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Burrowing through the walls like this was dirty, grimy work, a task Marina was all too happy to leave to Randolph as she basked in her triumphant return.

Keeping pace behind Randolph, claws digging into the earthen walls, she twisted her head left and right, rediscovering her old senses again. She could pick up the distant shouting and sounds of battle, taste the pungent scent of nitrite and blood in the air even in this dank tunnel as rioters tore through the asylum. Like a long fever that finally broke, Argent was waking up again; her strength and size were enough to tell her that of course, but the small trifles, the little details and peculiarities of her transformation? It made this victory especially sweet.

Turning the corner, Marina suddenly stopped, sensing something in the walls beyond. A scent, inhuman, but familiar, paired with the thrashing sounds of a gaping maw devouring all in its path.

"Kailani..." Marina muttered in a low growl, grinning wickedly. "What fun." Sniffing the air again, she pressed closer against the dirt, detecting the subtle evidence of her erstwhile allies. The sound of flesh icing over had to be Gunther. The taste of burning plastic and cloth on the air, clearly the work of Ameliya. And that subtle electrical spark, too erratic to be a taser or other power source...who else but Min-Ji?

Then she heard something else, footsteps too rhythmic to be a deranged riotous mob or a panicked response. Three of them, the weight indicating heavy body armor, accompanied by the heavy clack of a large weapon being prepared. Marina frowned slightly, thinking they must be specialized riot troops, like the kind assigned to guard her and gun her down with armor-piercing rounds at the hint of an escape attempt. Not the kind of mook to be dealt with lightly, they were highly trained, and highly cocky. Thinking of the taunting and threats of death she endured at their hands, she curled her claws into fists, feeling the blood rising.

"I'll be...a moment. Our friends need assistance."

---

Barrelling through the hallways, the heavily armed response team turned the corner, coming face to face with the elevators and the villains gathered there.

"Contact!" one of them shouted. "Orders sir?"

"We're in Alpha Red priority situation, aim to kill!"

The three raised their rifles, loaded with ammunition that could pierce body armor, and took aim. Then a split second before pulling the trigger, one of them glanced towards the nearby vent, certain he saw something yellow in the vent.

Then with a terrifying roar, Marina burst through the wall, claws and teeth bared in a terrifying display of power. The poor guard screamed and swung his rifle around before Marina launched him down the corridor with a bone-crunching swipe of her arm.

"Fucking kill it!" the leader fruitlessly cried before Marina's claws lashed out, slicing his weapon in two and knocking him aside. She turned sharply to her erstwhile allies, grinning as she wondered if they would recognize her.

The moment was lost as the third guard capitalized on the hesitation by opening fire, the downed leader joining in with his sidearm. Marina roared as the shots punched through her skin.

"That....HURT!!!" 

Snarling and raging, Marina drew herself back and roared, visibly grew taller and more muscular as her flesh stretched and the threads in her stolen jacket started to rupture. Barreling forward, she grabbed the leader by the head and flung him behind her towards the group before rounding on the last one standing and slamming him against the wall, the impact cracking his ribs. Watching her victim scream in terror and pain, she drew closer, teeth bared and ready to kill, but suddenly drew back.

"You're...Andrew," she growled. "The student."

The guard, eyes widening in terror, frantically nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm s-studying history, remember? W-we talked about...Duh-duh-diocletian, and the t-tetrarchy! Oh god, please don't eat me!"

Marina let out a low-pitched laugh. She did remember their conversations, one of her more pleasant experiences. "You were...quite an engaging debater. I remember I conceded to you on several of your points." To Andrew the guard's shock, Marina relinquished her grip and let him drop to the floor. "I couldn't bear to see such promise go to waste here. Take your leave." Pale as a sheet and wondering if this was some sort of trap, Andrew nodded frantically and limped away, vanishing into the innards of the Asylum again. Marina turned back to the group with a wry grin, the bloody holes in her chest already starting to knit.

"I hope my arrival was...timely."