Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. 

A hammer pounded on something in the vast corridors, the shadows long and oppressive. Ortega and I moved in and out of the sparse light sources making as little noise as possible, despite our heavy boots pressing down onto gridwork floors that creaked dangerously. There was a smell of heavy machinery and some sort of chems in the air, not to mention the petrochemicals I viewed earlier. Whatever was happening here, I knew it was against the well being of the Imperium. Once we found Emmaline, I would try and level this place or cut the head off the snake. 

First, however, I needed to find my lover. No, my aide. Damn, it was getting hard to justify the rescue mission even to myself. I felt wholly selfish, and yet I could no more stop in my pursuit of her than in my dogged pursuit of the enemy. Luckily for me on that day, they were one and the same. We rounded a corner, piping like snakes coiled about us in the tunnel, and up from a long stairway came a scrambling, very naked Emmaline. Her eyes wild and her lustrous hair unbound and wild. 

"Emma!" I cried, lowering my gun. Ortega lowered his a moment later. Emmaline slammed into me, and though no doubt my carapace armor could not be too comfortable against her bare skin, she hugged me tightly all the same. I hugged her back despite the pain in my abdomen. "Emma, you're ok. We're getting you out of here." I started, but she shook her head. 

"No, no, they're right behind me!" She breathed desperately. I stripped off my jacket and placed it around her shoulders, letting her hastily tie it around her. I was taller than her so it served as a short dress in a pinch. "We need to stop them Hadrian!" 

Lasgun fire arced up at our direction, scorching the ceiling just before us. It caused all three of us to flinch and we backed up further into the tunnel. Ortega lifted his shotgun and took out a krak grenade from his belt, thinking to use the narrow stairway to funnel the enemies into an explosion they couldn't escape. Emmaline's blue eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth gaping open. "NO! WAIT!" She cried, but the grenade was already sailing down the stairs. We heard a curse as the projectile hit the leading pursuer. 

"What!?" I asked her. 

"Run!!!" She screamed with all the desperation she could muster. 

We looked at one another and realized simultaneously she was scared enough to heed, and bolted back the way we came.