There was no time to think. 

The Grangen pivoted around, eyes flashing like beacons through the bloody lighting. He leveled the strange device at Danny and activated it once more. Danny sprang out of the way, avoiding the beam of light by a split second. He felt the force of the weapon ruffle his hair as it shot past. 

Danny rolled to his hands and knees, preparing to dodge again. 

But suddenly Vlad was there. He leapt forward and tackled the massive Grangen, catching it by surprise. They both crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Arcs of electricity began to surge around Vlad's body as he drank a vial of blood. 

The Grangen let out a bellowing roar as the electricity began to melt through his armor.

"I've got this! Go check the others," Vlad ordered. His body began to change as the full effects of the blood began to show through.  

Danny didn't stick around to watch the transformation. 

He raced into the pitch black memory room, breath catching in his chest. Someone had to still be here! Someone had to be okay!

The flashes of the emergency lights and the electricity from Vlad sent bolts of illumination through the room. Danny felt his breathing pick up hysterically as it showed an empty room. The Halphas were all gone. 

He staggered forward numbly. 

It couldn't happen like this. There should have been something more! The Grangen couldn't kill them all in a single stroke like this! 

A sob climbed up his aching throat as he stumbled through the room. The sounds of fighting were still echoing behind him, but they sounded hollow and distant to him. 

They were all gone. 

He continued to trudge forward, searching for any shred of hope. Any sign that his family was still alive. 

The sound of a faint sniffle cut through the fog of his grief. He turned sharply, gazing into the darkness. The glow of his skin and hair flared up at the sudden rush of hope, sending a weak illumination into the dark corners of the room. 

Three young Halphas were huddled against the far wall. He felt his heart skip a beat as he recognized D'yani among them. 

But as they caught sight of him, they cringed away from him, eyes wide and terrified.

"Hey, it's okay," he said quietly, crouching down. 

One of the little boys began to cry as he drew nearer. 

"No, no, shhh!" Danny hissed urgently. "They'll hear you! You've got to be quiet okay?"

Before he could get any closer, D'yani moved in front of the other two. Her eyes were narrowed and glowing with hatred. It was a look that stopped him in his tracks. 

Before he could say anything else, there was a massive explosion and flash of light from the doorway. A body crashed into the wall inches from Danny, then crumpled to the ground. His breath froze as he realized that it was Vlad. 

Danny was the only one left now. 

He struggled to his feet, standing in front of the huddle of young Halphas. 

The Grangen shouldered his way through the doorway, reeking of blood and fried synthetics. One of his cybernetic eyes had been destroyed, but the other was fixed murderously on Danny. He could hear the machinery of the Grangen's body complaining at his movements. 

They faced each other firmly, each struggling to keep his feet under him. 

"I love how hard cornered creatures fight," the Grangen rasped.  "You've been good prey after all. It's a shame you're the last ones."

Danny clenched his aching fists. Electricity began to build in his hands, filling the memory room with a feverish green glow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the young Halphas pulling Vlad upright, trying to wake him up. 

They were all glowing in terror. 

He gritted his teeth and raised his palms toward the Grangen. He wouldn't let them be taken. Not while he could still stand. 

"Come on little ghost," The Grangen challenged, raising the glowing cylinder toward him once again. "Try to stop me with everything you've got. It won't be enough."

Danny's eyes narrowed as he aimed for the Grangen's belt of explosive charges. 

He breathed, concentrated, and at the same moment, he and the Grangen fired.