first semb

"It's called improvisation," I told her without even looking her way. I was more focused on what was going on behind me—particularly the glow that machine was starting to emit. "Dammit, Adam!"

Blake checked her own mirror and exhaled slowly.

"Keep going," She said. "He'll catch up when he's done."

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Blake? Because it looks like that thing has a beam cannon the size of a car!"

"Just watch," She said.

Not having much choice, I did. The machine's glow brightened even as Adam maintained the stance he'd adopted and then there was a torrent of bright blue light that I was briefly certain would eclipse Adam entirely—but it didn't. Instead, he caught the laser beam on his sword, slammed his blade back into its sheath, and started to laugh. And glow, but really, the laugh was creepier. Had I sounded like that?

And then, it was over in a flash of light, the machine literally disappearing even as Adam began to stumble and fall.