Darling hated letting Zarya go, especially since he had her again. But he had no choice. Not if they were to make it out of here.

And he had no intention of dying today.

He set her on her feet, then swung around. “Let them bring it. You ready, Mari?”

“You know I hate fighting. But I think a little payback for my battlesuit might actually make me feel better for once.”

“I know it’ll do great things for me.” Darling pulled a fully charged blaster off his holster and exchanged it for the one she’d shot. “Stay behind us.”

Maris handed one to the man. “Do you know how to shoot?”

“Not straight… in more ways than one. But if I aim at their feet I can hopefully wound them until one of you finishes them off. And that way if I really miss, I won’t kill an ally. You’ll just limp a little.”

Maris laughed. “Thanks for the consideration. I’m Maris, by the way, and I should probably warn you that it didn’t go well for the last guy who wounded me.”

“I’m Ture.”

Darling tapped his link to call the others. “Hauk? You still evaccing civs?”

“Yeah. You pinned?”

“No. We’re coming out of the last cell. I just didn’t want you to shoot us by mistake. I know how caught up you get in a fight.”

Hauk hissed. “Why are you bitching about that again? I only shot once and it was an accident caused by your premature exploding problem. Had you not startled me while I was changing our charges, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Anyway,” Darling said, ignoring his outburst, “there are four of us. Don’t fire.” He turned then to see Zarya’s face before he plowed into the thick of the hallway battle.

Zarya paused as she watched Maris and Darling open a hole for them through the thick enemy fire. Fearless and skilled, they moved in total synchrony.

While she’d known Darling was exceptional, she now realized why Maris got so offended whenever she questioned his abilities. He was an incredible fighter in his own right. No wonder he was decorated.

She and Ture stayed behind them with her giving cover fire as Maris and Darling led them down the hall, then up the stairs. The stench of burning wires turned her stomach. But it was much better than the stale air of her cell.

They’d barely reached the upstairs landing when the entire building went dark. Darling and Maris fell back to cover her and Ture.

“They’ve reestablished their connection,” Syn warned them through their headsets. “We need to tel-ass, folks, or we’re going to lose our posteriors.”

Darling swapped out his charges before they ran out of juice. “We’re on our way.”

As they rounded a corner, a group of assassins opened fire. Darling shielded her while Maris covered Ture. Making sure to keep himself between her and the volley, Darling returned their attack. “I could really use the tricom right now.”