In the ruined tunnel, Scar paused and lifted Lex's limp arm, flipping open the wristcom to see if it might now show him the location of the females' ship. There was still no signal and he closed it with a snort. Then he held his fingers to her throat again. The pulse throbbed there still, her chest rising and falling steadily. He lifted his hand to touch her brow, the blood was warming her skin, some colour returning to her face, but it did not quiet his insidious, tingling fear. She had been lifeless in his arms… he could still taste the bile of his own panic.

He started up the tunnel again, a cannonade of distant rumbling echoing in his ears. 'I have to trust that this will lead us back to the upper levels, from there maybe the satcom will lead us to a yautja ship. It may also lead my Mother's assassins to us, but I must take that chance.'

He ran on through the darkness, ignoring the pain in his muscles, the lethargy that wanted to pull him down. The flagstones on the sloping floor were displaced and broken, as if by some tectonic shift, and the walls of the tunnel bulged in places, steam trickling from between the slabs where the algae clustered thickest, illuminating him as he passed.

All the time his brain was working hyperactively, turning over and over in his head the things she had said to him before she lost consciousness, 'The oxygen deprivation must have affected her memory. She does not remember where we are or why – but she still knows me. She even sounded pleased to see me!' He glanced down at her unconscious face in the flickering light, 'Is her memory permanently lost?'

A thunderous crash jolted him back to the present, 'Focus,' He told himself, 'Find the ship!'

The blood-chilling scream split the darkness again, closer now, 'Soon enough Goddess. Soon enough I will be yours. Just let me get her away from here first.'

There was a deep crunching and rumbling behind them and the walls of the tunnel shook to the sound of falling rock, dust and fragments falling from above him again. He ran faster, determined not to look back, sprinting through patches of green light interspersed with shadow, the steam from the walls coating his skin, a sheen of moisture mixed with sweat. Battling his own exhaustion, he pounded up the slope, the noise of smashing and rending behind him, hearing in his mind the sound of a huge body moving through a space much too small. He flipped open the gauntlet as he ran, 'It is functioning, we must be near the upper levels!'

Pausing his headlong flight only for a moment he pressed the controls with the tip of a talon. Frantic eyes flickering over the small screen, he saw the glowing red blip showing the ship's position, 'There! A platform on the outside of the Pyramid – '

An enraged shriek echoed up from the dark and he sprang away again, his feet slithering on the slick, black stone. Without warning he burst into a bigger space, the tunnel giving out into a larger chamber, so vast that it dwarfed even the hall of carvings.

He raced on in the direction of the ship, trying to map the schematic from the wristcom onto the space in front of his eyes. A cry came echoed up from the tunnel behind him, but he still did not turn, already running as fast as he could.

Scar skidded to a halt and stood, panting, behind the statue of a toppled warrior giant who lay on his side. Stone arms, that had once brandished a sword or a spear, were now shattered stumps. He flicked back the cover of the wristcom to check the ship's position. 'Just a few levels up, somewhere above us – '

A new sound cut through the dull, still air of the chamber: a ragged hissing of breath, drawn inwards and then slowly outwards, shuddering with fury. Silently, he turned his head, peering through a gap in the stonework of the ruined statue.

A pale, fetid light appeared inside the mouth of the tunnel, growing until it filled all the space. The Queen stepped into the chamber, stones and scree tumbling down behind her as she ruptured the ceiling of the tunnel. She glowed with an unholy light and at first, Scar thought it was just the algae of the caves that made her luminous but, as he stared, he saw that her feet steamed and smoked where they touched the floor, 'She is coated in some corrosive liquid; it must have bubbled up from within the rocks when we set off the explosives. We have destroyed her nursery. No wonder she is frantic with rage!'

He stared around the chamber, searching for a staircase he could use to get to the ship…

The stone above his head shattered and he lunged forward, spurred into action by the crack and the splinters shredding his skin. A quick glance revealed the shimmering wrath of the Queen standing poised atop the fallen statue, tail upraised to strike again. She opened her needle jaws and screamed – a long drawn-out cry that meant his death. He sprang away, desperate to be out of the reach of those snatching claws. Her whiplash tail struck the ground behind him with a noise like a huge blade but he ran without looking back, hurdling over gaping holes in the floor and piles of fallen slabs, still gripping Lex's unconscious form tight. His lungs burned but the adrenalin jolted into him like a drug, 'I cannot fight – I must not release my hold on Lex, I must find a place of respite or make it to the ship!'

The Queen was not fast but she was cunning. She thundered after him, an unstoppable juggernaut, knocking fallen stones aside as if they were nothing. She charged into a broken pillar, felling it like a giant tree that smashed down on the floor in front of him. Scar veered off in the other direction, sprinting away from her as she charged again, knocking down another colossal pillar that crashed down across his path with a deafening boom.

He did not stop this time but leapt over the toppled pillar, running onwards, up a flight of huge steps into a covered avenue of huge columns, stretching away into the darkness. Pressing his back against one, he flipped open the wristcom, trying to see a way he might get to the ship. Then his breath caught in his throat…

A greenish glow was getting brighter in the darkness of the covered walkway, the light getting stronger as the Queen came slowly up the steps, the sound of ragged, shuddering breath growing louder. She stepped into the walkway, illuminating the columns like an evil spirit, and he dodged behind the pillar, pressing himself against it, hugging Lex hard to his chest, willing himself to be still and not breathe too deeply or too loud, 'The hard meat's senses are sharp. Do not let her detect us..."

Her heavy tread crunched through the rubble and dust and the caustic scent of the chemicals dripping from her body invaded his scent ducts. Scar stayed dead still, hearing the hiss of her breath and the snap of her tail catching the pillars as it lashed from side to side. She lumbered down the avenue, her eyeless head turning one way and then the other, seeking the creatures who had destroyed her precious brood.

He glanced down at the wristcom again, 'The ship is above us and there is a staircase…'

His eyes flicked over to the other side of the chamber, then down at Lex's unconscious face as she lay in his arms… and the rattling, shivering breath of the vengeful matriarch drew nearer, echoing off the walls around him, until he could almost feel it on his skin, 'She is right on the other side of this pillar… close enough to reach out and grab me…'

Slowly, very slowly, he pulled the krei'ithala from the holster at Lex's waist… flicking the switch to activate it. Then, she was in front of him, glowing jaws gaping just a foot away, huge claws reaching out –

He thrust the bug thumper forward, striking her in the forehead. Bright, white light cleaved through the darkness and the Queen's jaw dropped open, but no sound came.

Without waiting to see the result he fled, a resounding smash behind him, shaking the ground, 'She must have hit the floor!'

He ran on, still holding on to Lex, dashing headlong down the steps, hurdling over debris, running straight for the staircase he knew would lead him to the yautja females' ship, 'Just a little further and I can be away from her!'

There was a baleful scream behind him, but still he did not look back, 'How can she be recovered already? The thumper must not have been fully charged – or maybe the chemicals on her skin dampened the current somehow!'

He pushed himself to run faster while behind him, the Queen howled, her voice filled with absolute desolation. The sound of it tore at his heart, but he shut out the noise and pounded towards the stairs.

There was a deafening peel of thunder behind him.

Even in her despair, even tortured by grief, the Queen was a deadly adversary. She charged into a pillar with her full weight, knocking it towards the nearby columns. As they fell, collapsing in a slow, ponderous chain reaction, the walkway began to crumble. The whole room – perhaps the whole Pyramid – trembled. A huge, tormented groan rippled through the darkness as the ceiling above them shook. Huge lumps of rock slammed down onto the steps in front of him with such force that they splintered the stairs and threw him and Lex backwards to the ground, burying them under a shower of shattered stones.

Spyrro stepped onto the floor of the keh'rite, looking around at the other juveniles. After only a few days she had learned the best way to carry herself was to stay relaxed. It wasn't a good idea to stare at other juveniles because if Xala noticed, or the staring led to squabbling, then punishment would swiftly follow… but if someone else stared, Spyrro knew she couldn't look away. She tried to make herself imitate Ito. The girl was always calm and spoke little, but she watched everything. Her lack of speech was not down to nerves, but belied a quiet self-confidence that she longed to emulate.

She was standing next to Ito now and the one called Ti'Maat was also there, watching her under her brows so that Xala would not notice. Spyrro was wary of her. She did not have much experience in the ways of juvenile rivalry – except with her brothers but, while Selim and Isaac often teased her, they were also protective of her and made allowances for her as a younger child. She sensed that Ti'Maat would make no such allowances. 'She is probably waiting for a chance to even the score with me for making faces at her on the first day.'

Some of the things that Mei'Savir had said to her about life in the clan were coming back to her, "Strike first, never hesitate; those who do not strike a first blow rarely get to strike at all."

"Spyrro," Xala beckoned her onto the training floor, "It is time for you to try a different opponent."

She felt a little tingle of alarm when she saw the combat master summon Ti'Maat forward with a crook of her fingers. Then she clenched her fists, 'If she decides to try anything against me, I will make her regret it!'

Ti'Maat spread her jaws as she faced Spyrro across the circle of onlookers, "You will suffer for your insolence, spawn of the Abomination."

Spyrro narrowed her eyes, "What did you call me?"

"You heard," One of the girl's hands balled into a fist whilst the other splayed, claws outstretched "I will enjoy spilling your abominable blood."

She lunged. Spyrro leaned backwards out of the way of the claws, but Ti'Maat's longer reach allowing the clenched fist of the other hand to connect with her temple. Her head snapped to one side, but she struck out and caught Ti'Maat a rapid blow that knocked her chin upwards.

The older girl snarled and swung her arm, backhanding Spyrro hard across the face, then as her head reeled, Ti'Maat swept her legs from under her. She found herself on her back, the other girl standing over her. Ti'Maat was grinning, clearly thinking she had won, but Spyrro had often fought her larger, older brothers and had embraced the benefits of fighting dirty. She lashed out and caught Ti'Maat a vicious kick in the abdomen. The girl doubled up, and Spyrro kicked upwards again, smashing her foot into the hunter's chin. As Ti'Maat, staggered, Spyrro launched herself at her enemy, landing atop her and began pummelling Ti'Maat's face. Spyrro knew that she could not afford to let up even for a second but she wasn't frightened, she was excited – thrilled by a battle where there were no rules, where the only consideration was to win! The rest of the room was fading away as she drove her fists into her opponent's face and shoulders and stomach.

Gradually, she came to the realisation that the noise of the keh'rite had stopped and that Ti'Maat was lying still underneath her. She looked up and saw the faces of the other juveniles watching her. Xala was also watching, with her usual grim expression. Next to her, suddenly, was the GhaRan-S'i-Ka.

Scar opened his eyes, blinking away a thick layer of grit and dust, coughing and gasping. He staggered to his feet, still grasping Lex in his arms and gazed around in dazed dismay. The staircase was buried under a pile of broken rocks, his escape route along with it. A sound cut through the bewildering fog in his head: the lumbering tread of the Queen, stalking through the wreckage towards him.

He put his back against the blocked stairway, shifting Lex up onto one shoulder so that he could draw the ki'cti-pa with his free hand as he turned to face her. She slowed as she approached, lowering her great head and spreading her jaws in a chilling hiss. He held the spear in front of him as his eyes darted from one side to the other, searching desperately for a way out. To the left, his way was blocked by a pile of rubble. He began to inch to the right, always keeping his gaze fixed on the Queen. She imitated his movements as she drew closer, glowing like an evil ghost in the dark, her great, barbed tail suspended above her head.

Acting more on instinct now than reason, he spread his own jaws and bellowed at her, a roar of pointless defiance. She met his challenge with a long, wailing shriek of rage, her mouth yawning wide to show jagged ice shards.

She struck, lashing her scorpion tail at him. He blocked it with the ki'cti-pa, the deadly spine rebounding with a noise like an axe-blow. She hissed and lashed again, and again he deflected, the shattering impact jarring his already injured shoulder. He feinted to one side but she snaked her head to follow him, mimicking his movements.

Scar's strength was flagging, exhaustion dragging at him 'I cannot do this forever… and she only needs to get one strike past my defences!"

She flailed the lethal spine at him once again and again he thrust the spear up in a desperate parry, the blow almost breaking his arm – this time, feeling the bone creak. Now, she gave a murderous hiss at being denied her prey. He fell back as she stalked towards them, edging away along the length of the pillar, wanting to avoid getting trapped in a corner. His skin prickled as he noticed her muscles go taut, head lowering as she readied herself to attack. She charged and he leapt, straining every muscle in his body to launch himself over her, springing onto the base of a shattered column and catapulting himself over her head. She screamed and brought her tail swinging round, smashing him in the midriff. He was knocked across the chamber, trying to shield Lex with his arms as they hit the stone wall. He staggered upright clasping her to his chest to see the Queen towering above them, her splayed claws upraised, vengeance made flesh.

Before she could bring those huge talons down, the floor shook under them and there was a bone-shaking groan. The whole structure juddered as the Pyramid began to shift again, the mechanism squealing in protest, blocked by giant fragments of rubble. There was a head-ringing bellow as gears and components caught and locked, grinding against obstructions caused by the Queen's rampage. The ground shudder violently under them as she reached out for him, her claws like luminous, shining spears.

Then the portion of floor under him thrust upwards, rising with explosive force, the ceiling hurtling towards him as he and Lex were borne aloft on a column of pitiless black stone, the air pressing them flat to the slabs. It lurched to a heart stopping halt, halfway between the floor and the roof of the chamber. Panting, Scar rolled onto his side, Lex still in his arms, staring downwards. Other columns had also risen up from the floor, standing around them like a strange, petrified forest. A vertigo inducing distance beneath him, the monstrous shape of the Queen, 'We are out of her reach – for now – but she can soon climb up here…'

He stiffened at a low, moaning noise; the suffering of a giant mechanism that is blocked and at war with itself. Above, his photosensitive eyes made out an opening in the wall. He sat up and sheathed the spear, flipping open the cover of the wristcom. The icon that signified a ship was pulsing steadily, only a short distance away, 'That must be a passage to the outside of the Pyramid, the female's ship is up there.'

He glanced around. They were a couple of ship's lengths away from the wall. 'I cannot hang around here waiting for the Queen to begin climbing. I need to find a way to reach the wall and climb, perhaps I could jump that far...'

He unstrapped the dah'kte from Lex's hands, strapping them tight to his own, then looked into her face, lifting her eyelids with his talons. 'Out cold. I must find some way to carry her…'

He took the empty, metal grenade clip from her belt. Her wrists were still enclosed in the metal cuffs where she had been chained up in the execution chamber and he hastily used the clip to fasten them together and then dropped the loop of her arms around his neck. Then he unbuckled the long leather harness that had held his swords and used it to strap her tightly against him, hoisting her onto his back, 'If I climb and she falls…' He shook his head 'She must not fall. I must get us to the ship – I must not fail her!'

Below them, the Queen gave a terrible cry, the sound drifting up to him in the dead, hot air of the chamber. There was a crash. Quickly he looked down and saw the Queen slam herself into the base of the column on which they stood, making the tall, thin structure tremble. Another crash and the stone shivered. Then it swayed, first one way and then the other. Scar had to crouch low to keep his balance on the pitching surface, 'If it topples backwards, we will fall to our deaths … "

The column swayed towards the wall and he leaned with it, using his own weight to tip the balance. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, the column toppled forward like a falling tree. As the wall hurtled towards him, Scar leapt, adrenalin coursing through him, driving away all thought of what would happen if he did not reach it. His struck the stone-wall blades first, driving the dah'kte into the rock. Below him he heard the column strike, the concussion almost knocking him clear of the wall and he held on for dear life, splaying his body against the surface, willing the blades to maintain their grip. The sound of stone cracking on stone went on and on, huge chunks of masonry rolling and booming down on the chamber floor.

Beneath him, there was a maddened squeal and he began hauling himself upwards. His maimed shoulder howled its objections as he clambered up the sheer rockface, silently praying he could climb faster than the Queen. The tremors reached him as she began to climb and he knew that nothing would sate her hunger for vengeance, but blood. In his strung-out state, he thought he could hear words in her cries as she wailed for her lost children and her murderous intent for the creatures who had destroyed them.

Then the wall shook, jarred by a huge blow. One of his blades jolted clear of the stone and he drove it back in as hard as he could. As soon as the quakes ceased, he began to climb again, scaling as fast as he dared. The booming concussion came again, lumps of basalt falling from the roof of the chamber. Again, he was forced to halt, gripping on tightly until the tremors ceased, 'She wants to shake us off the wall – she does not care if the whole place comes down, as long as we die…'

A little superstitious chill passed through him. 'Perhaps she is an emissary of the goddess. I know she will collect my pledge sooner or later but… if I fall, that means Lex dies too – and that I cannot allow!'

The faint light source was getting closer as he yanked himself up, the yautja climbing ability – the superior strength in his arms and shoulders – allowing him to scale rapidly. The Queen's ungainly bulk meant she lacked the speed of the drones; her bloodlust drove her upwards, but she could not catch him. With a grunt, arms shaking, Scar dragged himself and Lex to the top of the wall and onto the ledge. Crawling away from edge he lurched to his feet and sprang away, eyes darting around, looking for enemies in this new tunnel. There were no signs of movement and he sprinted on, towards the place where he knew the shuttle must be. At the doorway to the outside he checked, flattening himself against the wall, alert for the sound of the Queen behind him.

A night-time world met his eyes, shrouded in a swirling fog that choked all scents in a noxious, chemical odour. A giant platform stretched in front of him, a large balcony structure with a stone barrier running all around the edge that thrust out from the side of the Pyramid into a black sky full of dirty clouds. Beneath them, the sloping walls swept downwards, sheer and dark and slippery. Below that, stretching into the distance, a vast, foetid marshland. Through the waves of cloying vapor drifting through the air, the ship was visible, and he realised the light he had seen in the tunnel were the lights of the craft, dimmed to a sallow glimmer whilst it sat stationary. It sat on the platform, near the edge, veiled in pestilent fog but visible as the occasional breeze blew the mist aside. Between himself and the ship, a figure stood; certainly yautja, probably young and definitely female, judging by her body-shape.

Scar's eyes narrowed, his hands clenching into fists as he watched her. She was on guard, though she was not wearing her mask – perhaps trusting her own senses more than any artificially enhanced ones. Her gaze swept to one side and then the other, waiting to see where enemies lurked. His brain was racing and he cursed his luck that he should be up against a fully armed and equipped opponent without his own camouflage or even his swords, 'The moment she sees me, she will shoot me down… I must get past her and get onto that ship, if we are to escape."

Silently, he unfastened the gauntlet from Lex's arm and snapped it closed on his own wrist. Then he drew the plasma gun from her holster 'I must attack. Now. I must do it before she detects me and trust that this foul murk will give me some cover."

He slipped out from the mouth of the tunnel under the cover of a thick pall of mist and slunk like a shadow along the line of the wall.

Behind him, the voice of the Queen was lifted up in fury and a lingering scream ricocheted down the tunnel. The female's head snapped round at the sound, and then tracked rapidly back as she sighted him, extending her dah'kte with a sharp little sound. Scar, already too close for her to use her plasma cannon, sprang towards her with his blades already drawn and met her opening blow with a shattering upswing. Surprise gave him the edge and he managed to knock up her blades and charge into her, shoulder first, catching her off-balance and sending her staggering backwards.

As he leapt past, the Queen burst from the tunnel, a lurid horror erupting out of hell. He heard the female's growl and knew that she would turn to face the bigger threat as the Matriarch shrugged aside the stone walls, throwing back her head and wailing like a klaxon.

With a bellow the female unsheathed her spear and swung to face the Queen but Scar passed her and ran on towards the ship, flipping open the wristcom and pressing the control as he ran. The door to the shuttle whirred open and he bulleted onboard without looking back, a cacophony of growling and shrieking behind him. He burst into the cockpit, raising his dah'kte and cutting the bonds at his waist and unclipped Lex's wrists, catching her before she could fall. He set her down in the pilot seat. Her eyes were still closed and he put his hand up to her face, cupping her chin, "Lex? Wake up!"

When she did not move, he reached across the cockpit and pressed the control to bring up the display on the screen; the female Rough Skull was circling the Matriarch, who lit up the drifting mists with her sickly, death-green glow.

Looking back to Lex, he tapped her face, "Lexsss, you must wake!"

Her lashes trembled and then her eyes opened, lids moving slowly; broken, butterfly wings, "Scar?"

"You must awaken, demon!" He put his hands on either side of her face, holding her head upright as her eyes tried to close again, "I cannot leave you here, unconscious."
"Leave me?" She shook her head groggily, "Where are you going?"

"You must get ready to take off! I will ssstop her if I can but you must be awake to get away!"

She squinted at him, her pupils unfocussed, "I don't understand – "

"Lex! Hear me," He still held her, staring into her eyes, her face clasped between his hands, "I have no more time. You must survive and get back to the children – take the ship and go." He switched to his own language "I need you to live, demon! Then my sacrifice will not be in vain."

"Sacrifice?"

At that instant, a deafening scream shook the cockpit and Lex's gaze flew to the screen where the glowing bulk of the Queen loomed and, between her and the ship, the lone yautja female. The hard meat towered over her, while the Rough Skull raised her spear in the face of impending destruction...

Grabbing the plasma gun, he bolted for the airlock, unsheathing the spear as he ran.

One the threshold he turned one last time, trying to think what he could say that would tell her everything; all the pain of leaving and all the pain of staying.

"Stay alive!" He snarled. Then he tore himself away, leaping through the airlock before she could say anything to make him stay.

Summer is finally here! I'm so happy I might do a little dance. Also it's time to publish another chapter which also makes me happy. Thanks for the views and special thanks for the reviews, as ever. If you enjoy this chapter please follow, favourite and review - cos it brightens up my day to read them.

Tenjp: Scar has to face the truth in the last chapter - but is he going to get a chance to do anything about it? And if Lex doesn't remember, would he get his wish that everything would go back the way it was before they split?

LovyDovy7: When the life of someone they love is hanging in the balance, most people will strike any bargain to hold onto them. It could be just coincidence that Lex wakes up, or it could be something darker - it depends what you believe.