Coming Undone

Chapter 29

"Get down!" One of them shouted.

Runt dove behind the table with Quix.

"They're in the building, two o'clock low!"

Footsteps from behind made Runt stiffen as he looked back.

One of the last mercenaries from upstairs.

"Stay low." He said, making eye contact with Runt.

Runt's eyes widened as the human pulled one of the cylinders from his vest.

They weren't ammunition.

The cylinders were grenades.

"Heads!" The soldier shouted, pulling a pin and lobbing the grenade towards the two-o'clock low position.

The detonation hit three seconds later.

Runt felt it in the ground. Through his armor. His suit lit up with alarms again, which he ignored. He didn't have the presence of mind to shut them off.

"Move!"

Quix grabbed Runt and lifted him onto his feet. Runt just followed, keeping his head down and staying between Quixxa and the open room below.

He had at least that much sanity left. He knew better than to hide when he was the one with armor.

They turned a corner, and the van popped into view.

"Targets on right!"

Runt flinched and nearly hit the ground as three mercenaries started to open fire. Several more streams of fire opened up seconds later. The other mercs.

Runt looked up, and at the van.

Eyes on target. He thought, trying desperately to keep himself calm.

You're a pilot. He thought. Eyes on target. Ignore distractions.

A small cylinder clattered under the van.

By the time Runt realized what it was, it was too late.

BOOM.

White light blinded Runt for a moment as an explosion rocked the earth around him. The vehicle's volatile fuel had vaporized instantly under the touch of white phosphorus. And so had Runt's way out.

Runt looked back.

The human's faces were locked between anger and terror.

Quixxa, however, was only afraid. The fires danced in her eyes as she looked at her escape going up in smoke once again.

A few gunshots pulled them from their daze.

The humans returned fire and started to move back towards where they'd come from.

"Upstairs!" They shouted.

Runt watched as the whole group of mercenaries ran back to the stairs. As they rounded the corner again, they were joined by several others, the rest of the team. Two of them mercilessly sprayed the room with fire to keep the MLA beaten back.

Runt ran past them.

Back up the stairs, to the third floor he ran. The mercenaries were already starting to fortify, Jonah barking instructions.

"Get sandbags filled!" he shouted, re-loading a battery into his weapon. "Get the mines on the other exits armed, and give me a perimeter! We're making a stand here!"

Runt looked at Quix.

She was panting, sweat beading up on her forehead as her hands shook.

Without words, they knew what the other was thinking.