"Uh... guys? Could use some help here!" Wells yelled over the COMs as Mar ran back into the hallway.

Inside, Wells was at the other end of the hall, taking cover beside the door and blindly firing into the room where they'd just previously battled the Brutes. Singh was standing beside him, ready to take his position once he moved in. Not ten seconds after Mar spotted them, a spike grenade flew past Wells's head and stuck the wall behind him.

Mar screamed, "Move!"

Singh saw the grenade when it came in and was already diving away from it towards Mar. Mad as Hell Wells on the other hand, was turning back from the shootout he was in, probably to see what the hissing sound was and why it sounded so close. It went off right in his face. As though she'd just leapt from building to building and was about to miss, Singh had both arms desperately outstretched.

Mar caught her in a protective hug as she speared into him and quickly spun around. Behind him, he could hear the rifle-sized spikes jettison from the explosive and ricochet metallically all around that end of the corridor. A few spikes grazed Mar's backside but were denied by his energy shield. The Demon, apparently having just finished dealing with something outside or speaking with the Oracle, entered the hall and saw Mar and Singh huddled together for safety.

Mar never could read the Demon, as his expression always stayed the same, but felt that the Demon looked at him in a new way. Whereas before it he thought the Demon held a dislike for him, most likely due to the fact that he'd foolishly caused the death of an ally by fighting a fight that didn't need to be fought, here saw Mar had saved a Marine from death by flying spikes. The Demon extended an arm and helped him up.

The Demon did something strange then. He took two fingers and swiped them in a smiling curve across his face. Mar never saw or heard much from the Demon except war, so he took this as a sign of acceptance, or at least, of appreciation. When Mar turned back around, Wells was hanging about a meter off the floor, pinned to the wall by about a dozen tungsten spikes.

Mar's first reaction was to pull the dead Marine free from the wall, but as he was doing so, the Demon grunted, "Leave him. Clear the Brutes out of that room."

Mar nodded and moved up to the door, then huffed, puffed, and charged into the room. He dodged many spikes and needles and blobs of plasma as he sprinted, but still took a red hot spike through the thigh. He cursed aloud as he fell behind a pillar and waited for the scorching pain to subside. Meanwhile, the Demon and Singh moved in, shooting.

Singh took cover beside Mar while the Demon advanced, bobbing and ducking and weaving out the way of the Brutes' fire while delivering a hailstorm of his own.

Impressive. It would appear the rumors were true.

Just be glad you are no longer his enemy.