Marcellus stepped around Tivon, using his maul to shove him behind. Bullets began to pepper the hallway once again as the wolf conjured a barrier just in time. “Hurry up.”

Tivon nodded before running backwards toward Ava, sending a few rounds towards the guards as he did so. Marcellus knelt on the ground, focusing his will once again and caused himself to leap backwards and away as though he was suddenly taking flight.

He landed right behind Tivon and Ava and provided shield cover. Declan had given Ava the holo-map and she was guiding them through the maze of halls that lead them there. Steam from the wall pipes hissed in their faces, occasionally obscuring their vision.

“How much time left?” Marcellus called out.

Tivon checked his watch. “Two more minutes. Glad I set the extra time, huh?”

Marcellus let out a breath that just might have been humorless laughter had they not been running for their lives.

Bullets flew through the doorway of the second set of doors they had hacked to get into the facility. They all dove to each side. Marcellus thought for a moment he could smell the iron and copper smell of blood. Checking himself he saw he was not wounded. Tivon looked fine as well on the side opposite of him. Looking down he saw Ava kneeling on the ground clutching a bleeding side.

“Ava!” Marcellus cried out, breaking his stoic shell for a moment.

“It’s just a graze. I’ll be fine.” Ava said huffing in pain.

Rage overtook Marcellus for a moment before he tempered, focused, and channeled it into his free hand. Conjuring a shield he roared in anger as he swung out from over. Bullets rained down upon him and were deflected every which way. His roar grew louder as his shield glowed brighter before bursting into a hailstorm of energy, shotguning the room in front of him with daggers of light. The guards all dropped to the floor dead. The drain on his energy was significant.

“Time?!” Marcellus called out.

“One minute!” Tivon yelled as he gathered up Ava in his arms and ran past Marcellus.

Running outside back onto the platform they saw three packs laid waiting at the far end. They quickly strapped on the packs, climbed over the railing that separated them from a half mile long drop to the under-city below. In between them lay waiting a web of steaming hot pipes and crackling cables.

“Don’t touch the live wires or you’ll be fried! Make for the gap in the wall and head towards Zone 9.” He looked at his watch. “Fifteen seconds!” Tivon said before leaping into the air and through the mess of metal below. He grabbed each side of his back and fabric wings extend from each side which he used to glide out from view.

Whirring bullets whizzed through the air around them as soldiers poured onto the platform.

“Jump!” Marcellus cried out.

They both dove into the air trying to orient themselves so that they would clear the net of cables and metalwork below them. Just as they cleared the web they extended the wings in their packs and caught air. Their descent was slowed and they began to glide away from the facility.