"A necessary sacrifice."
She spoke the words back slowly. Her fingers curled at her sides.
Lex stepped forward without a word, planting himself between her and the line of guns.
Although he wasn't wearing any power suit, he was confident he could still block bullets. But his body couldn't operate at peak performance without risking cellular damage.
Now that he thought about it, it was the Director who insisted that he meet her wearing civilian clothing.
As for Samantha, she was a non-combatant with no weapons whatsoever, which made her a liability.
"I'll make an opening," he said quietly. "After that, you run. Don't look back. Whatever you hear."
"What about you?"
His grip shifted on the spear. "I'll manage."
"No. That's not—"
"Listen," his voice hardened, cutting her off. "Once you get out of their range, they won't waste resources chasing you because they would be too busy fighting me."
She didn't find that comforting. She wasn't sure she was supposed to.
