Frost-bound

"Again," Zhang barked, her practice staff already moving to strike.

I barely got my own weapon up in time to block, the impact sending shockwaves through my arms despite the suit's enhanced strength. Three weeks of training, and I still felt like I was moving underwater compared to the rebels.

"Better," Zhang allowed, flowing into another attack sequence. "But you're still thinking too much. Let the suit's neural interface do its job. Feel the movements, don't plan them."

Easy for her to say. I tried to relax, to let the suit's combat protocols work through my nervous system the way Marcus had explained. The technology was designed to enhance natural movements, not replace them, but finding that balance was—

Zhang's staff slipped past my guard and caught me in the ribs. Even with the suit's protection, the blow knocked the wind out of me.

"Dead," she announced flatly. "Again."

Before she could reset her stance, alarms blared through the safe house. Zhang immediately dropped into a defensive posture, her practice staff forgotten as she drew a very real weapon from her back.

"Multiple contacts," Marcus's voice crackled through our suit comms. "Surface vehicles and at least two dropships. They found us."

Commander Ash's voice cut in: "All units, evacuation protocol three. Zhang, get Seraphina to the secondary exit. Everyone else, you know your roles."

"Wait," I protested as Zhang grabbed my arm. "I can help fight!"

"You're not ready," she replied, already pulling me toward the library's lower levels. "And you're too valuable to risk."

The building shook as something heavy impacted above. Through the comms, I heard Marcus cursing. "They're using thermal charges to breach the outer defenses. These aren't regular hunters – they're Queen's Guard."

"More reason to move," Zhang pushed me toward a concealed panel in the wall. "The queen must really want you to send her elite troops."

The panel slid open to reveal another maintenance tunnel. As we entered, I heard the distinct sound of weapons fire above, followed by explosions and shouting. The rebels were buying us time with their lives.

"We can't just leave them," I argued, resisting Zhang's push forward.

"They knew the risks. Our standing orders are to protect you at all—" Zhang's words cut off in a grunt of pain as something hit her from behind. She stumbled forward, revealing a figure in gleaming white armor standing in the tunnel entrance.

"Target located," the figure announced in a mechanically enhanced voice. "Secondary target wounded. Proceeding with acquisition."

Zhang spun and fired her weapon in one fluid motion, but the white-armored figure moved with impossible speed. The shot dissipated harmlessly against some kind of energy shield, and then the figure was on us.

I had thought Zhang was fast in our practice sessions. This attacker made her look like she was standing still. Even as Zhang tried to bring her weapon around for another shot, the figure had already slipped inside her guard. There was a flash of blue-white energy, and Zhang screamed.

The sound broke through my paralysis. Without conscious thought, I let the suit's combat protocols take over – just as Zhang had been trying to teach me. My body moved on instinct, enhanced muscles and neural interfaces working in perfect synchronization.

I caught the attacker's arm as they reached for me, using their own momentum to throw them off balance. The suit's heads-up display highlighted vulnerable points in their armor, and my fist was already moving to strike the nearest one before I fully processed the information.

The hit connected with far more force than I expected, enhanced strength combining with perfect targeting to crack the white armor. The figure staggered back, giving Zhang time to recover and bring her weapon to bear.

But our advantage was brief. The figure's armor seemed to ripple, and suddenly the temperature in the tunnel plummeted. Frost crystals formed on my suit's exterior, and warning indicators flashed across my display.

"Frostbane tech," Zhang gasped, her own suit clearly struggling with the temperature drop. "We can't—"

I didn't let her finish. Acting on pure instinct, I grabbed her and threw us both backward down the tunnel, just as the figure released some kind of energy pulse that turned the air itself to ice. The frozen shockwave passed over us as we fell, missing by inches.

"Run!" Zhang shouted, shoving me ahead of her. "I'll hold them—"

"Both of you, stop talking and head for junction seven," Commander Ash's voice cut through our comms. "Marcus has a surprise ready."

We ran, the white-armored figure pursuing with that unnatural speed. Behind them, I could hear more boots on metal – reinforcements joining the chase.

"Junction in three," Zhang panted. "Two. One—"

"Down!" Marcus yelled through the comms. We dropped flat as something whistled over our heads. There was a deafening explosion, and the tunnel behind us collapsed in a cascade of ice and metal.

"That won't hold them long," Marcus said. "But it should slow them down. Get to the backup extraction point. Ash and I will meet you there if we can."

"If you can?" I started to ask, but Zhang was already pulling me up and forward.

"No time," she said grimly. "They knew exactly where to find us. That means we have a leak somewhere in the resistance. We need to get you out of here before more Queen's Guard arrive."

"But the others—"

"Are doing their jobs." Her tone softened slightly. "You did well back there. First real combat situation and you managed to damage a Guard's armor. Not many can say that."

I thought about how naturally my body had moved once I'd stopped overthinking, how the suit had seemed to anticipate my intentions. "The neural interface... it felt different during the fight. More integrated somehow."

Zhang gave me a sharp look. "We'll have Marcus analyze your suit's data later – assuming he makes it to the extraction point. For now, focus on surviving. That was just one Guard. They usually hunt in packs."

As if to emphasize her point, a distant explosion echoed through the tunnel, followed by the sound of tearing metal.

"They're through already," Zhang muttered. "Faster than expected. Move!"

We ran through the darkness, guided by our suits' navigation systems. Behind us, the sound of pursuit grew steadily closer. The Queen's Guard were coming, and this time, they wouldn't underestimate us.

I just hoped the rest of the rebels had survived. The thought of Ash, Marcus, and the others dying to protect me made my chest tight. They had become more than just allies in the past few weeks – they were the only connection I had to this frozen world.

"Almost there," Zhang said, her breath ragged. "Whatever happens next... remember your training. And remember – the queen wants you alive. Use that."

I nodded, saving my breath for running. The extraction point was close now, but so were our pursuers. The real test, I realized, was just beginning.

The future I had woken into was more dangerous than I could have imagined. But I was done running. Whatever came next, I would face it head-on.

Just like Eleanor would have.