Our sudden reunion was sweet and jovial, but very brief.

With the whole facility hounding all of us, it wasn't easy to stop for some needed hugs―especially with both groups now in one place. With our rebel prisoner found and liberated, our plan now was to escape this powerplant with our skins and tails still attached. It was clear from the start that it would not be easy with the facility on high alert, but we learned from Aaron and Nuri that it was neigh impossible unless we made another detour.

"They've got the whole place locked down―the borders specifically," Nuri debriefed me as we moved quickly down the way he and Aaron came from. He had many visible wounds and a couple of gashes around his arms and lower body but was hardly hindered by them. I retained some gruesome wounds myself zipped underneath my pocked suit, but I was impressed by how effective the medicine used in these medkits was―almost like we were never grazed at all. For the time being, I was just going to presume that these sedatives had nothing (and I mean absolutely NOTHING) to do with anything relating to antlion grubs on any level and focused entirely on our objective.

"What's happening with the borders?" I asked, holding my staff close with its spearhead open pre-emptively, as we have had a few encounters with soldiers already since we grouped up.

"They've jacked up their defences," Aaron answered, currently leading the group as he moved quickly with a dismounted pulse cannon that he stole from somewhere, currently looking like the living incarnation of a Landmaster with his brawn and momentum. "They don't just have heavy guns; they've got energy shields encircling the whole complex―deadly ones. Zap your flesh clean off with one touch. The roadway is closed off too; there's no way Sofia can swing around in here and give us all a lift out of here while they're up."

"I'm guessing it's not as simple as blowing a hole through one of them," Shephard presumed eyeing our adjoining surroundings with his rifle aimed abreast. "What's the play, big man? I getting the feeling you've got one."

"We do, but it's a risky one," Aaron answered.

"Like all of this isn't already?!" Hal complained loudly, the stress of the worsening situation upsetting him more than what we could tolerate on top of it all. "You all are big fat fucking idiots stirring up the hive just for me! Let me die like I should have with the rest of my station, dammit!"

While he had been a verbal nuisance, I had the misfortune of being able to feel his pain against my will. He didn't think he deserved to be rescued if it were even possible, which he didn't think we could. The rest of us didn't operate on regressive nonsense like that.

"They'd tear out everything you knew before they would, Hal; why do they think they spared you and took you here?" Aaron disputed, from a position of compassion rather than frustration.

Hal didn't reply to this for a moment, looking to the floor as he kept up. "I'm not sure why me of all people. I know about as much as anyone."

"Had you been killed, they would have taken Brittney instead," Aaron added. "We've been friends for a long time, chap; I know you'd move mountains to get her back."

"She's different. She's worth more than me, just like everyone else. I'm not worth the trouble…"

"You are to me," Aaron disputed. Hal's warmed reaction to such a kind statement was tragically cut short when the Combine circumvented us again in a foyer that was close to the exit. They rushed out into the open, a good seven of them, and fired upon us without hesitation. I jumped ahead of everybody and deployed my shield. It wasn't enough to close up the hallway, but it was large enough for all my friends to get behind to use as sufficient cover for picking off a few soldiers.

The soldiers coordinated accordingly and began taking defensive positions around the foyer, and I used their temporary break in ranks to my advantage by dashing across the front lines while evading my friends' gunfire. I jumped a few from behind and delivered swift cracks to their heads with my staff. I was able to sense a counterattack rushing towards me during my flurry, but I was not able to react quickly enough.

I felt a brutal shove against my back which ended up thrusting me against a wall before a hand gripped my neck in a relentless hold. I realised to my dismay one of those white-uniformed soldiers with a single red optic in their helmet holding me against the wall, lifting me a couple of feet above the for. I tried kicking myself free, but the soldier was unnaturally strong as it just stared at me with no emotion.

"Oncogenic malignant apprehended. Holding for advanced reviewal and designation," it radioed to Overwatch in that awful garbled voice filter, its merciless grip around my neck only getting tighter as my airways closed off.

Before this could really turn into a problem, Adrian came to my rescue and rammed the soldier with his heavy momentum, forcing it to let me go. The two soldiers of different times proceeded to fight each other one-on-one while I tried catching my breath. Shephard's fist strikes were blunt and quick as he pounded his unfeeling opponent―noticeably using only one fist due to the other being injured by self-infliction.

It wasn't until Shephard fiercely kicked the soldier straight in the groin did his plan unravelled. The 'sweet spot' that would have otherwise been there was evidently no longer in this synthetic monstrosity, which surprised Shephard upon realisation. That brief moment of confusion gave the unfeeling soldier the upper hand over him when it slammed its fist down on Shephard's knee, causing him to shout in pain as he fell down

The one-eyed soldier would have caved Shephard's skull in with its knee-high boot before I grabbed my staff off the ground and impulsively unleashed a powerful arch of electricity straight into its head, making it explode into smouldering pieces of metal and flesh. That was far gorier than I intended, but it ultimately did the job as the dead headless body fell flat on its back.

Shephard groaned as he held his knee, struggling to stand up at first. I strode over to help him with that amongst the bruting sounds of the others finishing up their conflict around the foyer. "Thank you kindly for saving me, Sir Knight," I offered my hand, though my voice was hoarse from being choked. Adrian looked at me for a second and chuckled to himself, humbly taking my hand even if he wasn't ultimately reliant on it.

"Huh. You've got those in your universe, too?" he asked, rising to an unsteady stand.

"Valiant warriors of yore. Chivalrous rescuers of damsels. I adore the concept," I said.

Shephard continued rubbing his knee, musing at my knowledge. "Yeah. Every guy ought to be one in some form, I think. Should've had my sword drawn, though," he said, looking at the headless body with aggravation. "Excalibur's coming out next time, that's for sure."

Our situation improved only slightly when we eventually made it outside.

We emerged right in the heart of the facility, which consisted mainly of wide-open lots, towering chimneys, an elaborate network of suspended pipework, and ramps leading to an overpass designed for heavy equipment to be transported quickly across the power plant. In addition to all of this were the erected Combine structures, which efficiently turned this old industrial complex into a fortress. Tall watchtowers were shining blinding lights down on the lots, blackening the clear night sky.

Having to contend with more soldiers would have been plenty to put on our plates, but the distant, dreadful, and distinctive chopping sounds of rotary blades were hard to ignore. Hunter choppers had been deployed, and we could see a couple soaring above the facility in the distance, shining spotlights on the ground as they circled the facility in search of us. Fortunately, the large overpass provided ample cover to hide from their hounding lights, so we were inclined to stay under it while we sorted out Aaron's grand escape plan while some Overwatch announcements were trying to talk over him.

"All right, bulkster; you've always got the trump card for your hair-brained schemes. Watcha got for us? It doesn't involve bubble gum and Tabasco sauce again, does it?" Hal asked as we huddled around the side of a massive four-wheeled tanker lorry parked underneath the overpass.

Aaron smiled fondly at his mildly malcontent friend. "Admit it, Hal, you liked that one."

"Only 'cause the houndeyes didn't," Hal said, turning to the rest of us who were hoping to hear the plan. "You folks may not know this, but back in the day when houndeyes were still kicking around, they often congregated around―"

"Hey, why don't we talk about getting out of here before we start talking old days?" Shephard insisted irascibly, knowing full well that were not safe out here at all and that at any moment we could be caught. I didn't currently detect any soldiers patrolling nearby, but I shared his urgency as I knelt on one knee with my staff pivoted on the pavement, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice.

"Oh…of course, laddie. Silly me," Aaron nodded, the hint of a flush going across his face as he reached inside the satchel around his belt. He soon pulled out a flat, black rectangular object with three spiked ridges on one of its top corners and grooved teeth along its vertical side, suggesting that it looked like it was designed to click into something. There were also faint lines of circuitry running along its glossy flat surface, indicating that this was a trump card in more ways than one.

"While you and Krystal were busy completing the first half of our plan, I and Nuri did some preening and exercised our tech-savvy sides," Aaron explained, twirling the small card around for us to see. "It would take too long to explain how it works, but all you need to know is that this is an override chip. I got a little inspiration from the adventure me and Krystal had in the outland depot; this is going short out the power across the entire surface level of the complex long enough for us to get out of here, along with those barriers rimming the borders."

I was quite enamoured by that idea, and not just because I found comfort in the familiarity. I could sense the others favouring this plan as well, but it wasn't without concerns. "And where exactly do you foresee this thing getting stuck in?" Shephard asked.

Aaron regarded him for a second before turning around and pointing up. "Up there," he said, directing our attention to a high tower almost three hundred feet high just passed a few buildings. It had a slanted white roof that was made out of shelled pieces, just like many of the other watchtowers here, but it had a boxier framework and was at least two hundred feet high. It was not the tallest Combine-made tower in Aldana, but it was certainly nothing to deride.

"That right up there is the command hub: the citadel to this facility's city," Aaron explained. "Every command and virtually every function that goes on in this powerplant is operated and carried out entirely up in that big room right at the top. They turned on the barriers from that place and switched on all the searchlights. All we do is pop this doohickie inside their big mother computer and it'll make the whole thing spurt, making the whole place go dark.

Shephard nodded with appeasement. "Simple instruction. I like it," he said. "But what I imagine is not simple is getting up there. Security's got to be way worse there than anywhere else in this hellhole."

Aaron made a shifty smile. "You would think so, but it is surprisingly sparsely guarded for being as critical as it is. Well…that would usually be the case, anyway. I'd wager there's a few more guns deployed in there since all the commotion started."

Curiously, Shephard squinted his eyes at Aaron, made a little more obvious by the green glow of his goggles. "How do you know all of this stuff, anyway?"

Aaron curled his gloved fingers around the override chip and grew a discernible cornered expression. The silence was almost uncomfortable, and no one would understand exactly why unless they were telepathic like me. I don't believe Shephard was trying to be accusatory, but I sensed that he picked up on something that I wasn't caught up on; something out of place. Nuri could detect a mild tension between the two as well, and Hal pressed his lips as his eyes grew wide, almost like he was silently telling Shephard to back off.

However, Aaron himself politely answered Shephard's question. "Let's just say I used to work in a place like this," he said. "Long time ago, but not long enough for me to forget. No matter how hard I may try…"

The subject, if there ever was one, was immediately dropped after that. Everyone had a good sense not to press this man's buttons if he had any to push, which this seemed to imply that he did. I found this intriguing; Aaron had never spoken much about his past, and I never sought to learn more if he didn't wish to disclose it. He had the same reasons for doing this as I did concern most of my past, so I respected his desires as much as he respected mine.

It was obvious that he was different from the other rebels given his particularly brawny physic that was not present in the humans I had seen. He had mentioned before that he was amongst the Combine workforce like most humans are before he joined the resistance, but his story was clearly unique, judged so alone by his appearance. I longed to hear his full story whenever he wished to tell me it.

"All right, so our plan is straightforward," Nuri said, trying to steer the conversation back to much more important affairs. "We sneak on over there, ride the lift up, shut off the power, and I shoot flare for Sofia. Sounds great."

"That's it, lad," Aaron smiled warmly. "It's practically down the street. This'll be as easy as pie!"

It was not as easy as pie.

If anything, the night had reached its peak when it came to Combine suppression. It took us nearly fifteen minutes just to reach the Aldana command tower, and all of that time was spent finding soldiers, who were quickly alerted to our presence when we tried to make a dash for it. There were not many routes to the command tower that weren't met with heavily patrolled fortifications, so we truly had no choice but to go in 'guns a blazing', as it were.

My stamina was being pushed to its limit as I led the offensive while my friends provided munitions support, taking out as many sentries as I could―both transhuman and automated―with siphoned power that I continuously expelled and redrew thanks to so many power stations the Combine that powered their defences, which were inadvertently exposed for me. Getting past the barricade was the easy part; the Combine were waiting to unleash their full wrath when we made it inside. Squads of Infantry emerged from their cover from behind buildings and opened fire from where we stood.

There were a couple more of those massive tanker lorries that we had been seeing around the facility parked in disuse along this street, so we thankfully didn't have a shortage of cover. Resuming my role as the ultimate distraction, I ran out into the field amongst the flurry of pulse fire, making full use of my magics as I unleashed a lightning storm onto our foes, forcing siphoned power straight into a power conduit nearby and overloading their entire defence line, engulfing their fortifications with tendrils of electricity that crawled up metal frames to the networking pipework and showering the whole battlefield in sparks. Although taken aback by the show like most people who valued their safety, my friends were quick to mobilise and picked off any units that didn't succumb to my power play.

In truth, this led to menial progress to the command tower, for a hunter chopper had arrived on the scene moments after, forcing everyone to scatter as its spotlight shone harshly on the ruined street, making all the billowing fires extinguish from the intense vortex its rotary blades were producing. I heaved with both fear and exhaustion as I observed the hovering death machine from my cover, which happened to be an electrically scorched Combine generator. I remembered clearly how deadly and devastating these aerial vehicles were with their arsenal, and we could not afford a prolonged tussle with them. What I did next was a stupid move on my part, but it gave us the window we needed to keep moving.

After sending a telepathic message to everyone to stay behind their cover, I ran out into the open after the chopper's light passed over it. Being that there were still active generators close by, I quickly drew their power from them and commanded my staff to project its imitative confiscation beam around the chopper's haul. I could not sense the vapid thoughts of the pilots inside, but they spoke with their actions as they tried to fly off evasively once they realised I had them caught in my stream. They nearly would have taken me up into the air with them had I not pulled even harder with my magic, which required almost all of my own strength just to maintain it.

Then, in one desperate tug before turning around, I nearly screamed my lungs out as I cranked my staff over my shoulder with all of my might and thrust it forward in front of my body, causing the chopper to be flung in that direction, all while my abdomen felt like it had burst into flames. It spun out of control as it crashed straight into the building closest to me, exploding into a flaming cloud that lit the whole street, though I barely saw or heard any of my handiwork as I collapsed to the ground.

The pain in my abdomen had flared up to such a high degree from all the stress that I ended up passing out on the ground, though not before I was vaguely able to see a dark mass cast itself over me as flaming debris from the wreckage came crashing down around me. That stunt put me out of commission for a little while after that, much to the disadvantage of the squad. I remember in my final fleeting thoughts before passing out that I had let everyone down and potentially hurt or killed them by smashing that chopper into a building, but all did not turn out as I feared.

Time was hazy to me before I eventually woke up again, but I guess waking up at all was all that truly mattered. I opened my eyes to find myself in an enclosed environment, which I was quick to realise was Combine-made with its cold dark architecture. I would have assumed I had been captured by our enemies until I realised I was being tended to by Aaron, who was propping me up with a single hand on my back.

"Ah, she's coming around!" he hollered, his bearded face brimming with frightened elation. His voice was a bit watery as my hearing began to crispen.

"Aaron…what…?"

"Hush, lassie. Easy does it; we're taking care of you," Aaron advised softly, holding a finger to my lips. My attention was soon drawn to Shephard, who was kneeling to the other side of me and administering a syringe to my left arm. I would have otherwise jumped at the sight, but I was currently too drowsy to do much else but watch curiously.

As my senses roused in the wake of my consciousness, the flaming sensation in my abdomen returned once more, and it made me wriggle with discomfort. Aaron held my head as I hissed from it. "Hey, hey, you're fine; we're giving you more meds," he reassured me with a calm neutering voice as he steadied me. "You must've opened some sensitive wounds back up when you took that chopper down."

Aaron had already been aware of my injury shortly after reuniting, for the conspicuous amount of blood all over my suit was rather hard to gloss over. It had not been a hindrance to me since I was dosed the first time in that crawlspace, but I supposed that exerting myself as intensely as I did bring the chopper down may have opened the wounds back up. It certainly smelled fresher; open wounds are a foul graze of the olfactive senses, but that might have been because my nose was stronger than a human's. Even still, Shephard wouldn't be bothered by it either way thanks to that mask of his.

And speaking of Shephard, he had finished up dosing me with another helpful shot of medicine, and I was already feeling a little better as the fire on my abdominal muscles began to numb pleasantly. "Thank you, boys. I appreciate this…"

"Save it, we're still not done yet," Shephard said, throwing the empty shot aside. "But…no problem."

Shephard turned to look behind him, inadvertently drawing my attention to Nuri, who was at a Combine terminal monitor in this strange room. "They don't sound too happy outside, man," Shephard noted amongst muffled commotion coming from somewhere outside this room. "How long can you hold them back?"

"I'm not sure, Corporal!" Nuri called back in great fright, keeping his eyes fixed squarely on the monitor as he frantically operated the console. "They're gonna give up trying to bypass my lock soon enough, and that's when they break the doors down!"

"Then we better get going. We're too damn close to give up now," Shephard declared, getting up on both feet as he motioned over to retrieve something on one end of the room.

"Where are we…?" I blinked, looking around more studiously than before.

"Inside the tower; the bottom part of it, anyway," Aaron informed, still holding me. "We mowed down the welcoming committee. We caught a nice break in here, but backup's been trying to barge its way inside and Nuri can't keep them out forever."

I began to notice all the bodies lying around. There was even the body of a soldier close to me, and I could see that it was missing a quarter of its masked face, where an uncomfortable amount of inner wiring and damp flesh could be seen. Such a sight repulsed me enough to try and rise to a stand.

"Then what are we waiting for? We must get to the top level," I prompted, grunting as I got to my knees with Aaron's supportive hands. I could sense his thoughts; he wanted to argue with me that I was too hurt to leap into danger again, but he knew it was fruitless and didn't say anything of the sort. Only concerned nudging.

"You feeling up for it, lassie?" he asked.

"Always am," I nodded with a pained smile.

"I should hope so," Shephard said as he reapproached us. "I ran outta mags for my gun a while ago. I'm gonna have to learn how to use this space-age thing in the field."

He was now brandishing a Combine pulse rifle in his hands. He was keenly inspecting the unfamiliar design and was evidently still miffed by it. Hal found his reluctance amusing.

"It's only an AR2, son; no harder to operate like that old Hech 'n Koch you've been carrying around," he chuffed dryly as he sat against the wall, looking quite done with the whole situation―apathetic to the violent commotion festering outside. I was able to sense as much coming from him.

Shephard looked over at him incredulously. "I should hope so, gramps. I kinda need a good gun right now."

"Oh, it's more than good," Hal added with a dreary nod. "You ever play racket ball?"

Shephard knitted his brows at the question. "Sure…?"

"Good. Press the alt fire whenever you wanna see the ball make things disappear…"

As morbid as that suggestion sounded, Aaron was apparently tickled by Shephard's nickname for his friend. "Hah, 'gramps'. Guess that makes you older than me now, huh buddy?"

"Hah…Hah…" Hal said emotionlessly leaning his head against the wall.

"Fellas? The lift? It's waiting for Pete's sake!" Nuri called urgently for the plan to continue. A few brisk bangs against the sealed doors made all of us jump, all except for Hal, who just sat there with his eyes closed, trying to block everything out. Shephard, being the man of action he was, looked down at the floor near my feet. I had not realised my deployed staff was lying there until Shephard rolled up onto the edge of his boot before kicking it up in the air and catching it in his hand. An impressive trick, no one could argue.

He then stepped over and offered it to me. "Ready to move, Blue Stuff?"

I nearly gasped. That was Falco's nickname for me. An uncanny occurrence, but I took it as a cosmic sign.

Smiling, more out of fondness than it was out of determination, I reached out my hand and took my staff before using it as support to get me back on my feet.