Zuri stumbled forward as the dart hit the wall and shattered. She cringed back again as a bang sounded and chips of stone rained down on her from the roof. The battle had begun.

Rex looked at the girl, once again against the wall, crouched with her walking stick held up in defence. He knew she had been lucky, she had run out into the corridor just as he had shot; he had pulled it up, hit the roof instead, but it had been close. Now the real fighting would start, hopefully the girl, Zuri, would keep out of the way.

Praetus opened his eyes as the gun shot rang. The scene before him was literally a shambles. Zuri was crouched in a pool of blue chemicals, fear and confusion plastered on her face. And over her was a fine layer of stone dust. Try as he might Praetus could not make sense of the jumble before him or what the soldier had had in mind when he shot. A tentacle shot out – whether under its own control or his, he did not know. As the first tentacle wrapped itself around Rex's wrist a second shot forward, grabbing the rifle and bending the barrel in its coils as it tore it from the soldiers grip.

All Rex knew for a while was horrible pain in his wrist, crushing pain. When his gun was wrenched from his grip though he came back to reality, focussing on the fight at hand. A small object clattered to a halt by his feet and he instinctively picked it up. It was a small dagger, the blade roughly eight inches, the plain hilt of a medieval design. He looked towards Zuri, she nodded, seeming more confident then before.

The struggle that followed was short but harsh. Both Praetus and Rex struggled for possession of the knife. They seemed evenly matched, or more accurately the mutant arm and Rex were evenly matched. It cannot be know who would of won had it not been for Zuri.

Zuri watched the two combatants. She knew she could decide which one won, but which should she choose. The odd man with the demon arm or the strong soldier with the inconceivable weapon? She took a deep breath and made her choice.

Rex's brain was fogged with pain, but still he pushed on, striving to plunge the knife into his opponent. He heard a thump and the tentacles began to loosen. He drove the knife into the scientist's heart.

Zuri heaved a sigh and hoped her choice had been for the best.

Rex watched the body of the scientist as the tentacles' death throws died down. He looked up at Zuri and saw not the weak innocent girl of before, but a confident women. Her face seemed blank of emotion.

Zuri looked at the hilt of her dagger; she did not have enough of them to leave this one, but she felt some guilt over the man's death. Never had she killed before, and now she no longer knew whether she had killed or not. She took a deep breath.

“So, are you going to get my dagger back or will I have to?” She said firmly.

Rex was startled, with that statement it become clear; Zuri was not only a strong-willed woman but a trained fighter. It made sense really, How else would she have gotten this far?

Zuri raised an eyebrow at the silent soldier, “I guess I am getting it then.”

She reached forward, trying to pretend it was like any other dead body, but it wasn't, she had killed this one. She yanked the dagger out and cleaned it clumsily on Praetus's clothing. Zuri then forced her eyes away from the dead scientist focussing again on Rex.

“It can't be left here.” She said softly, “You're to dangerous to leave behind.”