A slanted figure flew towards him from the shadows. It aimed its body at Dash’s centre.
Although Dash saw the figure tearing towards him, his reflexes shut down. He might have become gapped if Comma had not pushed him out of the way.
Undeterred, the attacker flew at Dash again. He could identify it this time. It was his cousin Slash.
The angular Mark could transform his body into three thin blades tilted to his left. He could stretch out the blades like a handheld fan or leave them back-to-back. Nimble and agile, Slash could slip into the smallest of spaces. He made the Mill Drill more efficient, and he made the perfect thug.
Slash’s blades were about to tear into Dash when Quotes plucked him into the sky. Only Slash and Comma remained. Comma gave Slash a dismissive stare, daring him to attack her. Many a Mark would have been crippled by that stare. Slash, however, was like an automaton.
Slash eyed Comma menacingly. Comma could hear the sound of metal grating. He was sharpening his blades. Comma looked around for something to use as a shield. The workwords had not left any stray tools. She fled behind the nearest book cover, thankful for the tradition of printing first editions in hardback. She heard the blades slice through the paper. Slash had not bothered to follow her around the cover. He was taking a shortcut through the book. Slash’s slender frame bored through the paper in seconds. Thankfully, the hardcover was a little more resistant. As Slash’s blades sawed through the cardboard, shavings flew into the air.
Behind the vibrating book cover and beneath the shower of sawdust that descended upon her, Comma cowered—and coughed. Although there was nothing behind her, she was trapped. Slash stood between her and the Launch Pad’s every exit.
