“Eight Hostiles, two to right and one coming around the corner on your left,” Nova said,

FUCK!, I thought, pushing the hatch open. I turned right pushing myself up and darted towards the end of the corridor.

“He’s rounding the corner, Sir.”

DAMN IT!

I slowed to a crawl, then knelt, aiming. The moment he turned the corner. I squeezed the treasure and felt the sound of my bullet echo through the section.

“Detecting Communication Waves.”

“Hack ‘em and piggyback to the main system.”

“It’s Level 8 Data encrypt-“

“How Long!” I snapped, feeling my heart thump in my chest.

“Ten minutes at best”

“Fine.”

I scooped pluck the comm from out of his ear and slid it into my Flack-jacket, which was as barren as it could be, thanks to the Doasians stripping me of my equipment.

I the two magazines he had strapped across his back, I slid in the pouches at the front, then I scooped up the submachine gun he once held.

My Echo-Sight pulsed into existence thanks to Nova and I watched as four waves of footsteps rolled towards me from my left. Two men, I thought.

My body pivoted left and sprint back down the corridor, leaping over the hatch and watching as I crept open to a Doasian’s discerning eyes.

I aimed my cybernetic wrist at the ceiling at the end of the corridor and Fired. My wrist shot across the corridor and hovered in place as Nova took control of my wrist.

The relief of not having my SMB clutch my brain, for the umpteenth time, resonated in my stomach in the form of bullets and ground my teeth because I was happy she was back…but still pissed, because I didn’t like being on the end of someone else’s strings!

The camera’s from my wrist showed two men speeding through the corridor. The moment they slowed, I slid across the ground and hugged the back wall.

I watched myself creep to the edge of the wall, whilst Ranton’s men hand-signalled each other.

A fatal mistake.

I flicked the submachine gun around the corner, steadied my right hand and fired blindly. I watched the bullets fizzle through Ranton’s men and sagged to the side of the wall, smearing blood across it from their leaking heads.

“What the FUCK did you do!” Warchief Blackrock huffed next to me. “We were supposed to sneak in here as quietly"

“You gave me one fucking bullet! Men are patrolling here. I’m not dying because you don’t FUCKING trust me. Get your men to head that way. I saw three men scamper that side. We can flank them before it’s too late!”

The Warchief slammed his hand against the wall and Ignored him. As I moved into the corridor, the ruffles of a sleeve flapped behind me. I couldn’t be bothered to look back, but I hope that Warchief was signalling his men to move into position.

My cybernetic wrist shot past me from above and turned left at the top of the corridor. Three men appeared within my cybernetic but ducked in behind the wall nestling themselves into cover. Shit, they’re trying to hunker us down whilst reinforcements come!

“Nova!” I huffed,

“12 Minutes and 12 Seconds till I can complete the backtrace, Sir.”

“Fuck! I don’t think we might be able to hold out for that long.”

“You don’t have to worry Sir.”

“What?” I whispered.

“More men are on the way.”

“How the fuck is that GOOD?”

“With more signals to piggyback off of. It will increase the speed of my backtrace.”

“A firefight is the worst possible thing” I grunted, seeing waves of sound fluttering toward me.

“It is, but it’ll also increase our chances of escape.”

“Fine, is my only option still the vents still…based on incoming Soldiers?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Wrist, Nova.”

“What are grumbling about?” Calian grumbled behind me.

My wrist zoomed back to me and I snatched it from out of the air, clamping it back in place. I stuck my submachine gun out and squeezed the trigger.

Calian hunched above me and followed suit. The rattling sound of the bullets hit the walls in the distance spraying debris all over the floor as if it was sand. “What are we shooting at?” The Warchief finally asked.

“Men are here tryna pin us down! I expect more men to arrive!”

“You knew this would happen!”

I ignored the Warchief and strayed back into cover, leaving him firing at the wall. Once his magazine was dry, he slid back into the cover and reloaded.

My eyes drifted to Eltessa, who slid her hand down to her boot. I could tell the intent easily. She wanted to stab the three men that had been with us, but that would be suicide.

I turned left, shaking my head, hoping only she realised, and was met with the Warchief’s menacing gaze. “ YOU FUCKED US!” He growled.

“Gather yourself Warchief,” I said cooly. “If you want to save your kids. Follow my lead.”

He snarled into my face and slide my submachine gun out of cover, firing blindly. “…and then maybe I’ll take you to them.”

“YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.”

My eyes drifted from the Warchief’s face, then he slid out of view as I turned, squaring myself back up against the wall. As the Doasians killed me with their eyes.

Bullets rattled all around me as the Doasians and I continually fought and continued our square-off. I caught the top of the shoulder, but nothing too serious as I realised that bullets still rattled across the corridor.

The Doasians that Warchief Blackrock had sent to deal with the Doasians that were trying to flank us went down after a few minutes.

I shot the lights within the ceiling, and the corridor went dark in an instant.

Bullets died in the background to my right, leaving me a bit jaded. Did the Warchief’s men lose? I thought to myself.

“Check on Saphan and the rest!” The Warchief grunted, and two men sprinted past Eltessa.

“Time!” I said firmly, drawing suspicions from Eltessa, The Warchief and the remaining Doasians.

“Internal clock,” I grunted.

“11 Minutes and 40 Seconds remaining, Sir ” Nova said Damn… it’s what’s taking them so long! I mused bitterly, realising that I was asking for men to arrive. I must be going insane.

“They’re down!” A Doasian shouted, from behind me.

“Good, let’s push forward…Cover me!” I growled, tapping the inner wrist of Furtiven Suit and watched as my Suit turned dark around me.

The Warchief laid down cover fire, and I snapped out of cover and rolled keeping myself low.

Bullets rained in all around me from both sides as I crept up towards Ranton’s men.

Once I got enough, I aimed and fired two bullets into the head of one of Ranton’s men ten meters in front of me. Then, I rolled to the left, watching bullets flake the ground upon impact.

My eyes drifted up and to my right and Fright crept into the man’s eyes as I stared at him with my Night-Vision and watched as emerald liquid spouted from his neck like a fountain.

An Assault crept into the corner of my eye. I tried to strafe my aim left, but it was too late. The nozzle of his assault rifle barrel sparkled despite the lack of light, but worst of all I could feel the trigger being squeezed.

A loud bark echoed throughout the corridor and the Ranton’s man dropped like a brick hitting the ground with a large thud.

“10 Minutes and Six Seconds, Sir” Nova said.

“CLEAR!” I shouted, pushing myself up.

Giant footsteps mimicking the sound of a bear pounded behind me. I turned around, only to see the Warchief in my face. His nostrils were flared whilst his brows were knitted together. I sucked my teeth and pushed the submachine gun into the Warchief’s hands.

“Are you try—“

“Did you fight in the Continent War?” I asked.

“No,” He growled “bu—“

“Then, follow my fucking instructions! You don’t know how they’re going to respond! I DO!”

A reverberating gong echoed through the corridor as the Warchief slammed his fist into a pipe. I shook my head and walked up leaving his men with him for them to plan whatever they had in mind to take control of the situation.

I darted down the corridor, making a series of lefts and rights and coming up to the blast door that separated the maintenance room of the Salent Coolant Reservoir.

“Time,” I said gruffly.

“Sir, clusters of radio waves are heading towards you.”

“Fuck…how many? At least Fifteen,

I tapped the left pocket of my Flack jacket and my draw protruded from annoyance. As the sputtering footsteps of the Doasians echoed behind me, I turned and marched up to the Doasian that was carrying my gear in his haversack.

The Warchief tried to get in my way, but I sidestepped him and dug into the bag looking for the wire and flash-bang that they carelessly left in the back. “Connection Established, Sir. Encryption will be cracked in four minutes.” Nova told me.

I did a mental celebration, which was doubled once I found my flash bang and wire. I pulled them free and looked around the pipings and loose conduit that was around the section.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Saving our asses, head back down. I’ll come to guide.”

“No, tell me what the plan is!” The Warchief huffed.

“I’m using a flash-bang to slow them down, they’ll think that it was a grenade, and by the time they grab their balls and come in we’ll be long gone.”

“How?”

I turned left and pointed to the nearest vents. “That’s how. I already mapped them out. So there’s no need to worry.”

The Warchief grunted and turned and began jogging back down the

I twisted the grenade’s crown, once I heard the second click I stopped, and then wrapped the wiring around it. Once I was satisfied I tied it around the blast door. I looped it twice, then tugged on it to ensure that there was enough pressure to twist it into the final click.

A cluster of men appeared on the mini-map in my cybernetic eye, flooding towards me, shit, I thought bitterly. “Head back down, I’ll be behind you.

The Warchief’s jawline protruded from frustration and he waved his men as he scampered back down the corridor. Satisfaction wasn’t something I could show across my face right now, as much as I wanted to.

I looped the wiring around the conduit on the right of the door, then brought it around the piping and attached it to the top of the door with a piece of plastique. “Good.”

“Sir, the men are right there.”

“Fuck!”

I sprinted down the corridor following the path as best as I could. I made a hard right and came across The Warchief and his people. “FOLLOW ME!” I growled flying past them.

“Highlight the Vent, Nova.” I huffed, feeling my lungs burn from exasperation.

My shoulder clipped a wall as I turned too soon and almost fell, but kicked off the ground as though it was nothing. The white line Nova sent to me pulsed into my vision and followed like a dog does a bone.

Once I made it to the vent, a loud reverberating explosion rumbled through the corridors. I yanked the vent off as though it was a tin can, but not enough that wouldn’t make it reusable. “Get inside,”

The Warchief eyed me suspiciously, but I ignored him the moment and lifted Eltessa. The remaining Doasians followed suit, but the Warchief made his way up begrudgingly.

“Sir, We have a problem.”

“Problem? I asked confused.

“Yes Sir, Ranton’s aid are here.”

“What?” I huffed.

“Yes Sir, Reinforcements are outside Sceleratus.”

FUCK!