Alex was knocked off his feet by the taser, but his clothes protected him from the worst of it. He saw one of the others- Sasha, he recalled- glance back, but she did nothing to help. Remembering how she had glared at him after asking about Cinia's arms, he came to the conclusion that she didn't like him much.

Getting back on his feet, Alex broke into a run. Passing the others, he dodged as fast as he could. Just short of the door, another taser hit him in the leg. He stumbled and fell, but skidded into the room. He was safe.