“Quoppi!”

Varyna knew her squadmate couldn’t hear her, but she shouted anyway, tugging on his arm. He jolted at the movement and turned to look at her.

“We need to move!” Varyna pulled the Nemarian off the couch and onto the glittering floor tiles just as a laser bolt shot over their heads.

Varyna looked up, grasping for her weapon that was no longer there. Blast. They must have known from the start. The Human guard was moving to block the door while the Nemarian guard was taking aim again. Quoppi trembled as he lay splatted on the floor, no intention of returning fire or taking cover. He was good at diplomacy, great at following orders, incredible at deduction... but terrible in action.

Blast it all!! Varyna looped one arm around her companion’s waist and shoved her other hand down his left boot. She had now gone way beyond ‘too close’ to her squadmate, but she didn’t have time to feel awkward as she groped around his scaly ankle for the pistol hidden there. Once she finally found it, she fired a bolt at the Nemarian guard and pushed off the floor to a standing position, Quoppi in tow.

The Human guard was already in front of the door, gun raised. The two Nemarians on the couch had also produced pistols, and one of them was moving to join the Human while the other spread protectively in front of The Whale. From the back, the Nemarian guard prepared to take another shot.

Varyna gritted her teeth and shoved Quoppi behind the couch before diving there herself. Now only the Nemarian with a pistol and Human guard had them in view. A laser bolt blew past her head and into the couch, and she returned one of her own which fizzled uselessly against the door. Her gun was no use. They were close enough that the next shots wouldn’t miss.

With nothing else to do, she flipped around, pressing her feet against the sofa. Luckily, it was heavy enough that it didn’t budge as she pushed against it and sent herself careening toward the enemies by the door. They sidestepped, and she slammed into the door. Ignoring the pain shooting through her knees and shoulders, she used the momentum from her crash to tackle the Human. She was able to easily throw him off balance, the one good thing about water, and tried to snatch his gun from his hands.

Unfortunately, the Human recovered quickly. He grabbed the wrist of her hand that was holding Quoppi’s pistol and then turned, pulling her over his shoulder before she could latch onto his weapon. She flailed through the water, coming to a stop when her back thumped into the man’s chest. He immediately hooked an elbow under her chin and pressed his blaster against her head.

This can’t be how I die. Varyna squirmed as the thick arm closed tightly around her neck. She couldn’t shrug him off, and she couldn’t shoot him. The moment she raised her pistol, there’d be a laser bolt through her brain. Fortunately, she only had a moment to debate whether it was worth the risk of trying to pull her trigger first when something came barreling into the both of them, sending them sailing. Varyna spun in the water while the Human flailed his arms trying to stop himself. She didn’t have a clear shot, but she fired the pistol anyway and managed to hit the man’s shoulder. Red blood immediately began seeping out into the water. It started to turn brown as it mixed with green blood already coloring the water.

Wait, green blood? Varyna sunk to the floor and crouched down as the Human flew over her, clutching at his shoulder. When he was gone, she could see where the non-Human blood was coming from. Quoppi, still trembling, was holding a pistol while the Nemarian who had been guarding the door floated listlessly nearby.

The other Nemarians started to move. Quoppi and Varyna exchanged a single glance before each launching themselves toward the door. They had just swam into the hall and slammed the door shut behind them when a barrage of laser bolts erupted on the other side. As Varyna sat panting, her back against the door, she could hear the bolts fizzling against it from the inside.

Quoppi had slumped down against the opposite wall, his entire body shaking violently. But they didn’t have time to relax. A quick scan of the hall revealed that Faren and the Nemarian in the blue suit were gone. There’s no way Faren would have let himself get dragged away from that door unless it was life or death, so Varyna doubted he was just down at the bar having a drink. (Not that he could drink anything though his air converter anyway.)

Regardless of what was waiting for them, they had to get to the bottom floor to get out. And there was only one tube that led there. Varyna waved to Quoppi and paddled as fast as she could toward the tube. Quoppi joined her, a distant look in his eyes as he matched her pace. Varyna wished she still had a comm unit to yell at him to just go and get through the tube.

They were only halfway there when laser bolts came chasing after them. Varyna turned to face them, keeping her feet stretched out in front and kicking wildly to keep propelling her to the tube. The Nemarian guard and Human guard were both on the chase. Even with his injured shoulder, the Human swam toward them at an alarming speed.

Varyna shot a few bolts at them, but none made contact with her targets. And they were gaining quickly. Just go, Quoppi! She mentally willed her partner to collect himself and get out of there. If he was going to hang back with her, he could at least use that pistol to help return fire.

Just as another laser bolt blew past her ear, Varyna felt something latch onto the back of her wetsuit. And soon, she was speeding through the water.

“Quoppi!” She grinned as she looked up to see the Nemarian swimming at full speed, towing her along. In a matter of seconds, they reached the tube and plunged toward the first floor. Quoppi continued dragging Varyna. Under any other circumstances, she would have punched him, but right now, she was grateful.

They left the Human guard far behind, but the Nemarian guard was still hot on their trail. Unfortunately for him, Varyna could now use both hands to steady her aim, and she landed a bolt right through his chest. His body floated at the top of the tube in swirls of green blood, growing smaller and smaller with each of Quoppi’s powerful strokes.

When they finally reached the safety of the lounge, Quoppi finally released Varyna. She patted him on the back and mouthed ‘good work!’ as they headed toward the waterlock.

Everything seemed like business as usual on the ground floor. Nemarians still sat around tables chatting with a crowd bobbing up and down on the dance floor. It made Varyna wonder, where was Faren? As they continued toward their goal, drawing a few glances from the table-sitters, Varyna tried to shake the anxiety that they had left their Squad Leader behind up there.

What if he had been dragged into a different room and was still fighting his way out? Quoppi would have heard something.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

What if he was being held hostage? The best way we could help is by calling an extraction team, not busting in with two pistols and minimal fighting experience.

What if he was already dead? … Don’t think about it.

Varyna swallowed heavily. The waterlock was in sight now, and there was no sign of commotion behind them. They were almost there. Almost-

BEEEEEEP!!!!

An alarm loud enough Varyna could hear it blared throughout the room twice, and the colorful lights suddenly started flashing red. Thick shutters closed across all three waterlocks, blocking any escape. The Nemarians around them seemed mostly unbothered by the commotion. Given the black market dealings happening frequently at this place, the guests were probably used to this situation.

“What do we do now?” Varyna cried desperately, though she knew Quoppi couldn’t hear her question. Quoppi was still pretty shaken, but he had enough sense left to point to the bar counter and motion for Varyna to follow, as if answering the question he couldn’t have possibly heard.

The counter was hexagon-shaped with smooth glowing edges. Half faced the lounge, and half faced the dance floor, so the bartenders could easily serve all the guests. Varyna and Quoppi approached from the lounge side, hiding their pistols and trying to look as unassuming as possible.

Only a single tender stood behind the bar, and he eyed them suspiciously. Quoppi began speaking to him, and Varyna desperately wished for their comm units. What was he saying? Was the bartender buying it? Waiting and trusting everything to her squadmate was torture.

After a short while, the bartender started shaking his head and waving them away. Varyna didn’t need a comm unit to know he had refused whatever Quoppi asked of him. Ugh we don’t have time for this. She raised her pistol and pointed it at the Nemarian’s head. He froze and raised his hands.

Keeping her gun aimed squarely at the tender’s forehead, Varyna leapt over the bar counter and crouched down on the other side. Quoppi hesitated but soon followed suit. And not a moment too soon. A quick peek over the counter revealed that at least five armed Nemarian guards had entered the lounge from the tube. Varyna ducked back down and pressed back against the bar shelves, bringing her knees to her chest.

The bartender stood motionlessly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the pistol barrel aimed at him from below. Quoppi had gotten his gun out again as well and clutched it in both hands with his head lowered.

Each breath felt like an eternity as the two COPS sat behind the bar in the flashing red light. The Nemarians on the right continued dancing, their mood unsoured by the sudden lighting change. The lounge guests continued chatting and nursing drinks through thick white straws. And the five guards combed the area thoroughly.

When they’d checked under every table and behind every ribbon-like plant, they at last approached the bar. Tiny bubbles escaped the bartender’s gills as he conversed with the guards. Varyna tightened her finger around the trigger of her pistol. He wouldn’t give them away. Not if he valued his life.

The conversation went on for too long. It had been more than enough time for the bartender to send the guards on their way to the dance floor to continue their search. And his eyes continuously wandered down to Varyna. She risked a glance at Quoppi. He was looking at her with terror in his eyes. With a trembling hand, he motioned above the counter and then the bartender. Then he raised two webbed fingers and tapped them on his opposite wrist. It was a universal sign that all COPS knew.

Danger. Get out now.

“Blast!” Varyna huffed and swung her pistol to the right. She aimed carefully and fired two shots. Both hit the big spinning crystal above the dance floor, and it shattered into pieces.

The crystal pieces were heavy, and they sank quickly, raining down on top of the dancers as they tried to evacuate the floor in a panic. The red lights disappeared with the crystal, leaving that side of the room in near darkness. Perfect.

The guards were already clambering over the counter, just in time to see Varyna and Quoppi dive over the other side and into the dark chaos of the dance area.

Varyna clung to Quoppi’s hand as she bounced around between panicked Nemarians. She couldn’t see where she was going, but she continued heading farther and farther into the blackness. She needed a plan. They couldn’t hide forever; it was only a matter of time before a backup crystal restored the lights.

She was desperately thinking of her next move, still pushing through the unruly crowd, when she felt a tug. Quoppi wasn’t listlessly following anymore; he was trying to pull her in a new direction. Right. Quoppi is smart. He’ll have a plan. But as the Nemarin led her up toward the ceiling and away from the safety of the crowd, Varyna began to doubt him.

He took them to the remnants of the hanging crystal, and, using both his legs and arms, pulled on it with all his might. Varyna had no idea what he was doing, but she wrapped herself around it likewise and also pulled. Finally, it broke free, a long trail of glowing lines coming out with it.

Quoppi grabbed his pistol and raised it. Oh, are we shooting them? Varyna aimed her gun at the lines only to be stopped by an orange webbed hand. Quoppi shook his head at her (and she could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes) and then took her gun. He opened the chamber on both weapons and took a crystal out of each. Then he ripped two of the glowing lines free and attached one to each of the gun chambers. He passed Varyna’s gun back to her and then began firing his own against one of the walls nearby.

“Oh, I get it,” Varyna thought to herself. “Quoppi’s finally gone crazy.” Because she couldn’t think of a single other reason her companion would have for replacing the light she just destroyed with a perfect signal of lasers to lead the guards right to them. Still, she joined him in shooting the wall.

They fired shot after shot. The guns began to heat in their hands, but still they kept shooting. Eventually the wall started to bend where they’d been shooting. But the guards were fast approaching. The crowd, which had gone even crazier with the laser bolts flying over their heads, managed to slow them down, but they’d be on top of Varyna and Quoppi before the laser bolts did anything significant to the wall.

Quoppi reached up and grabbed another glowing line, plugging it into his gun. His gun was glowing red now. It had to be burning his scales, but he continued firing anyway. After only ten shots with his now double-plugged gun, the wall finally gave. It was only a small hole that appeared, but it created a suction that dragged everyone and everything violently toward it.

Varyna and Quoppi were no exception. Varyna gasped as she was pulled toward the wall. She tried to fight the current, but her weak Human limbs were useless. Quoppi came up alongside her and guided them both to another spot on the wall. Together they clawed at anything the current hadn’t sucked away—tables attached to the floor, decorative ridges along the wall, fixtures attached to the ceiling—and eventually made their way to the waterlocks.

Varyna hadn’t noticed, but the shutters had receded, freeing the doors. So that was Quoppi’s plan. He must have realized the building would have a failsafe that freed the waterlocks in a state of emergency. Two of the locks were already in use, but they managed to slide into the third lock just as the doors were closing. Crammed between fearful Nemarians dressed in their best party wear, they waited for the water to drain. As soon as it finished and the lobby doors slid open, everyone ran out and headed for the main doors.

Varyna coughed, ripping her air converter off as she ran with the crowd. The moment she stepped outside to freedom, she sank into water up to her ankle. The street had turned into a river thanks to a stream of water pouring out from the side of the building like a fountain.

“Quoppi…” Varyna paused in the middle of the street, eyeing the pandemonium around them. “We made a mess.”

A voice that definitely wasn’t Quoppi’s startled her from behind.

“You certainly did.”