Zain was wearing one of the fallen knight's communicators. He had synced Maya's channel into a narrow slice of enemy frequencies, a fragile, temporary measure. That was why they kept communication to an absolute minimum.
This was the first message she had sent since entering the temple with the others. Dread made him hesitate for a fraction of a second, but he swiped on it instantly, spinning away from Ash to read it.
It wasn't a text but a short audio file. Zain pulled out his earbuds and put them on.
"Z, H took a hit before we got to the objective. Escape on your own. Remember the mission. Channel no longer safe. No further communication."
Zain punched the wall, leaving his fist's imprint. The smile that had painted his face had long since vanished. He looked at Ash, tense and already highly alert.
'Good,' Zain thought before addressing Ash directly. "Ash, how far outside the city is your settlement? And in what direction? I need you to be as accurate as possible."
Zain could see Ash weighing his options; it seemed he didn't trust him enough. "Ash, take it. If you don't trust me, then shoot me now, because we don't have much time," Zain said, taking out his blaster and presenting it to Ash.
Ash looked down at the gun and accepted it. Zain's mind was already preoccupied with Maya and the others, but it seemed Ash had decided to trust him after all.
"It's about ten kilometers north of the nearest checkpoint to the temple. The settlement is near the refining plant."
"Got it. We need to move out now. I'll carry her, you cover us. We won't be using the checkpoint to exit the city; we have our own entrance and exit point. Once outside, you will take over and guide us to the settlement," Zain said.
Ash's face immediately turned sour. Zain could see he was about to argue. 'No time for this.'
"Can you get her out on your own in this state? Do you trust your temple buddies enough to know you both won't be killed without a trial? Keep the blaster. My strength comes from an exoskeleton support suit. It isn't armored; it gives me strength to bear your world's gravity and makes me more agile. But that's it. Anything more uses too much energy, so I can't go around performing superhuman feats. This should be enough to make you trust me at least until we reach your mother. You can kill me then if she tells you to." Zain struggled to keep his voice calm.
'Keep calm. Anger is a bad crutch,' he chastised himself
"Oh alright! Let me cover her properly at least," Ash finally said. He quickly moved to where Miru lay sleeping. Zain took this opportunity to text Maya one last time. Her warning be damned, he would not leave her out to dry if she somehow made it out of the temple.
They would meet again. They had to.
[Mission partially successful, information updated at rendezvous, GET OUT ALIVE]
He hit send and waited, with bated breath, for Maya's communicator to receive it. And it did.
'Small victories. We'll meet again, Maya aapi.'
Zain checked the loot he had taken off the fallen knights: two shock batons, four communicators, and two blasters. He had given his own blaster to Ash.
"ASH! Catch!" Zain threw one of the batons at him, which he caught in a fluid motion. "Let's head out."
Zain stepped forward to see Miru lying unconscious. Hoping she stayed that way until they exited the city. Ash cocooned her inside an oversized coat of one of the knights, protectively wrapping her arms by her side. He then used the coat's empty sleeves and tied them across Zain's chest.
Ash made Zain wear another hooded cape, which fell down on his back, covering Miru. She was now completely safe, at least from the rain.
Zain took the lead. He kept his left arm on Miru's sling at all times, and in his right, he had his blaster. Zain and Ash rushed as fast as they could. The rain wasn't as heavy as it had been at the beginning of the night, which wasn't a good thing. They could have used the cover.
Zain and Ash exited the temple grounds without another soul in sight. Zain had to be careful to pace himself for Ash. The visibility was poor, but they were moving through the lit city streets.
Street after street went by, with only the rain to keep them company. There were a few patrols that they had to dodge. It seemed the disturbance at the temple hadn't gotten out yet.
He put the implications of that at the back of his mind and kept running. His HPC lit up with another notification. It was hazy in the rain, but he made out the battery symbol. He would barely last an hour in his exoskeleton at this rate.
They turned another corner, and in front of them, they could make out the huge city walls. They were now on the opposite end of the city from where the temple had been.
The sound of rain was drowned out by sirens in an instant. The streets were flooded by lights from the walls. Zain tried to stop immediately, but weight and momentum knocked him off balance, and his knees took the brunt of the impact with the wet gravel as he slid forward. Ash crashed into his back a moment later.
Fighting through the pain of the impact, Zain charged towards the nearest alley between the buildings. Getting off the main street was a priority.
He was moving on pure instinct and adrenaline. He didn't know when he had dropped his blaster, not having enough time to holster it. Instead, he used his right hand to drag Ash along with him.
They stopped in the alley, which was considerably darker than the main street now.
'That would have taken a big drag out of my batteries,' Zain thought.
He took out his baton and readied himself, shielding himself behind a large dumpster in the alley. Ash took a few seconds to get the wind back into his lungs before he too hid behind the dumpster and hoisted his blaster on top of it, aiming at the street.
None of them spoke for several minutes. The sirens and rain made hearing any chasers before they saw them impossible. Zain saw his blaster in the middle of the street and cursed inwardly.
Quickly loosening the sling around his chest, he laid Miru next to the dumpster, making sure she was fully covered. Ash gave him a questioning look before resuming his watch over the main street.
Zain got closer to Ash's ear. "Stay hidden. If they come into the alley, shoot at the halfway point. Nod if you understand."
Ash nodded.
Zain continued, "As soon as you've fired into them, jump to the ground and lie flat, like I've laid Miru now."
Zain could see Ash's hesitation plainly in his face, but thankfully, he didn't question further, nodding his head again.
Satisfied, Zain brought up the HPC's display and set his battery limiter to null.
'Hopefully, this will all be for nothing,' he thought.
Zain glanced up and down the alley. He saw a small balcony framing a window about three meters high.
He took a running start and leapt three meters into the air, the exoskeleton powering his legs, reaching it. He secured his grip and raised himself onto the small balcony. He drew his baton and waited.
After a few minutes, a group of guards walked hurriedly past the alleyway entrance.
Zain cast a glance at Ash. From his vantage point, he could clearly see his outline behind the dumpster. There were fewer soldiers than he expected. One of them stopped, noticing the blaster. His charge would have left clear prints in the gravel.
They called out to the others. Zain couldn't make out any of their voices. Several faces turned, staring straight into the alley. They raised their weapons and slowly started inching toward the alley. Their mounted torches lit up small parts of the dark alley below.
There was only one thought repeating in Zain's head.
'Don't look up.'
Zain counted five people in the alley. The fight would be over quickly, but only if there weren't any more soldiers nearby who could rush in.
He could feel himself sweating. The lead person was almost at the halfway point between the entrance and Ash. Zain waited for the first shot.
The world around them plunged into darkness. It was as if every light in the city winked out at once, and as the sirens fell silent, the only sound left was the rain.
Ash fired blindly into the bewildered soldiers. The weapon spat a brief, violent pulse, a sharp blue-white flare that lit the alley for a heartbeat. The air snapped as if struck with a whip. Something crossed the space between them too fast to follow, leaving a faint, shimmering trail.
Ash fired again before the alley lit up with retaliatory fire. Zain had jumped on the first shot, landing with his full weight on the soldier farthest from Ash's dumpster.
Caught by surprise, the soldier fell with Zain on top, unable to resist the hit to the face that came a second later. The strike wasn't lethal, but the baton's modified tip was.
Zain immediately rolled away, baton in hand, shimmering with electrical current. He crossed to the next man, hitting him square on the back of his hooded head. Sparks flew as the baton connected. Its tip came free, with melted polymer fabric stuck to it. The man began falling, and Zain was already charging at the last soldier still standing, firing at the dumpster.
The whole fight lasted less than ten seconds. Zain's batteries were almost depleted, and as the adrenaline subsided, he let out a quiet yelp. His brittle bones hadn't fared well with the jump and high-speed charges during the fight.
The exoskeleton still kept him walking, but the pain was excruciating.
He made Ash carry Miru for the final stretch while he carried some of the weapons from their fallen foes. He led them into the street, now devoid of lighting. Flashing lights glimmered behind them as they moved toward the city wall. Ash stayed close to Zain; he couldn't see anything in this darkness.
Zain soon guided them to the last building next to the wall; this had been his destination from the start. He looked back one last time to check for anyone on their tail. He could almost make out flashes of light near the alley they had left behind.
Despite everything, Zain was in a good mood.
'You actually did it, Maya! You suicidal maniac, you completed your mission.'
As Zain walked into the building, he felt something dangerously close to hope.