"Mera. How many portals can you open right now. Honestly."
"Two. Maybe three if I don't care about closing them cleanly."
"Cheon. Your Interface. Can you read the entity's ability architecture? Map the connections between its thirteen signatures?"
"I can try." She was already pulling up her visor, the translucent blue display flickering to life across her vision. "But my ability works best on willing subjects. That thing isn't going to cooperate with a diagnostic."
"It doesn't need to cooperate. It just needs to be distracted."
I stopped running.
Mera and Cheon skidded to a halt beside me. Noel's unconscious body shifted on Mera's shoulder.
"Rome." Mera's voice carried a warning. "Whatever you're thinking. Don't."
