Snapshot ran along the wall as panic snaked up his spine. He had been watching Shrapnel place the charges while keeping a lookout around him to make sure no other sentries appeared when he saw a large shadow drop from the roof. The thing knocked Shrapnel to the ground, and Snapshot could have sworn that it looked like Charlie, only deformed.

They got her! Fear swallowed him up as he realized he'd never make it in time. As the demon lifted it's maw and came down over Shrapnel, it's wings swarmed around them, and Shrapnel's screams were cut off.

"No!" Snapshot pulled his sidearm and emptied the clip as he ran, but the demon had sensed him and flung itself into the air and back over the top of the roof, disappearing from sight.

Without pause, Snapshot finished closing the distance and slid on his knees the last few feet to grab Shrapnel. He looked down, afraid of what he'd find, and gasped. Stuck in the side of Shrapnel's neck was one of Charlie's tranquilizer darts. Snapshot lowered his head, pressing his ear to Shrapnel's chest, and let out a cry of joy. He was alive. I don't know what you're up to, Charlie, but I hope you're okay!

Snapshot sniffled as he sat back on his haunches and pulled Shrapnel into his lap. He gave him a once-over and noticed his one leg was ripped and blood was seeping out. Quickly, Snapshot went to work to wrap the wound and then looked around, saw a Jeep, and picked Shrapnel up. He moved him to the back of the Jeep, set him inside, closed the door, and went back to the side wall. There, he found the detonator device lying on the ground and picked it up.

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll finish this!" Snapshot clicked his com and chose not to burden them with the fact that Charlie had been bound or that Shrapnel was injured. "Brute. Panther. We're ready."

—

"What do we do?" Panther asked again as she listened to the cries of the children on the other side of the door.

"I don't know." Real fear coated Brute's voice. "Even if we can pull some of them out, they won't all come. The kids are at risk."

"Brute. Panther. We're ready." Snapshot's voice came over Brute's com.

"Ready with the exit hole?" Brute's eyes lit up.

"Yup! Just say the word!" Snapshot's voice quavered.

"Is everything okay out there?" Panther caught it.

"Hunky-dory! Come on! Let's finish this!"

Brute scratched at his chin and said, "Panther. I'm going to knock on the door and get at least a couple to come my way. You do the same at the same time. Snapshot, two seconds after we do; blow the wall!"

"I don't like it."

"Give me a better idea, Lisa!" Brute growled, his fear and anger mixed to the point where he lost control with Panther.

She sighed. "I don't have one."

"Then we're doing this!" Brute stepped out of his hiding spot and stomped up to the door, not at all worried about the sounds he was making.

Panther moved to her door and waited. In a moment, she heard loud thumping from the far end of the room, and the men reacted. She copied Brute, thumped hard on her door, and then stepped back and to the side, drawing her firearm. As she was doing so, Shrapnel's bomb again shook the compound.

The mix of distractions startled the men, and Patch ordered the rest to go to the two doors while he stayed back, his weapon drawn on the Curly-Hair, warning the others to be quiet or she'd be the first to die. Curly-Hair flipped him the finger.

In the next couple of moments, multiple events happened. As the men reached the one door, Brute burst through and grabbed the first sentry, ripping him—screaming—through the door and breaking his neck. Two others fired through the door but jumped as the far end door on the other side burst open and Panther entered the room, hitting the first man with a fist to his nose, which shattered on impact, and she grabbed another and dragged him from the room. His screams did not last. The rest split up and went through the two doors, but in the end, they were no match for what was outside the doors, and Patch—the last, now shaken—turned and aimed his weapon at the large man that came through the door.

"Halt!" Patch shouted. "Don't fucking move. Where are my men?"

"Taking dirt naps," Brute smirked.

"If they're lucky," Panther's voice startled Patch, who turned to aim his gun at her.

"I said don't move!" Patch went for his walkie-talkie to call Bible for orders when two hands grabbed his collar from inside the cage and yanked him hard against the metal bars. His head smacked hard enough to knock him silly, and he groaned before his head was brought back against the steel post yet again, and this time it cracked his skull and he fell.

"Wow." Brute mused.

"Fucking pig!" Curly-Hair spat on Patch through the bars, then looked at the two and said, "Why is everyone gawking?. Get us the fuck out of here!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Brute came up to the cage door and looked around. "Who had the key?"

"It was on one of them you took out through your door." Curly-Hair pointed behind Brute.

"It'll take too long to search." Brute sized up the door, slipped his hands around the bars, and yanked with every muscle in his body. Curly-Hair whistled with admiration as the hinges broke and the door came off in his hands. Brute threw it to the side. "Come on, get the kids, and let's go."

Curly-Hair turned and waved the kids forward. "Come on, it's safe!" The kids immediately listened, having come to trust her. As she hustled them out, Brute went to the other cage and broke that door as well.

Panther stepped over to help the second group of kids, and had them all line up near the door leading upstairs to the escape route. She looked at Curly-Hair, who was checking on each kid in turn and showing real leadership. Panther nodded to her and then the door. "Follow behind me and lead them out. Brute will follow last."

Curly-Hair turned to Brute, eyeing his sidepiece. "Give me your gun."

"What?" Brute stopped short.

"Your piece. Your Sig P320. If I'm going to lead, I'm not doing it unarmed."

Brute pulled the gun from his holster. "You know your guns?"

"My brother. Taught me street smarts, weapons, and how to take care of myself." She took the gun and released the clip, inspected the ammo, and slapped the clip back in firmly. "And not let pricks like this fuck with me!"

Brute looked down at Patch, whom she'd slammed against the cell's bars, taking him out. "You certainly can." He looked up with a grin. "What's your name, kid?"

Having turned to get to the front of the group, Curly-Hair leaned down, kissed the little girl she'd taken care of earlier on the forehead, and whispered that everything was going to be okay now. She then looked up to Brute, her hazel eyes sharp and serious, and answered, "Molly."

Brute picked up the soldier's rifle, checked it, and grinned at her. "Well, then, Molly. Panther. Lead us out!"