The group marched down the street together. The lights buzzed brightly overhead, casting dark shadows beneath each of them. The streets were covered in trash and discarded items. Building windows were all either boarded up or smashed, with doors chained shut. Walls had tasteless graffiti smeared across them. The air was still thick with smog and toxins, but it was growing cleaner with each step. They were getting close.

As the group continued forward, the condition of the lower layer got better and better. Streets were clean. There was no trash. There was no graffiti. Windows were intact and unboarded. Doors were unchained, with some even left open, welcoming potential customers into shops and restaurants. Even the air was almost breathable without a ventilator. It was the nicest spot in all of the lower layer. Because it was the way out.

As the quality of the neighbourhood increased, so did the number of Phonocoptrian soldiers patrolling the streets. Squads of six or seven soldiers patrolled each block, making every street and alleyway a slow and cautious crawl. Every corner could have brought the group face to face with the front end of a laser rifle. Reva was alarmingly aware of this, but led the group on regardless.

Together they crept down each street. The lights were a higher quality, shinning brighter than anywhere else in the city. It made sneaking around significantly more difficult than it was on the city's outskirts. The group was very careful to make use of any and all cover they could find, hiding behind mailboxes and trash cans and dumpsters, weaving in and out of alleyways. The street corners and the edges of buildings were all rounded, making this feat slightly easier. It was a weird way to design a city. The whole thing formed a big circle, with streets orbiting the center. Eventually, Reva and the group got close enough to see this center. A large pole stood in the very middle of the circular city. It was made of a very shiny, silvery metal. It reached all the way to the base of the midlayer, and possibly higher. It was the group's way up. It was the razor.

Patrols around the razor grew exponentially thicker and more frequent. Two groups patrolled each block, at least ten soldiers in each. Getting caught by one of these patrols would spell the end of their mission. Not only would ten soldiers quickly overwhelm Reva and Dyceran, the patrols were packed so densely that another patrol could easily overhear and mob whoever was left.

Reva slinked around a corner, pistol in hand, ready for the worst. She quickly found it, as she nearly came face to face with a passing patrol. Lucky for her, they were lost in conversation and didn't seem to see her. She slinked back around the corner. A miner stepped forward, about to turn the corner. They'd be caught for sure. Reva held her hand out to stop them. She pushed her palm into their chest, immediately stopping them in their tracks. They retreated back into the alley, hiding in the shallow shadows cast by the tall brick walls. The bright lights of the city severely limited their hiding. The miners may have been hidden at a quick glance, but would be easily seen if a second look was taken. Reva and Dyceran didn't fit into the shadows. They stuck out like a sore thumb. If the soldiers were set to patrol the alley, they'd be caught for sure. They couldn't take out a patrol that large without making some noise and raising alarms. Their only hope was to wait and see if the patrol would pass them. The whole group could hear the heavy march of their thick, metal boots. The stomping was so loud, it filled Reva's ears, blocking out all noise, save for the heavy beating of her heart. The two noises fought, both made of a strong pounding. The clash made Reva even more anxious than she already was. With each step the patrol took, their march increased in volume. As their volume increased, so too did the volume of Reva's thumping heart. The noise was deafening. Her chest felt so tight, she thought her heart would jump right out of her. The thunderous footsteps grew closer, louder. Reva held her breath. They grew louder still. Reva closed her eyes tight. The footsteps grew quieter. The patrol had passed them. They were safe. Reva opened her eyes and continued down the street.

The group was now just one block away from the razor. They continued down the street, careful as they could be. This street was almost impossible to hide on. The streets were completely empty, lacking any mailboxes, street signs or alleyways to use as cover. The only foot traffic on the street were the marching patrols. Reva could hear one coming up behind them. They were sitting ducks out in the street. They had only one chance.

"Run for the razor!!" Reva said, as loudly as she could without echoing down the street.

The group took off, running like their life depended on it, because it probably did. Their sudden launch immediately grabbed the attention of the patrol behind them. The soldiers raised their weapons and fired. The group was too far away and moving too fast for any of the shots to be accurate. The only shots that hit something, hit Dyceran in the back. He could take a few shots, so he stayed at the rear of the group as they ran, making sure to shield Vee with his hands. As the group got to the razor, they were met with a large metal door. A large metal door, that was slowly sliding shut. The shots had triggered a lockdown. Reva stopped running, urging the miners to continue running past her. When she reached the back of the group, she pointed at the door.

"That's our only way up!" She yelled, doing a good job hiding the panic in her voice. "We need it open! I'll cover you."

"Yes Ma'am!!" Dyceran called out in response.

Dyceran charged forward, hitting the door with all the strength he could muster. The door dented slightly, but otherwise didn't budge. The patrol was advancing quickly towards them, weapons still drawn and at the ready. Reva sent a few shots their way. This caused them to freeze in their tracks and scrambled to form a more defensive position. They all ran haphazardly trying to gather into a streamlined arrow formation, instead of the ragtag bunch they were before. After their formation was complete, they began running again. Reva shot the leader of the arrow in the mouth. He froze on the spot, tripping everyone behind him, who tripped everyone behind them. Dyceran hit the door again, making a loud bang and another dent. The soldiers got back up, forming another arrow. Someone in the back of the arrow shouted for the soldiers to cover their mouths with their hands, which they all did. This made them completely immune to blaster fire. They continued charging at top speed. Reva let out a few more shots, but couldn't hit anything besides their armour. Each shot she fired bounced off, flying into the brick walls of the surrounding buildings. Dyceran hit the door again. This time, the door cracked open. He ripped the hole wider, creating an entryway for the group.

"In here! Quick!!"

The miners scrambled under Dyceran's arm and through the opening in the door. Once they went through, Reva stopped firing at the soldiers and climbed through after them. Dyceran was about to step through the gate he created when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that froze him in place. There were other miners, the ones they rescued, all running towards the razor. They were pouring out of every street corner and alleyway, making a mad dash for the finish. Dyceran had to step through, but these miners needed him. He couldn't abandon them to the hordes of soldiers swarming them. He had to keep the soldiers eyes on him, and off the miners. He'd have to give them a bigger threat.

Dyceran grabbed the ripped metal door and ripped it further. He pulled and he twisted, exerting every ounce of force he could muster, until he eventually ripped the door off its frame. He took a quick scan of his surroundings. There were ten miners coming out of an alley on his left, beside a side street with fifteen soldiers. He threw the door down the side street. It barreled through the soldiers, knocking them all over like bowling pins. The miners in the alley sped up, advancing out into the open street. Dyceran let out a mighty, animalistic roar. It was loud and hurt his throat a little. But it kept the soldiers eyes on him and off the approaching miners. When the group of miners came close enough to him for the soldiers to notice them, Dyceran stepped in front of them. He used himself as a blockade, shielding them from any and all blaster fire. He couldn't let even a single shot go through. Lasers peppered him from every direction. He was bombarded with constant fire. Even though his thick scales gave him near immunity to the lasers, the sheer force of them was overwhelming. Dyceran ignored them as best he could, and ran. He kept pace with the miners running to the door, providing them with cover as they moved. 

Once the miners were safely inside, Dyceran made another sweep of his surroundings. He was still being peppered with blaster fire. The lasers were a bright red, making a good sweep hard to conduct. Dyceran tried his hardest to look past the blinding glare of the lasers. That was when he saw another group of five miners surrounded by a group of seven soldiers, soldiers who didn't seem interested in shooting Dyceran. Dyceran couldn't move. The sheer force of the lasers hitting him was enough to lock him in place. He looked around for something to throw. He saw a small squad of soldiers coming towards him, firing at him. There were four of them in total. Three were providing covering fire while the fourth clutched an energy knife tightly to his chest. Dyceran let them get close. They plunged the knife into his thigh. It melted through his scales, burning him badly. He felt a bright red stabbing pain in his leg. He grabbed the soldier by the arm and lifted them into the air. He swatted away the rest of the squad still shooting him, sending each member flying, before throwing the soldier into the group of soldiers surrounding the miners. This knocked out two of the seven, while getting the attention of the other five. 

All the soldiers in the street were now focused on Dyceran. There were around twenty in total (not counting the ten or so Dyceran had incapacitated). They all had their guns trained on him, all firing. He may have been resilient to blaster fire, but the soldiers were starting to find ways around that. They converged their fire, aiming at the same few spots to concentrate their attacks. They aimed for the parts where the scales were thinnest. They shot his chest and his jaw repeatedly. It was starting to burn pretty bad. It felt like being punched by five different people in the same spot, at the same time. It hurt worse than the knife in his thigh. Dyceran wanted nothing more than to run, to escape their fire. But he couldn't abandon his brothers. He wanted to turn around, to move the fire to his more heavily armoured back. But that would show the soldiers he wasn't a threat anymore. Then, they'd fire on the miners. He couldn't have that. 

After a few more seconds of running, the miners disappeared into the razor. Dyceran let out one last mighty roar with every scrap of energy he could muster. It shook the walls of the buildings along the street. The soldiers paused, frozen with fear. Dyceran used this opportunity to run into the razor and get away from the soldiers.

No one had died on his watch.