There was a certain tranquility to combat.

It was tranquil because once the first shot was fired, that was it. Whatever problems and issues had been may have been clamouring for attention in your mind before the battle were washed away. Consigned to irrelevance under the primal need to survive. To fight.

Dayne was tranquil at the moment. His world had narrowed down to this single corridor and the enemy firing at him. Being pinned down in a corridor wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t the worst situation he’d been in. He and the team scattered, seeking what cover and then the air was alive with live fire.

Dayne’s shoulder hit the concrete of a door jam, and he laid down a few bursts of fire to keep the Devore down as he checked his team’s placement. Halstein was tucked in behind him, while Velor and Micheals were on the other side of the corridor, Michaels blonde hair was a flash in the darkness.

“Moving!” Micheals bellowed over the sound of the firing, and both Dayne and Halstein leaned out to cover them as she and Velor sprinted forward a few steps to find new cover. As soon as they tucked in, Dayne and Halstein were on the move.

He didn’t think about the fact he was out in the open, and most people liked to fire at the biggest target. Halstein was behind him so he’d cop the first rounds for sure. But there was no time for that, no regrets in his heart. If this was his time to go, then that was the will of the gods and there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, Mason had always taught them that they were dead as soon as the first bullet was fired, so they might as well take as many of the enemy with them as possible.

They made cover, and he had the enemy in his sights again. There were less of them now, but the faces were grim and determined. One thing was for sure. Wherever the Devore had found this lot, they were dedicated to the cause.

He grit his teeth, firing again. Two more dropped. Only a small group left now.

Looking across to where Micheals was tucked into a deeper doorway, he nodded. They were out of corridor. From here on out, it would have to be a full assault.

“Taking point,” he yelled at the rest of the team and with a bellow of rage, he broke from cover. His heart pounded, the massive muscles in his thighs propelling him forward. Something zipped by him, whispering across his cheek, but then he was on them, crashing through their makeshift defensive position like it wasn’t even there. A table caught him in the thigh but he barely felt it, dropping his rifle around his back on it’s sling as he swung a massive fist back.

The fight was short and sweet. Whatever the Devore had expected, it obviously hadn’t been nearly seven feet of very cranky, sleep-deprived ex-soldier to land in the middle of them. A very cranky, sleep-deprived ex-soldier who’d been his unit’s bare knuckle boxing champion.

He blinked as he ran out of people to fight. The Devore guards lay in small heaps, groaning in their own little worlds of pain. Micheals stepped up next to him as he looked at the ones they’d shot.

“Will they live?” he grunted, a frown in the middle of his brow.

Micheals nodded. “Highest stun setting will keep them down for a while, and they’ll have a hell of a headache when they wake up. I could prescribe them an analgesic if you like?”

He snorted. “Nah, let them contemplate their mistakes, and the fact it could be a lot worse, with a sore head. Secure them in the nearest cell and then we’ll move out.”

“Yes, primus,” she winked and turned tail as Dayne checked the map. 

“Okay guys,” he called out. “Harrow’s signal is a couple of floors up. We need to get moved asap, find our people and get the hell out of here.”