With blood dripping from her claws, Hera advanced down the gangway. Jett loosened the straps on her pack and took a step back, knife clutched in one trembling paw as she stared the enforcer down. Fangs, she wanted to kill Hera, but she just didn't know if she could do it. Even wounded the enforcer was still more than capable of ripping Jett to pieces.

"Don't you run from me," Hera growled.

Then she was hurtling forward, smears of crimson trailing in her wake. Making her decision in an instant, Jett slipped the pack from her shoulders and slid it away towards the monitor, not willing to risk the block-drive being lost or smashed. Then she sprang upright to meet Hera's charge.

The claws flashed for her eyes and Jett ducked, slipping past her attacker and trying to carve her knife into Hera's side. The wolfkin predicted the move, her body swaying out of the path of the knife and she planted one foot, turning on the spot and lashing out with a brutal spinning kick that slammed into Jett's back.

She went sprawling, only just managing to keep a hold on her knife as she hit the gangway, finding her head dangling out under the guardrail and looking down into the cold sea below.

With a sharp gasp she rolled sideways, away from the edge and away from Hera. The claws tore rents in the walkway's surface where she'd been lying an instant before. She scrambled to her feet, staying low as the enforcer flew at her again. Her natural reflexes and agility kept her alive as she leapt clear of a blow that might well have decapitated her, then ducked a return swipe.

Hera let out a snarl of frustration as she swung, a strike that would have ripped Jett's torso open if it connected. Jett turned her body side on and dipped her head, the blow missing by a matter of inches. Hera's claws slammed into the guard rail with enough force to shear clean through the metal.

Jett skipped back to create some distance, her mind racing. Willpower just wasn't enough here. Hera was too strong and skilled for an amateur to beat her in a fair fight. She could see no way to even the odds and a hollowness took root in her stomach. She was so close. So, so close.

Suddenly Hera let out a snarl of pain, her head jerking up and one paw flying to the small of her back. She staggered, eyes flaring as she turned. A moment of indecision gripped Jett and she followed the wolfkin's eyeline.

Karno stood at the edge of the platform, one paw raised with an enforcer armbow wrapped around his wrist. The armbow was empty.

"Traitor," the enforcer coughed.

Jett looked back to Hera and saw the thick bolt that jutted from the her lower back, the shot finding a gap in her armour just to the left of her spine. In that instant Jett snapped out of her indecision and threw herself at the enforcer leader.

The wolfkin heard her footsteps and started to turn, bringing her claws around to deflect a blow from Jett's knife, even now her instincts and training working on overdrive. Jett anticipated that though, jinking to the left and grabbing the armbow bolt with her free paw and twisting it savagely. It crunched against something solid and a howl of agony exploded from Hera's jaws.

Then an elbow slammed back into Jett's skull with thunderous force, sending her crashing into the guard rail. She dimly heard Karno shout something. Pain burst inside her skull and she blinked furiously, trying to clear her vision. When she regained her senses, Hera was coming at her, claws outstretched.

Jett tried to contort her body away, but the metal claws gouged deep into her right shoulder. She screeched as fresh waves of pain wracked her body. In desperation she did the only thing she could do as Hera attempted to turn the claws for her throat. She pushed off of the railing as hard as she could, channelling all the strength she had left into this one final gambit. Jamming her shoulder into Hera's chest, she dug her footpaws against the gripped surface of the walkway for purchase and shoved with all her might.

Normally Hera's size and strength would have made her virtually immovable to someone like Jett, but the combination of her wounds from Rapid and the armbow bolt left her lacking that rock-solid steadiness. Jett propelled her foe backwards, even as the claws raked up her shoulder to the side of her neck. With a defiant scream she slammed Hera straight into the section of railing that had been cut open by the enforcer's claws moments ago.

The guard rail split in two.

Foxkin and wolfkin went over the edge. Jett reached out desperately with her left arm, coiling her body away from Hera as they tipped forwards with nothing but frozen oblivion waiting for them. Reaching at full extension she snagged the upright supporting bar of metal that the rail had broken away from, and she flailed wildly to free herself from Hera's grip.

The blades of Hera's gauntlet ripped down from her shoulder, gashing the right side of her chest. The pain almost made her black out, but she clung on, her claws scraping on the metal and her shoulder jolting from the force of stopping her fall.

A tight grip clamped shut around her ankle, adding a weight that nearly dragged her into the moat. Looking down she saw Hera, dangling with one paw wrapped around Jett's ankle. Her eyes were wide, bloodshot with unspeakable hate; she raised her bloodstained gauntlet to hack into her nemesis, ready to kill them both in an instant.

With the strength of desperation, Jett kicked down with her other leg, slamming her footpaw hard into Hera's snarling muzzle. The heavy weight disappeared; the grip on her ankle slipped away. She could only look down and watch.

With a blood-curdling howl Hera fell. The wolfkin leader vanished into the swirling sea of icy vapour, her shadow just barely visible for a few seconds longer before a dull splash echoed up from the moat of coolant. A horrible, coughing gurgle echoed up, like the guttural language of some underworld creature. Then she was alone, a lone figure dangling in the fog.

Jett stared down for a moment, her eyes locked on the minor void of space in the smoke where Hera's body had plunged through. Her teeth chattered from the cold that swelled up around her, her lungs aching as she panted for breath. Forcibly dragging her gaze away from the coolant, she dug her claws hard into the grippy surface of the walkway for purchase. She let out a panicked whimper as she tried to hold herself up, her footpaws beginning to go numb from the fierce cold.

Then Karno threw himself down in front of her, reaching out. He got a hold of the scruff of her jacket and grabbed her wrist with his other paw.

"C'mon," he panted. "I've gotcha."

Letting out a strangled howl of agony, with Karno's help Jett dragged her battered, torn up body onto the gangway and slumped into his embrace, her chest heaving as she tried to breathe. Her right shoulder was a bloody ruin after Hera's mauling, chemicals from the coolant making her throat and chest burn painfully.

Coughing in an attempt to clear her throat, she eased herself into a sitting position, letting Karno pull her close with one arm locked around her waist and the other hugging around her upper body. As she looked around her eyes fell on Rapid's broken body lying at the end of the gangway.

"Fangs," she rasped, tears bubbling up in her eyes.

"I'm here, you're safe," Karno whispered, nuzzling against the side of her head.

Jett didn't have anything else to say. She wanted to just stay there forever, her mind and body exhausted from the ordeal. Touching a paw to her wound, however, she felt the hotness of blood flooding out, and even in her half-conscious state she knew they needed to tend to it.

"My shoulder," she said weakly.

Karno understood immediately, easing her into a sitting position against the rails and examining the damage Hera's claws had done.

"Peace and Fire," he muttered. "Hang tight, girl. You'll be alright." With a faint snarl of effort he ripped the sleeves from his black top, binding one around the bloody mess of her shoulder and tying it tight to staunch the bleeding. The other he fashioned into a makeshift sling, letting her right arm hang limply across her chest. She whined piteously as fresh waves of pain wracked her body and the tears came spilling out. It was all so insane, so much more than a nightmare.

She felt gentle paws cup her cheeks and looked up through bleary vision. Karno looked back, his face grazed and scratched from the fighting. Right now she'd never been more grateful to see it.

"You're going to be okay, Jett," he assured her again, forcing a smile. "We'll get you to Gallant and she'll fix you up. Can you stand?"

"The drive," she said hoarsely, flapping towards the data core with her left paw. "We need the drive. In the bag. Under there."

He glanced over; looked back and nodded before scuttling off to retrieve their prize. He tugged the pack out from the shadows and gently slipped the straps over his shoulders, pulling them tight. Then he dashed back over to her, dropping down into a crouch.

"So can you walk?" he asked. "We'd better get out of here."

Jett nodded weakly. Wrapping her left arm around Karno's shoulders, she let him take her weight, easing her to her feet. A firm grip clamped around her waist to hold her steady and she tested her weight. Her legs felt like jelly, but they functioned.

Tottering unsteadily, she let Karno guide her along the gangway, but she tugged him to a halt when they reached Rapid's body, the albino foxkin lying in a lake of blood, sightless eyes boring into the ceiling.

"Jett, I..." Karno swallowed hard. "We can't do anything for him. I'm sorry."

"I know," she murmured. "It just...just feels wrong. We couldn't have done this without him."

"At least we're alive to tell people."

For a moment she couldn't pull her eyes away. She'd never considered Rapid a friend. Hell, in life the foxkin had been a seedy, lecherous snake who cared little for anyone or anything beyond his criminal enterprises. But when push came to shove – when things really mattered – he'd proved he had more beneath the skin.

Too bad it had taken the fate of the entire city for her to find it.

Eventually she nodded. "Let's go."

Together the pair made their way through the stacks, heading for the main entrance of the room – in her condition there would be no vent climbing for Jett for a long time. The alarms were still blaring, now a part of the background noise, the blue lights still casting eerie shadows around them as they moved.

"Where's Bronco?" she asked suddenly, a shimmer of fear igniting in her bones.

"He's fine, he's fine," Karno said quickly, squeezing her waist reassuringly. "We're all leaving."

Sure enough, as they cleared the stacks and emerged out onto the broad pathway leading to the circular entrance, she saw the vulkin's familiar bulk standing by the controls, a wolfkin lying out cold at his feet. When he saw them he rushed over from his post, his face creased with concern as he saw the extent of Jett's injuries.

"Hellfangs, are you alright?" he blurted.

"Do I look alright?" She shot him a mischievous smile through the pain. "I'll live. That'll have to do."

"I..." He looked past them, his eyes searching the gloom. "Rapid?"

Karno shook his head. "Hera killed him. Then we killed her."

Bronco exhaled, deep and slow, his eyes closing for a moment as he took in the grim news. He shook his head then turned for the exit, beckoning them to follow. "C'mon. I've seen enough of this place to last a lifetime."

***

When Jett caught a glimpse of the pandemonium that had descended upon the Belforra facility it filled her with both horror and satisfaction in equal measure. Their route out of the facility was carefully plotted to skirt away from the main holding areas, but they still had to avoid the constant skirmishes raging between the wolfkin guards, enraged escaped test subjects, and more citykin who'd taken the opportunity to try and make a break for freedom.

In the chaos the enforcers didn't pay much attention to the trio as they slunk through the halls, more concerned with restoring some semblance of order. Without Hera guiding them their response, their actions took on a distinct air of self preservation, escaped subjects being slaughtered without a word as the guards fought for their own survival before any thought of protecting the facility itself.

"Gallant's at the plant's emergency access," Karno explained as they worked their way down the latest passage, this one scarred with armbow shots and streaked with blood. Whatever battle had taken place here seemed to have moved on. "There a pipeline they didn't block off when they moved in here. She's taking all the people she can find there. With the wolfkin occupied with all this we should be able to get up and out into Belforra."

"Then what?"

"Then we've got a long walk."

Jett grimaced at that, still limping along with Karno supporting her. Weak from loss of blood, she didn't know how much longer she could realistically keep this up. Her muscles screamed, her senses muddy now that the immediate danger had passed. There was nothing left to keep her sharp. All she wanted to do was collapse and go to sleep, but she forced herself to keep moving. Bronco scouted out ahead of them, guiding the pair through the mayhem.

Up they climbed, level by level, rising past empty, shattered labs, through fields of bodies and ghostly halls. A few minutes into their rise the lights finally came back on in their section, the wolfkin technicians having finally repaired the sabotage, but the damage was done. The emergency alarm continued to blare, and they continued to pick their way around sporadic pockets of violent close quarter fighting.

Jett felt an uncomfortable twist in her stomach with the knowledge that plenty of innocent citykin were probably going to be snarled up and killed in the madness that enveloped Belforra, but there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing was more important than getting out of here with the data. She shut her mind off from the bloodshed, letting Karno guide her onward.

Soon they began to traverse a part of the facility she didn't recognise, passing a handful of rooms with doors securely locked containing stunned looking scientists. A trio of guards raced by along an adjoining passage, none of them even looking in their direction as they were called to some other emergency within the complex.

"It should be this way," Bronco grunted as they edged around the bend.

"Should?" Jett rasped.

Karno chuckled. "Relax, he's right. We're nearly there."

She reserved judgement, though it wasn't as thought she had much choice but to take their word for it. The stink of chemicals grew stronger as they walked, long since embedded into the very foundations of the plant. The clean, functional refurbishments of the wolfkin fell away and they were soon surrounded by walls of cracked ceramic and rusting support girders. Faded writing and long-abandoned machines dotted the passages and darkness closed in.

But eventually they reached it.

Blacker than night, the maw of the tunnel opened to swallow them up, but right now nothing had ever looked so inviting. A ripple of strength passed through Jett's limbs at the prospect of finally leaving this deathtrap and she sped up, limping awkwardly and forcing Karno along with her. She caught more scents cutting through the chemicals, and before long they found themselves joining the back of a straggled line of survivors, shuffling their way through the darkness.

It took several more minutes before Jett caught the faint scent of fresh air and her lungs heaved with relief. The line began to move faster, the kin up ahead catching the same whiff of freedom. Tears of pain and relief slithered down her face as she forced her battered body onwards.

Finally they emerged into the city once more, plunging into the half-glare of Wildhearth's night, the glow of the city shimmering on the edge of Belforra's darkness. She dimly wondered what time it was. They'd boarded the tram-carrier at midnight, but she'd lost track with everything that had happened. Peering into the skyline, she thought she could see a faint band of light on the horizon, which meant fulldawn was still a few hours away.

"C'mon," Karno whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. "It's almost over." Gripping her paw tighter around his shoulder she limped along as fast as she could, trying to ignore the distinct wetness that was beginning to seep through the fur around her shoulder. The pain seemed to have subsided for now. She couldn't decide if it was shock, or if she had just lost enough blood that she was becoming more than a little delirious.

They made a beeline for the shattered, ruined buildings of the dead district beyond the wolfkin perimeter, passing into the shadows. It took a moment for Jett's eyes to fully adjust to the gloom, but huddled among the rubble and wreckage she saw several dozen individuals – kin of all shapes and sizes hiding there. One figure she recognised shot up from its position crouching behind a spur of broken masonry and came rushing towards them.

"Finally!" Gallant cried as she reached them, slamming into Bronco and hugging him tight before springing over to Jett. "Did you get..." Her eyes widened as she saw the bloody mess of Jett's shoulder. "By the Peace, get over here! Who dressed this?!"

"I'm not a medicary," Karno snarled. "Just help her!"

Gallant shot him a glare before taking Jett's arm across her shoulders and quickly bundling her over to a suitably proportioned lump of rock so she could sit down. Jett sank gratefully into place, her shoulders sagging as she let her body relax. She heard Gallant cursing under her breath, then hissed in pain as the makeshift dressing was peeled away from her skin to reveal the horrific damage done by Hera's claws.

"What did this?!"

"Wolfkin. Not important."

"You're lucky it wasn't a few inches to the right or you wouldn't have a throat any more."

"Well, thank you for that." She winced. "But seeing as I do have a throat, can you...?"

"Yes – just give me a second." Gallant slung her satchel off her shoulder and opened it up, revealing a fairly impressive pile of makeshift medical gear. She withdrew a pawful of cotton swabs, a bottle of ... something, and a roll of white bandages. "Now hold still."

She obeyed as Gallant set to work, dousing the wound in whatever was in the bottle – some kind of disinfectant Jett hoped – then began cleaning out the bloody chasm with the swabs. She gritted her teeth as the pain rolled through her yet again.

"Did you..." Jett winced then forced herself to look Gallant in the eye. "Did you find your parents?"

The young deerkin sniffed; shook her head. "I looked... I looked everywhere I could but there were thousands of people there. I couldn't..." Her voice trailed off into a strangled sob. She swallowed down a lump in her throat, blinking away tears and peering closer at Jett's wound.

"I'm sorry," Jett said quietly.

"I don't-" Gallant's muzzle crumpled with anger. "They're not here. They've probably been dead for a long time." She shook her head and pulled the bandage tighter around the wound.

For a while Jett couldn't think of anything to say. What could she say? At least she had closure, horrible as it was. Gallant had nothing but assumptions. So she sat, letting the deerkin occupy her mind. A few minutes later a crisp white dressing swathed her shoulder, along with her upper right torso, bound so tight that she couldn't have moved her arm if she wanted too.

Taking a deep breath, she eased herself back to her feet. "Thank you." Then she nodded to Karno who was loitering awkwardly nearby. "Time to move."

"What about all these people?" Karno asked uncertainly, glancing around at the veritable hoard of strangers that encircled them. "I... where are they going to go?"

Jett considered it for a moment, and only a moment.

"For now," she sighed. "They are coming with us."