– S C O R P I O N –

We rapidly ascended the floors of the Emperor's tower in the glass box. They became a blur as it took less that a minute to arrive at the upper levels. When we reached near our floor Proximo's low voice broke the silence.

"Dazz, kill the lights. All floors from 250 up. On my word give us heat signatures."

Whatever confirmation or denial did not show on my Second's face. I didn't care if I had to kill them all in the light or the dark.

The lift slowed dramatically and then the glass doors slid aside into a black room. A large room devoid of life and sound. You could drop a pen at the other end of the building and notice it...

"Now." Proximo murmured, barely audible to my ears right beside him.

Then my comm feed fed into the nano lenses and lights of hot orange and yellow began dotting the immense space of the 250th floor. Wires, floor lights recently cut off, holo pads, screens–my eyes cut over it in seconds looking for bodies, for threats–

"Far too clear." Proximo said lowly as he kept a rifle up and his head on a swivel. I opted for my handguns and kept both at the limits of my peripheral vision.

"Keep your eyes on corners. Heat doesn't pick up through walls." I uttered darkly.

We moved almost back to back as we made slow progress to the wide hallway with a set of glass slide doors. The electrics in them recently lit up with heat. Everything in this building was powered by something... accessible to those who knew how to manipulate machines. Exactly why I preferred traditional accommodation. You couldn't hack an oak door.

"Dazz." Proximo said quietly.

The glass slid open silently before us and we swept into his office with weapons trained on both sides. Just heat signatures from tech. No sweeping guards. No ambushing tactical squads.

I dropped the thermal imaging from my eyes and clicked on a torch from my wrist holo.

"What the hell is going on." I growled, stalking to his long desk.

Proximo was at my side sweeping glasses and miniature statues off of it. "She said there would be a heavy Imperial presence here. What else was she wrong about I wonder." He muttered as he pressed the glass and the holo computer flashed to life.

I cut a look to him sharply. "Forgive Makayla for not double checking the guard rotation in the building after being captured by the same men."

Proximo's dark eyes found mine in the blue glow of the feed. "Remember that I trust no one for a reason–"

"You can trust my judgement for now and get your damn sister into this computer." I snapped, smashing a fist into the glass. It only flickered briefly before a cheery robotic voice answered.

"Incorrect identification. Please confirm, William Dracov Xavier."

"Deal with that." I said slowly.

Proximo watched me coated in cold blue, calm as ever but calculation burning under the surface. I didn't need these doubts now.

"Dazz, get us insid–"

A bright red fusion round sung through the darkness and burned across my upper arm. Then the world went to shit.

"DOWN!" Proximo roared, ripping me off my feet and behind the stone block of the desk. For once I was glad about the Emperor's need for marble in every room as red bolts of plasma sizzled the air.

The adrenaline spiked my blood and the burning skin on the side of my arm became nothing as I drew my pistols to the side and activated the thermal imaging in my lenses. I fired off quickly into the direction but saw no trace of hot red and orange bodies.

But fire returned brutally and I drew back just as quickly as rounds burned the floor inches from my feet.

"They aren't showing on the thermal! They have suits masking body heat!" I shouted to him as he shot quick bursts into the darkness beyond and turned back to me with a snarl.

"Who said we had to play fair too?" He growled as he unclipped a cylinder from his hip and tossed it beyond him. It was then that I noticed he was not unscathed either, but instead of blood there was just black scorch marks on his shirt where the Vanguard absorbed the rounds like nothing.

I heard metal clink all of two times behind us before I shut my eyes tightly and the room around us exploded in multiple flashes of searing white light.

Crypto flash grenade. Nice touch Xaphra.

"Dazz, lights now." Proximo ordered and in seconds the room came into blinding focus. Men were everywhere clawing at their night vision lenses that had absorbed far too much light all at once.

We didn't waste any time.

We split down two sides at a sprint. My guns flashed quickly and eliminated threats before they even attempted to blind fire. When I reached the fourth guard I ducked a wild bladed swing and locked his gun arm before firing it into two men near him.

They dropped quickly and my gun found the underside of his jaw before he dropped too. Proximo was in a similar state of death incarnate and snapped the neck of the nearest man before flinging a dagger into another neck across the room.

When the cheery sound of the elevator dinged again we only shared a brief glance before melting into the room behind overthrown chairs and debris. Bodies poured in by the dozen and this time smoke canisters leaked into the room. I almost smiled.

Thinking that poor visibility was their friend was a costly mistake. Proximo and I could fight hand to hand without a crutch like sight just for fun.

I briefly noticed the slick wet coming from my arm before I rolled out from the side and shot out the legs of three men approaching. They cried out in unison before their comrades open fired into the space I had vanished from.

My armour took another three rounds to the chest before the last felt like a punch. The wind left me and I fell to a knee as I shot the one responsible. But the pause had cost me. Another guard rushed me with another shot to the chest that felt much more like a stab this time as the armour struggled to keep up.

A blade sang through the air that I barely sidestepped before he kicked me off my feet entirely.

I hit the ground hard and my vision blurred. Blood leaked quickly from my arm now and my chest wouldn't bring in air. His hand came down fast with a blade and I cut an elbow across to block it from sinking into my neck by a hair. Smoke surrounded us heavily and red flashes shot beyond at my Second.

He grunted under the silver visor of his helmet before I hooked a leg under him and twisted us over. I threw a punch into his neck below the armour and he gagged.

Then I strained for the discarded gun. He smashed his helmet into my nose and my vision flashed blue and white as warmth flooded down my nose. I fought the cloud of it calling me to unconsciousness and snarled deeply before I disarmed his blade in a twist and sent it through the glass helmet into his eye.

His scream was agonised before I ripped it free and replaced it with a fusion round. He stilled and I only had time to see Proximo take a round to the leg and fall in front of the shooter before I levelled my gun and hit him right between the eyes.

The room fell still.

I dragged in heaving angry breaths before I dropped to a knee and set my hand on the floor. It was pooled in blood and cast in smoke.

"Remind–" Proximo heaved out a cough. "Remind me–to take Makayla's word slightly–more seriously."

I let out a breathy laugh and spat out blood. It continued to run freely down my nose. I checked my arm. It was deep. I suppressed a growl and kicked the body over under me. I drew a lethal blade and cut a leg off his dark tactical trousers. Then secured it tightly over my upper arm. I grit my teeth and looked up to see Proximo pour a bag of clotting powder over his leg wound and binding it with a similar makeshift bandage.

"Here." He grunted, throwing me another pack. "They won't be needing it." He smirked, as he kicked the man that was about to end his life in the head.

I caught it with my good arm and poured it directly into the wound. I didn't give the dead men the satisfaction of a hiss of pain. But I saw Proximo suddenly go still, listening closely. Then his eyes flashed to mine under lines of blood that was either his own or many others.

"The launch. He's about to make the damn launch this was just to buy him time to prepare coordinates to the station–"

"It's a fucking computer–can't she make the hack?" I shouted.

"The launch sequence is finalis–" He began.

"Screw it all to hell." I snarled as I dragged myself to a stand and pulled a heavy set plasma rifle with me onto my back. I swiped a grenade from a guard's hip as I moved.

"Scorpion–you have less than three minutes–we cannot stop its departure." He puffed as he set his shot leg back down and grit his jaw.

"I'll bring that whole damn roof down in less time." Was all I told him as he tried to limp to a stand and failed again. His grim expression was more conflicted than I had ever seen but he was nothing if not committed–true to the very end.

"Dazz. Lift access to launch level–just do it." He snapped.

I only gazed at him for a few seconds before the glass slid shut and the lift shot up into the dark.

– M A K A Y L A –

My hands pressed down tightly against the personal guard's thigh. The man known as Kartuga took measured breaths and clenched his sidearm as if more Imperials would suddenly pour in to finish the job. It was entirely possible...

"Confirmed." Octavius murmured quietly as he listened in to the Division's comm chatter.

I bit down the urge to ask him what the hell was going on and focused on stemming the bleeding. The pressure kept it at bay but if we didn't get hold of a nano salve or even a clot pack it wouldn't matter. It was so simple, even the average–

I froze. "Octavius?"

His head snapped over to meet my eyes while he kept his gun trained on the main doors.

"Could you check the bodies? Our guard normally keeps emergency medical packs on their person."

He was moving before I finished my sentence. He rolled over the first and blood leaked out of his neck and head. I stared at the smashed silver visor and saw a version of Alex in the suit. Laying on the ground cold and unmoving...

The body moved again and Octavius shifted to the next guard and patted him down. He suddenly drew a black pack from with the armour and pulled out various sachets until he found a clotting pack and tossed it across the marble floor. I grabbed it and tore it open as Kartuga groaned loudly. Then I poured the contents of grey grit into his wound.

He howled in pain and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I suppose I should go easy on someone that didn't have Alex's immortal pain threshold.

"Fuck me. Give a guy a shout first love." He grunted between pants. I threw him a semi apologetic look before bringing the shirt sleeve back over it and wrapping it tightly. He winced and glared at me.

"You'll live." I told him as I rose to a stand.

"Didn't take you for such a hard ass." He panted eyeing me more closely. But I didn't linger. I moved and started slipping weapon holsters off the dead guards and threw an unpenetrated chest armour piece over my head.

Octavius eyed me warily as I slung a fully automatic fusion rifle over my back and clipped a sidearm to my thigh. When it resisted my long red dress, I tore two seems up the sides.

Kartuga snorted loudly. "The hell do you think you'll do up there? Catwalk them to death?"

I looked down at him with a cool glance. Then walked to him slowly and crouched. He frowned as I drew close and then plucked a throwing knife from his chest holster.

"I need to borrow this."

"She's insane for ever letting you hold a weapon." He shook his head and slumped back to the floor. I rose and turned to the elevator.

"You're probably right. I hope your leg feels better." I said dryly over my shoulder.

"Makayla, I can't let you leave." Octavius said in a deep voice suddenly appearing at my side before the lift. I ignored his presence and scanned my wrist holo over the access bar. The doors opened to me.

I turned to him. "And I can't let her die. Seems like our goals are the same for the moment." I murmured watching his dark eyes turn in conflict. "Or am I wrong about that?"

"I must keep this floor secure..." He ventured before turning his head back towards the barricaded doors to the gala beyond. Then he turned to me and placed a small metal ball the size of an apple in my hand.

"For emergency use. This will clear a room, use it well." He murmured, staring into my eyes.

"The Princess has grenades now too?! Are you trying–"

"Shut your mouth or your memory of tonight's events ends now, Kartuga." Octavius said in a bored tone over his shoulder. I smirked before dropping him a nod and walking into the glass lift. It sealed shut instantly and flew me upwards.

I didn't try to think too hard on what I'd find. But I did not expect to see what I did as I emerged onto the floor of my father's office.

Smoke and bodies were everywhere.

The white stone floor was painted in red and scorch marks. I drew the gun off my shoulder and levelled it into corners and turned furniture. Nothing moved. The room was utterly dead save for the smoke that curled up to the ceiling it smog.

A hand whipped out across my arm before I could turn and disarmed my rifle in a heartbeat. I pulled a knife from my hip prepared to toss it and the shadow twisted and stopped my wrist. Then Proximo's eyes met mine out of the smoke. Covered in blood.

"Not a smart move even when I'm shot to shit." He grunted at me dropping my arms and limping back onto one leg.

I sucked in a breath and stared openly at him. "What the hell happened–where is–"

He shook his head at me slowly before pointing to the ground beside him. "The best thing you can do for her is sit your ass down right now."

"Proximo I need to know–"

"You need to stay out of this and not distract her." He grit out as he tightened a cloth around his leg. "–knew it was too soon to bump up a kid like Octavius... so weak." He muttered to himself.

"You didn't shut off the launch from his desk holo." I summarised backing away from him. "She's gone alone." I snapped wanting to shoot his other leg.

"Makayla, don't make me stop you." He told me quietly.

I snorted without humour. "Good luck with that leg–"

He levelled a handgun at my head. My heart stilled and I stared at the gun in his hand that did not flinch.

"What are you doing..."

"Protecting our leader. Sit." He barked at me and I flinched. His eyes did not soften. He truly believed in what he did now, letting her face my father alone.

I raised my hands and slowly moved beside him. His steel grey eyes never left mine as he watched me edge closer. I was running out of time. "You really think this is helping her?" I demanded at him in outrage. "You trained me yourself!"

"Not for this!" He suddenly shouted in rage. His calm eyes took on a fire that had always been so controlled before and I shrunk from the intensity. His dark tattoos only made it worse. "She has been trained for death. Survival and killing has been her upbringing her entire life and you think a few months training compares to that?" He demanded of me. "She may be the woman you love, Makayla Xavier, but she is made for this. And you are made for that." He said gesturing a hand to my bloodied dress.

My fear of him flicked out like a light. Only anger remained. Let him fucking pull the trigger. I rose from the ground. I wasn't this life anymore and if he thought otherwise he didn't know me at all.

"Makayla." He snarled. I took a step in the direction of the lift and a fusion round fired an inch from my foot. I whirled on him then and let a dagger fly from my hand. It spun quickly and slashed across his hand. He dropped the gun and stared in shock.

I ran.

I heard cursing and fumbling behind me but it was too late. The glass shut tightly behind me and he watched me with an emotion I could no longer pin. It was more than disappointment it was closer to resignation. There was nothing he could do to stop me from getting to her and he always knew it.

The lift pulled me away from his gaze in the next second and onto its final destination. The launchpad. What I would find was entirely up to timing and fate...