“Fuck. Guardians. All along this corridor. Stral, take a team, go back down and see if there are any other entrances to the floor we can use,” a Guardian on the screen ordered, his face illuminated by the red alarm light that was flashing through the door.

Another Guardian gestured for five fighters to follow them and raced back down the stair.

“Hulo, what’s the situation?” Aquila asked.

“Well, we’ve found where the Guardians are. Nuutralo entered first and they fired immediately. We can’t see much from her helmet but they don’t appear to be approaching.”

“Is Nuutralo downed?”

“Their vital signs have stopped transmitting.”

I glanced at Fornax who was sadly watching the screen. She met my eyes and shook her head slightly.

A heavy sadness settled in my heart. I didn’t know Nuutralo, she’d been on Nova since before I even got to Freo.

“How many Guardians are there?” Aquila asked someone in the command centre.

“From what we can see on Nuutralo’s helmet, there seem to be a lot. They have shields up but I estimate at least twenty,” a voice said from somewhere in the room.

Fornax fiddled with her screen, pulling up Nuutralo’s stream.

I wasn’t prepared for it. Blood slicked the floor in front of the camera, reflecting the flashing red light dully. A drone lay just in front of her, flashing wildly. My fists clenched as I stared down the corridor. I recognised it. I could almost feel the cold linoleum floor under my feet now.

That’s around the back of where we were held, isn’t it? I asked, unable to take my eyes off the blood on the screen.

Yeah. The Guardian’s showers aren’t far from there, right? Cas confirmed.

I think so. Can you remember anything that might be helpful? I thought, glancing at my crew’s tight faces.

Gem’s eyebrows came together as she thought hard.

I don’t know. I wasn’t there for long enough. Fuck, we need Peggy here! Her damn memory would be so useful! she cried in frustration.

I know. Does anyone remember anything?

I wracked my brain as hard as I could.

Wait… Isn’t there a lift near there? I think I went up it on the way back from the medBay but I might be wrong, Cory thought quietly.

A slither of hope went through me.

Yes! There is, right? It should be just behind all those fucking Guardians, shouldn’t it? I asked.

Yes! Is it on the map, I don’t see it? Cas asked, scanning the screen.

“Fornax, can I check something on your map?” I asked quickly, trying to ignore the patter of gunfire from the screens as our Guardians sent out another drone.

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she handed the screen over.

I scrolled through the map, trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t there.

Is there any reason it wouldn’t be on this map? I asked, needing to make sure before I said anything.

Not that I can think of. Elliot said our Guardians haven’t been assigned to that floor though. Maybe, they just missed it, Cas suggested.

I nodded. That would make sense.

“Fornax, I have an idea.”

She turned to me. I could see the weight of the life already lost in her eyes.

“What?”

“Our fighters missed something. There’s another lift there. It’s right behind the other Guardians.”

She stared at me for a long time before speaking.

“I need you to be completely sure of this, is it definitely there? And functional?”

“Yes. I checked with my crew. Cory rode in it up from the medical bay.”

Fornax didn’t respond instead, she took the screen from my hands.

“Aquila, Crew Seven Six One say our fighters missed something on the map. An elevator that should open up just behind the Guardians.”

Aquila froze.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes! It comes up from the medical bay, I don’t know about any of the other floors,” I answered quickly.

“Do you know what floor the medical bay is on?”

I glanced at Cory whose face was scrunched up in concentration.

I don’t know, he admitted after a pause, frustration evident in his voice.

“We aren’t sure.”

“If we sent you the layouts of the medBay, would you be able to remember it?” Chal asked.

Cory nodded at me but his eyes were uncertain.

“Yes, send them over!”

Fornax held her screen out to me and I raced it over to Cory.

He took it, his hands trembling slightly.

Fuck, why are there four medBays in one building? he thought with a groan.

“Captain, what are your orders?” the Guardian from Team Three asked.

“Hold! We may be changing the plan. Team One, what is your status?” Aquila commanded.

“We’re approaching the seventeenth floor,” a slightly out of breath reply came.

Aquila nodded on the screen and Team One continued climbing up the stairs.

“Teams Two and Three, do you have another drone you can send in? I don’t want it shooting, that might spur the Guardians into action, just keep them occupied.”

“We can do that.”

The Guardians began unpacking another drone from someone’s back. It was fairly long and flat with four arms with propellers on the end that snapped into place with a loud click.

Cory, what have you got? I asked, watching worriedly as they prepared the drone.

I hated sitting in that ship watching the fight. It felt wrong. I felt useless. There was nothing we could do. My leg bounced and my hands twitched as I fought not to leap up and bring the ship down to Nova. I know we could have done more if we were on the ground.

I don’t know. I’ve ruled out one of the bays, it seems to be the Councillors private one, but I don’t know about the other three, Cory sent back, his voice sharp with frustration.

Cory, give me the screen, Gem requested quietly.

Cory shot her a confused look before standing and giving it to her.

Okay, close your eyes. Think back to when you went to the medBay. Do you remember the journey from your room? her gentle voice continued.

No. I was basically delirious with sepsis, he growled.

Gem bit her lip, concern flooding her face, not at the way he was talking, she knew that was self-directed anger, but at the fact he’d had sepsis and not told us.

That’s okay. Do you remember anything from the journey? Try and picture it.

Cory’s head thumped back against the headrest of his chair and pushed his palms into his eyes.

Sudden gunshots from the holos stole my attention away from Cory and I scanned the screens, checking for any more injuries.

“It was just the drone, everyone’s fine,” Fornax said quietly.

“Did you get a good picture from the drone, Captain? Can you tell us what we’re looking at?” the Guardian on the screen asked.

I drowned it out, looking back at Cory who was staring wide-eyed at the screen.

Cory, think back to the journey, Gem prompted.

He met her eyes before nodding and swallowing audibly. He closed his eyes again.

I remember turning… He glanced down at his hands, holding up an L-sign with his fingers to check, right at some point?

Keep going. What did you see when you first went into the medBay?

Cory thumped his head back loudly, an annoyed sigh slipping out of his mouth.

I don’t know. There was a station by the door. On the right side. No, left. There were… four medBots. No individual rooms that I could see.

Gem tapped the screen and I glanced back at the holoscreens just in time to see Team One sneaking down another corridor.

Do you remember the shape of the room? Was it long and thin, curved to one side, L-shaped? Gem’s voice came again.

L shaped, I think. Could have been rectangular though, Cory thought back.

Gem frowned.

Do you remember how many beds there were?

Cory’s lips moved silently as he counted.

Eight, I think, maybe ten?

“Got it. I’m pretty sure it’s the second one. Does this look like it?” Gem asked, climbing out of her chair and holding out the screen to Cory.

He scanned it quickly.

“Yes! It’s that one, I’m sure.”

Gem whirled around.

“Aquila, the medBay is on the nineteenth floor! I’ve circled on the map where I think the lift might be,” Gem called, handing the screen back to Fornax and sitting back in her chair.

She grinned at Cory.

We make a pretty good team, huh? she told him.

Who’d have thought it? he sent back with a small smile.

“Alright. Team Two, send a team of three down to floor nineteen. Take grenades and smoke bombs. Head towards the area circled on the map. You’re looking for an elevator,” Aquila commanded.

“Okay, you, you and you. You heard the Captain. Have you got enough weapons?” the Guardian on the screen said.

The Guardians patted themselves down, checking for weapons before nodding.

“Alright, get going. Let us know when you’re in position.”

The Guardians turned and bustled down the stairs.

“Send another team to come up the main elevators. I know this is risky but once everyone is in position we need to attack them from all sides,” Aquila ordered.

“The main elevator is located in the corridor where Peggy is being held, it’s too dangerous,” Andy objected, his face conflicted.

“It’s necessary. The Guardians appear to be clustered on this floor, we can’t give them the opportunity to withdraw or to call for reinforcement. We need to cut them off.”

I watched their argument silently, trying not the think about how terrified Peggy must be. She was scared of the Guardians, she always had been. She’d told us a little bit about it before. When she was a kid, people called the Guardians on her parents all the time and the Guardians always acted brutally.

I still remember how much her voice shook as she told us about the time she hid under her bed whilst the Guardians beat her parents in her room. Someone had called the Guardians because they’d heard Peggy screaming. Her parents always turned on her when they were going through withdrawal. She thought it was her fault. She thought they had to act that way to deal with withdrawal and that the Guardians were acting unnecessarily.

I’m sure they were being unnecessarily brutal but even so, it must have been horrible for her to deal with. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for her to call the Guardians when her parents overdosed.

This is going to work, right? They wouldn’t actually risk Peggy… would they? Gem asked, her teeth buried deep in her lip.

“Pegasus is the priority here. Everyone must be aware of this.” Andy’s voice was harder than I’d ever heard before.

“Understood,” chorused back through the comms and a breath of relief slipped out of me.

On the screen, I saw Elliot place his hand on Andy’s balled fist.

It has to work.