The gate took Balisk's push and answered with another steel crash.
The case lurched forward by less than an inch. The two guard leaves held against each other, crossed wrong in front of the rail. One blade sat high enough to scrape the upper frame. The other leaned low, its sharpened inner edge almost touching the glass near the lower band.
"Balisk is stronger than the gate is sensible, which is a bad pairing," Blue said.
JJ planted her sword flat against the lower leaf and shoved.
The steel leaf barely moved. The force traveled through her arms and into her shoulders, but she kept the blade angled so it would slide rather than bite. Sparks scraped from the contact line and fell into the rail groove.
"This gate is opening out of order right now," JJ said. "Blue, tell me the lever can fix that before Balisk turns the case into evidence."
Blue had both hands on the broken handle.
"The lever is not a lever anymore, it is a metal insult attached to a problem," she said.
