---
Vorak's front line there shuddered. One man's spear dipped just enough that the drone opposite him stopped seeing a weapon and started seeing a man who did not want to die in this place. Friendly shields straightened as if someone had reminded the arms behind them why they were holding.
"Now," Kai said.
Shadeclaw felt the pulse without needing the word. "Push right," he barked.
The drones leaned. Not a charge. A correction. Their line flattened, then reasserted the bend at a healthier angle. Vexor's voice came back over the Net, a grin in it again. "Right hinge holds. No crack. One nice little shriek when your scent went out. I liked it."
"Do not like it too much," Kai warned. "We need them resenting me tomorrow so they do not forget what side they are on."
The Phenomenon thinned, then vanished. The world's flavor returned to ordinary steel and sweat.
The fight ground on.
