Junjio raised his hands.
His fingers shook violently, the knuckles turning white as he strained against his own exhaustion. He didn't look back at the heavy steel door. He looked strictly through the reinforced glass of the holding cell, locking his gaze directly onto his father's worn, gray boots.
A multi-colored ring tore open on the white tiles directly in front of the cell.
It didn't spin smoothly. It chewed into the ceramic floor, throwing sparks and pulverized dust into the air with the sound of ripping canvas. A second ring slashed open inside the cell, exactly where Elias had instructed—right at Goji's feet.
"Dad! Go!" Junjio screamed.
Blood poured freely from the boy's nose. The sheer strain of forcing a spatial tear through a live-pulse biometric lock pushed his depleted core to the absolute limit. His knees buckled an inch.
