Guardians or Horns, he couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter.

He briefly considered trying to find a weapon but abandoned the idea. His chamber contained only a few towels and a cot that was bolted to the floor. He was dressed in loose-fitting pants only; he hadn’t even been given shoes or a shirt for fear he’d turn them into weapons. He might have attempted exactly that if he’d had either, but with nothing at his disposal, he’d just have to improvise.

Perry’s hands drifted over the control panel set in the wall beside the door. Hess and others had used it to come and go, but with no power, the panel was useless—which meant the locking mechanism might be useless as well.

He familiarized himself with the release bar for a few seconds. Then he unlatched it and pulled. The door slid open.

In the corridor, two Guardians were carrying on a panicked exchange. Perry spotted them easily, as both were using the red sighting lasers on their pistols for illumination. One man stood only steps away, his back to Perry; the other stood farther down the corridor. They broke off sharply at the sound of the opening door.

“What was that?” said the closest Guardian, wheeling around and searching the darkness.

The thin beam of red light from the other man’s weapon swept toward Perry.

“Stop! Don’t move!” he yelled.

No chance of that. Perry drove his legs the few short steps to the nearest Guardian. As he reached the man, he thought better of delivering a punch with swollen knuckles and fingers. He slammed his elbow across the Guardian’s face, pain ripping through his muscles. Then he grabbed the weapon and drove the stock into the man’s stomach.

The Guardian fell, smacking to the floor.

Down the hall, the other man opened fire.

A loud metallic ting exploded behind Perry. He dropped to his knees, shouldering the gun as he aimed for the Guardian’s legs and squeezed the trigger.

Nothing. The safety switch—something he never had to consider with a bow. He flipped it, pressed the trigger again, and didn’t miss.

Standing, he flew down the corridor, bursting with the need to take action. To find Cinder, Aria, Roar. With Hess and Sable chin-deep in a crisis, this was their chance of escaping.

Halfway down the corridor, a high-powered flashlight blinded him. He brought a hand up, shielding his aching eyes, blinking until he saw Hess appear at the far end.

Half a dozen Guardians stood with him, guns raised, demanding that Perry surrender his weapon.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Perry let out a curse and tossed the gun to the floor.