Alice watched Marcos sneak back around the corner. What if he was still working for Blackmountain? Could he be part of the trap? No. Marcos was an asshole, but he wouldn't betray her. Probably.

Alice waited until he was out of sight, then turned to face the door. She counted down from three on her fingers, Robert and Weizza stood to either side. On reaching zero Alice aimed an armor-assisted kick next to the handle.

The door flew back with a bang. Inside a single soldier looked up from a control panel, his mouth an 'O' of surprise. Alice cut him down with her suit rifle before he could move, superhuman reflexes enhanced by the suit's AI.

The room looked otherwise empty. Alice motioned for the others to move in, wary of the ambush from behind. As she turned back around she caught a flicker of motion. A woman in coveralls rose from behind a desk, arms held up in the air.

"Oh thank goodness, that maniac–"

The technician's words were cut short by a bang. Alice looked down at the smoking barrel of her upraised gun. Then back up, to the now dead woman slumping against the wall.

The bottom fell out of Alice's stomach and her eyes went wide. She doubled over, hands on knees, trying to get blood back into her brain. Her heartbeat throbbed in her head.

"How?" was all she could manage.

"Good," Weizza nodded approvingly. "She might have alerted others.

"Robert, figure out the controls."

Robert stepped over the two dead bodies, unable to look at Alice. He focused on the machinery in front of him.

"It looks like we need an access card," said Robert. "I can probably bypass it, but it could take a minute."

Weizza strode over to the slain worker and ripped a lanyard off of her neck. "Here," she said, tossing the blood-spattered security card at Robert.

He swallowed hard and badged in to the system. "It works. We have full control. It looks like there are two flooded tunnels between us and Lynch. I'll drain them now."

Robert tapped away at the control panel, executing the commands.

"Oh damn."

"What?" Weizza asked.

"The pump system drains the water into the adjacent tunnels. When I clear one, another floods."

"How do we get through?" Weizza demanded. She spoke with her back to Robert, looking out of the room. The ambush still hadn't come. Maybe Marcos had done his job.

"I think someone has to stay here," Robert answered. "Basically work the flooded tunnels like a series of airlocks. I noticed some wired phones on the way down here, we can use those for communication."

"Can you patch them into the pump system so we can stay together?" Weizza asked.

Robert shook his head. "The phones are pure analog. Old tech. Maybe if I had some other hardware I could rig up an interface, but there's no way to make a connection into the pump system."

Weizza frowned at this. "We are spreading ourselves thin. But I see no other option. Robert, you will remain behind."

He nodded somberly.

"Alice, it is time to go. Let us go find Marcos."

Alice was still hunched over, breathing hard. She didn't respond.

"Alice." Weizza did not raise her voice, but it burned with command. Alice looked up involuntarily.

"Alice, you will come with me, now."

Alice's armor jerked at her limbs, pulling her upright and causing her to shamble toward Weizza.

"How are you–"

"Your armor can move without your intervention. You probably noticed the AI take over when you stumbled by the turrets. It also obeys my commands," Weizza explained, "unlike its occupant."

Alice's head snapped up. "Does that mean I didn't shoot her?"

Weizza shrugged. "The armor tries to predict the operator's intent. Accuracy is high, but no system is perfect. Without running a full diagnostic, I cannot say for sure. Now let us go - I know the way."

"One sec," said Robert. "Here Alice, take this. It's the program for gaining control of Petbe," he handed her a thumb drive, still not meeting her eyes. "Plug it in to the uplink and it'll take care of the rest."

Alice numbly stowed the drive in her pocket, then followed Weizza out.

They retraced their steps, heading to an elevator that would take them lower in the mine. Alice noticed her suit had only a quarter of its charge left.

"My armor is running down," she informed Weizza.

"I know. I believe it will be enough."

"What if–" Alice stopped as she turned the corner. On the ground were a half dozen soldiers, shot dead.

"Marcos was correct about an ambush," noted Weizza, "though wrong about the direction."

Alice scanned the bodies for Marcos, didn't find him. A series of blood spatters led further back down the tunnel.

"I think he's hurt," said Alice. "Look at the trail."

Weizza nodded. "Keep quiet. There may be more of them."

The two moved slowly down the cavern, minimizing their noise. Further back they found another Blackmountain soldier. Unlike the others, he appeared to have been bludgeoned to death.

Lying next to him was Marco's power armor, abandoned on the ground. Alice wasn't certain, but it looked damaged.

Finally they reached the elevator bank. The trail of Marcos's blood continued past. Weizza called the elevator.

"Marcos went that way. We should help him," said Alice.

"What help can you offer?" asked Weizza. "He is a trained solider, and we have no medicine. We are close to Lynch, but reinforcements will arrive any minute. Will you risk it all to watch your ex-husband die?"

Alice rounded on Weizza. "How dare you. He fought for you. He fought for us. You would leave him bleeding out on the ground?"

"He fought so we could stop Lynch," Weizza answered. "Do not throw away his sacrifice."

The elevator cage rattled to a halt at their floor. Weizza stepped in. She stared at Alice coolly.

Alice looked as if she would spit, then the fight went out of her. "Fine. Let's get this over with, then come back to help Marcos."

Weizza latched the cage door and they disappeared into the Earth.