The Nature of Change

The Great Escape (Andy 12)

Bennett's troops swiftly and purposefully stride down the hallways, checking every corner with their guns as we pass through.

We've run into a few other squads of his company as we progressed through the winding labyrinth of the base, and they've grown numerous enough to make a full perimeter.

Most of the other dragonets are down on all fours, bounding alongside them warily but quickly. One of them makes a sharp gesture with his arm, directing the other mercs down one side of a T-fork in the hallways ahead of us. Two of them kneel on the right-side hallway, while the rest beckon the dragonets down the left fork.

Out of nowhere, a loud klaxon begins to wail.

"Well damn it all," one of the soldiers on the flank guard says, looking up at the ceiling as I pass him, rounding the turn at the back of the pack. It's hard to match the speed of the others on two legs, but I keep on pumping away in spite of the burning in my muscles.

"Cool it, Sauv. This was inevitable, you know that." Bennett says.

He sighs. I take a squint at his body armor's name tag as I pick up the pace - it reads Xavier Sauveterre.

Sauveterre lifts from his kneel and gets ready to turn.

Then the lady beside him shouts "Hostiles!"

The sharp staccato burst of gunfire rattles the room, emanating from the other end of the hallway. Sauveterre ducks behind a nearby crate as his partner returns fire. The booming of her own gun echoes loud in my ears, and I slam them tight against my skull as bullets whoosh over my head.

Bullets.

Holy shit.

I have never been shot at before.

They're shooting at me.

A primal survival instinct takes over, and I dive to the far side of the junction for cover. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Jeff hoisting a pistol to return fire. He manages to get it up, but the recoil from the first shot sends it careening out of his grip. Sauveterre pops his head out and takes a few potshots in reply.

"CEASE FIRE!" Bennett shouts down the hall. "We are not hostiles!"

The gunfire lulls. Sauveterre ducks back and starts swapping out the magazine on his rifle.

"Lab designated your mercs hostiles, Bennett!" a slightly-nasally voice retorts. "Conscience kills in this business."

<What business?> I hiss, only half over the mindlink.

"Private military companies," Bennett says back in a lowered voice, before turning back to shout down the hallway. "And what about you, Zane? Perry? David? How do you feel about this?"

"They can't hear you!" the voice counters. "Soundproof helmets do make the job easier."

Bennett curses under his breath. He ponders for a few tense seconds, then... "Fall back. Baker, Eddy, cover our six with Sauv and Jess. I'll take point - we'll be running into more of my people from the front, not the back." One of the rearguard nods, leaping in towards the centerline of the hallway. A burst of gunfire follows him, digging short furrows into the wall with their ricochets. I try to lift one ear, and immediately clamp it back down under the auditory assault.

"Move! Move!" the other one barks as he, too, jumps through the narrow field of fire. Sauveterre pops up mechanically and begins snapping off bursts of covering fire. I take the cue - from leaning against the wall, I drop to all fours, fighting the innate sense of strangeness and forcing myself to move. The awkwardness of my phone and laser against the floor rather than my hands isn't quite enough to make the quadrupedal stance any slower.