Kellan waited until the construct turned beneath the damaged beam.
The beam hung where Eli had caught it. Pressure sharpened behind his eyes; its weight still strained the broken connection above, and each falling fleck of plaster meant the rest of the ceiling was moving.
Kellan crossed toward the marked cover. The construct followed. Its exposed joint flashed once, then vanished beneath the casing.
“Device in the fall line,” Eli said.
“We have the recording,” Tessa answered. She and Reeve were already clear. The lift waited behind them; the threshold and count had been checked before the support failed.
The construct caught a foot on the broken tile. Kellan changed direction, crouching behind his shield as its arm scraped the wall. He was still beneath the beam.
Eli’s sight doubled. He stopped trying to follow the bright joint and watched Kellan’s boots instead. Missing the machine would be a loss. Dropping the beam on his friend would be his choice.
“Limit,” he said.
