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Another explosion rocked the facility, closer than the last.

"Time to go," I announced, taking the lead as we hurried from the chamber. "If I'm right, Deklyn is heading for an exit."

"What about Sasha?" Ariana asked weakly, leaning heavily on Morgan. "My sister?—"

"She's with my brother," I assured her. "And if I know Deklyn, he’s executing his exit plan.”

As if on cue, the unmistakable sound of sustained blaster fire echoed from somewhere ahead.

"This way," I called, leading our battered group toward what I hoped was freedom.

Chapter

Twenty

Morgan

My arm was wrapped firmly around Ariana's waist as our bedraggled group moved down the corridor. With my free hand, I gripped the blaster Tivek had given me, my finger resting lightly on the trigger. Ahead of us, Tivek and Vyk led the way, with Torq still slung over the commander’s shoulder.

"Thanks for coming back for us," Ariana whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming. “We thought they got you as well.”

"We couldn't leave you," I replied, helping her navigate around debris that had fallen from the ceiling during an explosion.

She leaned more heavily on me as we rounded a corner. “Are you sure Sasha is safe?”

"We found the cells where she was being held," I explained, pausing as Tivek held up a hand, signaling us to stop while he checked the next junction. "But she was gone. According to Tivek, his brother and your sister tricked a guard and escaped."

A weak laugh escaped Ariana's cracked lips. "That doesn't surprise me. Sasha was always up for a sneaky plan."

Another explosion rocked the facility, this one close enough to send vibrations through the floor beneath our feet. Dust and small fragments of ceiling rained down on us.

"Your brother's going to bring the whole building down on our heads," Vyk growled at Tivek as he swung a newly conscious Torq to the floor.

"He's creating a distraction," Tivek replied calmly, "not demolishing the structure. This facility was built to withstand a lot. A few explosives won't compromise its integrity."

The confidence in his voice was reassuring, though I wasn't entirely convinced. The way the walls shuddered with each blast didn't exactly inspire confidence in the building's structural soundness.

Torq shook his head groggily, but accepted the blaster Tivek handed him. It didn’t bode well that half our group was in less than peak condition, but there wasn’t much we could do about it.

Guttural shouts echoed from a connecting corridor, accompanied by the thunderous sound of multiple Kronock running our way. Tivek and Vyk exchanged a glance, then pressed themselves against opposite walls, motioning for us to stay back.

The moment the first Kronock rounded the corner, Vyk fired, the energy beam catching the beast squarely in the chest. The creature went down with a roar that made my skin crawl, but three more appeared behind it, their scaled faces contorted with rage.

They charged forward, moving with surprising speed for their bulk. Tivek dropped to one knee, firing at the legs of the lead Kronock. The alien stumbled, crashing into its companion and sending both of them careening into the wall.

The third Kronock leaped over its fallen comrades, its clawed hands reaching for Vyk. The commander ducked at the last moment, using the alien's momentum to flip it over his shoulder. The Kronock crashed into the railing overlooking a multi-story drop, the metal giving way with a screech of protest. The creature's howl faded as it plummeted into the darkness below.

Adrenaline surged through my system, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. Yet strangely, I wasn't afraid. The fear had been replaced by a fierce determination and a clarity of purpose that made every sense sharper, every movement more precise.

"Move!" Tivek ordered, already in motion himself.

We raced down the corridor, with Ariana keeping pace better than I'd expected, and Torq bringing up the rear. Whatever the Kronock had done to her in that interrogation chamber hadn't broken her spirit.

As we approached another junction, a group of four Kronock security forces appeared, their weapons raised. Tivek reacted instantly, shoving me and Ariana into a recessed doorway as energy beams sizzled past where we'd been standing.

Vyk returned fire, forcing the Kronock to take cover. "We're pinned down!" he shouted.

Tivek assessed the situation in a heartbeat, his eyes scanning our surroundings with tactical precision. "Cover me," he said to Vyk,then looked at me. "When I give the signal, run for that corridor on the left."