Ch. 16 Rescue in the Ruins

[Jet]

Jody watched as Stark took the plasma shot. She thought she saw the flash of an energy shield, and that must have been the case since Stark appeared alright, apart from the impact knocking him down. He wasn't finished though, raising his arm and firing a missile at the ceiling and causing another collapse before rocketing to safety. Jody was relieved that she wouldn't have to fight the big Arcadian, she had been about to charge him with her sword and hopefully create an opening for her allies, but running was much better.

There was a staircase ahead, and at the top there was a doorway with light steaming through it. The resistance members charged up the staircase as fast as they were able, Jody moving a bit slower to assist one of her more injured allies. Ahead of them however the doorway was disappearing, the opening streaming light got smaller and smaller. When they reached the top it was almost completely closed, and since the bottom was lined with spikes no one wanted to risk rolling under and being impaled Jody pounded her fist against the wall in frustration, they were trapped again, and it wouldn't take long before the big Arcadian shifted the stone and came after them again.

But their fortunes shifted again, a slim ray of light crept into the stairway getting wider and wider. The wall was raising back up! Jody dropped to her knees and peered cautiously through the doorway, it was not just a door or a wall but the entire ceiling of the next room, lined with spikes and moving up and down on a slow, deliberate cycle. The room itself was wide open, maybe 200 yards across. Jody heard an explosion and a crash behind them, they didn't have much time. Still on her knees she slipped into the room as the ceiling continued its ascension, motioning for her allies to follow. She hoped everyone was ready to sprint.

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Ultros growled in frustration, once again finding his path blocked by a cave in. He stepped back and fired a charged blast of plasma, along with two missiles to weaken the rubble. Then he took a step back and began glowing once more with a golden aura, flying through the rubble with another Nova Strike.

By this point his quarry had gone, but there was only one path for them to take. Ultros charged up the stairs and into the next room where he spied the resistance forces halfway across the space. He dashed forward and flew into another Nova Strike to close the distance and eliminate the resistance scum.