water. The world flipped, gravity twisted, and then they were spat out onto Earth.

Jennifer hit the ground hard, her body rolling with the impact. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright despite the pain. “We have to get to the city!” she shouted. “Report this to the hub!”

James grabbed her arm, yanking her back. His grip was firm, his expression grim. “No! He’ll twist it. He’ll say we attacked him, and with his skills, they’ll be bias to him…” His voice dropped, edged with frustration. “You lied about your skill?”

Jennifer didn’t answer. “Who gives a shit about that right now?!”

She grabbed his hand again.

Hyper movement surged to life, propelling them forward in bursts, but it wasn’t enough. Her muscles screamed, her breaths came ragged, and after a few strides, she tripped. The ground rushed up to meet her, and she tumbled to a stop, struggling to rise.

A heavy thud reverberated behind them. Jennifer turned her head slowly, dread pooling in her stomach. Henderson emerged from the gate, his steps steady. He dusted himself off with deliberate slowness, his gaze locking onto them.

“All it took for James to betray me was a girl. Wow.”

Jennifer pushed herself upright, ignoring the screaming protest of her body. She raised her hand and fired, goo projectiles arcing toward Henderson. He sidestepped with smooth, almost inhuman precision. Her aim shifted, spraying the ground around him, forcing him to navigate a minefield of goo.

“James!” she shouted, her voice hoarse.

James didn’t hesitate. Summoning his disks, he sent them whirling toward Henderson. They sliced through the air with deadly intent. Henderson dodged most, but not all—some grazed him, leaving shallow dents on his armor.

His movements slowed, he was doing his best to avoid the disks reaching his face.

"Really?" Henderson muttered, his voice low with disbelief. "This is how we're doing this now?"

Jennifer seized the moment, firing again. This time, the sticky substance latched onto his legs, rooting him in place. Henderson snarled, straining against the goo. "You fucker!"

James ran to her side, pulling her up with urgency. “We need to go—now.”