He snarls, charges us, running faster, muscles bulging with bubbles of red light.
What the fuck did they do to you?
I open my claws and leap toward him. But I aim low, and gut him fast. Blood soaks my armor. Another soldier bashes through a doorway and into me. We scuffle and smash into a metal table covered in tools. He grabs something long and slender and stabs me in the chest with it, rips it out, and tries again. But this time I’m ready.
I launch him off of me with a boot, sending him knocking another Myndrous back in the corridor. I shoot the first. My rifle clicks when I fire again.
I’m out of ammo. I’m bleeding from the puncture. And Carnas and Davarok are in their own battle, protecting the room Tessi’s in.
Snatching up a blade from the tools on the table, I throw it at a third Myndrous. He staggers back. I stalk up to him and give him a permanent nap with one punch to his throat. His neck snaps.
I charge back to the room where Tessi has entered and look inside. It is in utter mayhem.
She’s managed to tie one Neb to a machine that’s slowly reeling him toward a vertical gear system. He’s pulled in and turned to meat in seconds. Another is frantically trying to tear his shirt off and fidgeting with something that’s crawling in it. Radar leaps onto her back like a stepping stone, launches off, and attacks a Myndrous in the face with his teeth.
Tessi fires at another soldier, who’s just entered in the far back corner, stabs someone with a pen that makes them seize like they’re being electrocuted. Then, she rips out one more item from her boot and slashes open the arm of a Myndrous who reaches for her. When he curls forward, she brings up a knee hard and fast into his face.
She’s sweating, bleeding in a few places, and yet lets out a war roar like no female I’ve ever seen.
Tessi is fighting for Zorin the way I should be.
Then I see the Denarso creeping up behind her, illuminating his portal generator. I fling myself inside the room, jump onto the first console, leap to the next, and crash into him. I dig my claws in as I land with crushing force just to be sure he dies. When I get up, Davarok bursts into the room, Carnas not far behind.
Zorin is in the chamber, completely motionless.
I rush to the consoles and frantically scan over the programs but can’t comprehend what I’m seeing. I break com silence. “Ignus, I need your help.”
“Ignus isn’t going to be helping anyone any time soon,” a dark voice replies.
Someone has taken or killed him.
Everyone on our team hears it.
Kren runs in with Corzin not far behind.
“Kren, can you take this ship?” I ask.
He scans the group. “I think so. If we all go.”
“Azrim.” Tessi braces herself on Zorin’s chamber.
“Are we evacuated?” I ask.
“All survivors are in pods,” Corzin replies. “Viriden will collect them later.”
“Then get us to the third ship. I want us docked, and I want to destroy what’s left of this faction.”
Kren pounds his chest as he leaves with the others. “Good to have you back, sir.”
I look over the screens but can’t find anything I recognize enough to understand what will turn it off.
Tessi beats on the glass. “Zorin.”
I walk up to them and place my hands on the chamber. “Tessi, take Radar and get back.”
She leaves, and I hear her command Radar off of someone who groans in the back. I claw the latch off and lift the hatch. I slash his belts and peel my brother out of the body bracket.
“Zorin? Can you hear me?”
