Desmond panned his rifle barrel past the barracks doors, expecting to see Milenya leap at him from an obscured corner, but no attack came. He put his back against the north east door in facility C, waited for a moment, then quickly turned and opened the door's locked interface. He input a code and stepped inside the small room. The slaver dropped the barrel of his Mattock, holding it aloft in his right hand while he reached for the large device occupying much of the little room. It had no holo-interface - the machine, like a large dark metal, pitted orb sat upon a base of four thick rods. Its casing was did not glisten and held no sheen, it was tarnished, old, primeval. Desmond began striking keys on its solid control panel, the button presses clicking with the machinery attached.<span style="color: red">You want my shit? Fine. Take it mother fuckers.</span>The Display beside blinked on, reading in red 'ARMED.' Desmond glanced out of the room to ensure he wasn't about to be ambushed. He input a series of numbers into the keypad: 5-0-0<i>Execute</i>. The display changed, reading '5:00' then '4:59' then '4:58'.<br/><br/>The slaver shouldered his rifle again and turned, leaving the little corner room and the device within. He was less cautious, certain now that wherever the Asari had gotten to she wasn't intent to intercept him. Desmond stepped into the barracks, looking between the lockers, gazing for only a moment at the dead Batarian Milenya had earlier dispatched laying with his cock out. Desmond gave a half sneer in disgust, knowing precisely how the Asari had bested him. He approached a closed locker, yanked it open and withdrew the rocket-launcher within. He check to make sure it was loaded then got on his way out, toward the airlock leading out onto the landing paddock.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Sorv watched Darion throw the flash bang, then the frag. A thought crossed his mind in a fractional moment, a risk assessment. With not a moment available to him to utter a word of his plan, he hit his omni-tool, his new Tech-Armor array going active, shielding him in glowing orange hard-light. He ran at Darion, reached, grabbed the other frag grenade on his armor and started running down the hall toward the batarians. The Flash bang's bright flare had diminished as he started to sprint, and the second frag, having fallen just short went off.<br/><br/>The return fire started quicker than Sorv had expected. Were it not for his Tech-Armor's reinforcement, the rapid response of Batarian fire would have been lethal. Sorv dropped and half dove left into the main room, rounds ricocheting off him, his HUD flashing warnings. He took cover against the wall where it turned down to the airlock leading into facility A where the Batarians were holding. The Quarian steadied his heavy breathing while his shield indicator flashed that it was on its last legs. He took a quick glance right, seeing Ashana, Kala, and Shira'Va near the airlock leading to C. They were sharing oxygen. If they didn't get help soon they were screwed. But it didn't matter. None of that could matter to him, not now.<br/><br/>Sorv pressed himself against thew all as tight as he could while the Batarians fired back toward Darion's position, and now at his. He close to them, dangerously close. He lifted the grenade in his right hand, gripping the barrel of his Mantis in his left. He primed the grenade, and started counting.<i>1... 2... 3... 4...</i>Sorv leaned an hurled the grenade out toward the Batarians, then snapping back behind the wall as fast as he could, shouldering his mantis in a single motion, shifting his weight.<br/><br/>The grenade sailed through the air a short distance. The Batarians saw it coming, but it didn't come back down to the ground. Its timer ended mid flight, right above the heart of the Batarian's position. It went off, the concussion pounding their shields. Sorv moved with the blast, stepping out, aiming at the nearest stunned Batarian, and firing. The round punched home, right under his jaw, shatter what remained of his shields and cutting through the soft tissue, nearly severing the Batarian's helmeted head form his shoulders. Sorv didn't wait to acknowledge if the shot had connected. He threw his Mantis to the ground behind his cover with his left hand while reaching to his hip for his Tempest with his right. He brought it up and squeezed the trigger at the next nearest Batarian, the torrent of bullets putting a quick end to his weakened shields and then spraying across his upper torso and face, most ricocheting, but enough found weak points in the armor to put the slaver out of the fight, at least for a time.<br/><br/>Sorv ducked back behind the wall before his pushed his luck too far. Sorv retrieved his mantis.<span style="color: darkorange">Two down.</span>He said with an attempt at his casual indifference. But he was riding far too much adrenaline for it to be convincing. Even as he said it, his mind replied,<i>6 more</i>. As nice as the kills were, it was a one shot play. There was no way they could manage something like that again.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><span style="color: navy">"Alright, let's move!"</span>Shira yelled at them, breaking from the room and running to the airlock passage to C. It was still sealed.<span style="color: navy">"Kala! Go now!"</span>She ordered, turning and crouching, aiming the Avenger she had replaced her broken shotgun with down toward the airlock to A where all the gunfire was coming from. She expected to see a whole host of slave trading bastards come pouring through at any moment, but for the time at least, all that passed the breach were bullets.<br/><br/><span style="color: navy">"Ashana! The mask! Hold it on me!"</span>She yelled, eyes burning. She could feel the itching in her throat, a tightness in her chest, a peculiar tingling her lips. The Synthetimmune had worn off and she was exposed to the microbe heavy atmosphere from outside. Still, she stood her ground, ready to defend the other two.<br/><br/>Ashana took the breathing mask, took a few deep breaths, held it to Shira'Va's face, let her breath some, then to Kala who was trying to get the airlock open. From behind her there was a brilliant flash, and a bang so loud that it left the Asari's ears ringing. Ashana staggered and looked back just as another blast went off, less loud, but no less dangerous. Sorv suddenly came dashing across the room toward the airlock, tech armor glowing. He slid to a halt against the wall, gave them a brief look. He was holding a grenade.<br/><br/>Ashana was startled as a large dark object moved in her peripheral view. She jumped back a little, and relaxed seeing Firas slump against the wall next to them. He was a mess. She had no way to speak to him behind that helmet of his and couldn't spare the breath either. She could only manage a look.<br/><br/>Firas switched his mic to speaker.<span style="color: blue">I'm fine.</span>He said, though he could only cradle the barrel of his Revenant in the crook of his left arm, his forearm broken and his left hand unresponsive. Another grenade went off, and Sorv stepped out of his cover, opening fire.<br/><br/>Ashana put the mask on taking a breath and quickly telling the Turian, [COLOR="darkorchid]We've got to get you out of here.[/COLOR] She put the mask on Kala.<br/><br/>Firas gave a nod. [COLOR="blue"]That would be appreciated.[/COLOR]<br/><br/>The airlock suddenly opened, Milenya on the other side. Firas stood, and Kala, Ashana and Shira hurried in. Shira'Va gasped laboriously, coughing and wheezing, her skin burning.<span style="color: navy">"Close it!"</span>She yelled, bracing herself on her hands and knees. Firas stepped inside, looked back out at Sorv, hunkered behind the wall as bullet ripped past. He gave a quick look at the girls, then stepped back through the airlock as it closed.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkorchid">Firas wait!</span>Ashana yelled, but the airlock sealed, filling the area with clean air.<br/><br/>Shira'Va gasped for air, beginning to go into anaphylactic shock.<span style="color: navy">My su - suit!</span>She wheezed out. Her skin tone on her chest, face and throat began to turn a shade of purple.<br/><br/>Ashana stared in shock.<span style="color: darkorchid">What's wrong with her?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Acheron to ground team - repeat this is the Acheron calling round team.</span>Captain Cantenelli's voice came over Kala and Shira's comm. They waited for a response. The moment a syllable was utter in response Cantenelli cut the responded off.<span style="color: blue">A nuclear weapon has been armed in the facility and its spooling fast. We're estimating you've got 5 minutes before it goes critical. I say again, there's a god damn nuke down there.</span><br/><br/>Ashana looked from Kala's omni-tool to Milenya.<span style="color: darkorchid">A what?</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Firas got up next to Sorv, nursing his arm and numerous injuries.<span style="color: blue">You boys look like you could use some help.</span><br/><br/>Sorv gave him a glance before blind firing a burst around the corner then retracting his arm before it was shot off.<span style="color: darkorange">So do you.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">I'm fine. Darion, are you alright?</span>Firas looked down the corridor to Darion's position.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">We need to get around these bastards. They dug in, and we're out of ideas. As soon as they figure out its only two of us we're dead.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Right... I'll see if there's another way around!</span>Firas hobbled, half limping as he stepped away form the wall, looking around. He looked at the short hall leading to the access corridor that the girl's had been in. It was a  solid shot if the Batarian's were close to the airlock entrance. Enough of one to break their position at least.<br/><br/>Firas started toward the corner, turning it to head to the access door. He stopped, finding a Batarian standing in front of him. For a moment both of them just jumped a little and froze, surprised to have so suddenly run into each other. And then the surprise was over. Firas yelled and jumped at the Batarian, who had his M-451 Firestorm ready, The Turian collided with the Batarian, both men falling to the floor. The Batarian's blade armor made any contact with him dangerous, but Firas had no choice. He was down an arm.<br/><br/>Sorv looked over as soon as Firas yelled.<span style="color: darkorange"><i>Shit!</i></span>He ran over to help the injured Turian. The Batarians had been quicker to the punch on flanking them out through the access corridor.<br/><br/>The rest of the Batarians reacted quickly, abandoning their cover and moving through the airlock to attack, but leaving them vulnerable to Darion's Mattock.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>