Two Steps from Hell {Dutch, Otter}

The Republic transport Herrier's Touch snapped out of hyperspace. It's viewport shield slid back to reveal the red glow that surrounded their destination. Labyrinth- ominous as ever floated in the dead of space, just barely rotating. Levin's piercing green eyes stared straight at it, and his stomach churned. That place as filled with literally the worst of the worst, exactly the type of filth Lev worked day in and day out to either smite or remove. A prison break had occurred- which was normally something Lev would not be utilized to help with. However, one of the Order's Sage Masters had discovered something worse than a mere prison break. The Jedi rarely ever went near Labyrinth, but it was known the Force was ragged and scarred there. However, something recently had rendered it asunder, a gaping rift of the Darkside oozed into and around the station. That would not stay open.

"Knight Caelum, sensors pick up a mass of life forms are clogging the LZ. Is Knight Nemsee there?"

The pilot spoke and turned his gaze up to Lev who was standing right next to him. The Jedi closed his eyes and reached forward with the Force. All around the station, tentacles of evil snaked up and down the station, and the minute Lev reached towards it a few snapped and whipped towards the ship. Levin's eyes snapped open and his right hand thrust forward, almost as if to push the taint back. His hand lowered and he looked down at the pilot.

"No, Jaron Kurt, the Darkness is too thick around this place already. The tear itself is deep inside the station... and is guarding itself from the Force- there is no way for me to sense if Locke Nemsee is even alive at this time."

Jaron looked at Lev with a bemused expression, which Levin returned with what could only be called a blank stare. The pilot peered closer to the station and nodded.

"Alright, I ain't gonna risk the Touch in a crowded LZ- there's a maintenance platform on the opposite side of Labyrinth I can dock with momentarily, but after that, I'm pullin' out to keep the ship safe. From my reports, it's just two steps from Hell in there, be careful."

Levin nodded in agreement, and placed a hand on Jaron's shoulder. He let the Force flow off himself into the pilot, a shot of soothing energy would help keep Jaron relaxed. He turned away from the cockpit and moved to the docking bay where Aoife would be. Lev spied the vibrant purple mane of the Theelin. It had been almost seven weeks since the two first met on Metellos, and despite words of caution from the Order, had taken her under his care. She was a Spice addict, but had been getting better from routine Force treatments administered by Levin himself.

"Aoife Caaso, there has been an alteration to the plan. Locke Nemsee is unreachable, and Jaron has deemed the landing zone unsafe. We will be entering opposite to it, and hope to meet up with Knight Nemsee inside. Get ready, the Darkside is very prevalent in Labyrinth."

He nodded to the woman and turned to the wall near him. This would be unlike most missions a Jedi would take, no chance of diplomacy here- they needed to act fast, and quickly rain judgment on Labyrinth. And so, Levin's usual garb would be left folded on his cot on the Touch. His Healer's coat was hung up on a hook in the hangar- it would only impede him. Usually he wore looser clothing just out of habit, but today, he needed to be ready for action. A tight fitting black spandex shirt with no sleeves was on his torso. His normal loose fitting cotton pants were replaced by dark brown fatigues that were a bit snug, and happened to be the one article Aoife had grabbed for him for this mission. Next time, he'd have to be more watchful on what the feisty woman got him. The only article he kept from his usual garb were his black combat boots, which would work perfectly in this situation. And of course, Levin's right forearm had his lightsaber harness on it. Usually it was so he could hide the weapon from others, but this time, it was just easily accessible, and allowed Levin free movement.

The comm dinged, and signaled that the ship was in the process of docking with Labyrinth. A loud thud followed by a hiss signaled that they were docked, and Lev stepped towards the door. He spun the handle to open it, and the airlock hissed angrily as the stench of death, rot, and stale air wafted into the ship. It smelt exactly as it felt- heinous. Levin turned his gaze to Aoife for a second before he nodded and stepped out into the dim lit maintenance tunnel. From here, they would make their way across the station to find their comrade- Locke Nemsee.

Seven weeks. Seven weeks, two days, 12 hours since Aoife had started to clean up her life. Levin had been Force sent, of that she was certain because no one else would have put up with all the crap she’d put him through as he’d worked so hard to clean her up and get her off the spice she’d been lost to for over two years. It felt odd to be relatively healthy again. Her eyes weren’t bloodshot all the time anymore and she’d had more to eat in those seven weeks than she was pretty sure she had all of the year previous. As she stood waiting in the relative silence of the docking bay, Aoife looked down at her own form. She’d filled back out nicely to at least some extent, though the spice withdrawls were still making life difficult for her and Levin had said it would take quite a bit more effort before she would be back on her feet fully. Her hip bones were no longer visible though so that was a start at least. There had been a time toward the end when she’d been able to count her own ribs, after all, spice had been more important than food, but now she was at least capable of seeing some shadow of who she had once been when she looked in the mirror.

The nightmares were still bad and getting worse all the time though as the spice was no longer there to keep them at bay. Every now and then as part of the healing process, Levin would give her a very small dose of a much less potent spice than what she’d been on, just to help her body not tear itself apart as she came down gradually. Neutron Pixie was an extremely strong drug and she’d been doing it for quite some time; one didn’t simply stop taking Pixie cold if they wanted to survive. Those first few weeks had been the worst, the shakes, the vomiting, the need for the drug burning in her veins so bad some nights that Levin had been forced to hold her down to keep her from trying to claw it out from under her own skin, but she’d made it through in spite of herself. She’d never had made it this far without Levin at her side. He’d given her a second chance and she didn’t know yet where that would go, what it would lead to. She knew the Council now knew of her existence, Levin had told them about her when he’d taken her under his care, but she didn’t know where they stood on her still being free, not after all the people she’d killed.

Aoife stared hard at the black combat boots that wrapped around her feet as she thought. She’d dressed for the occasion like any sane person. It had been easier to afford new and more practical clothing once she was no longer spending every dime on spice and it helped that she had no qualms what so ever about using the Force to coerce the men at the bar to tip her more or the clothing salesman to give her one heck of a deal. The black boots she was sporting were her favorite accessory so far. They were laced up to just below her knees but the soles were flat and had rubber grips instead of the heels she had normally sported before. She had also donned a set of matte gray cargo pants instead of fatigues, deciding that the steel of the prison’s walls was flat enough to allow her to manage with something a little less busy. Pockets of varying sorts lined each leg and Aoife had carefully folded various useful items into each one. Flashlight, first aid kit in case the healer got hurt, folded knife, LED signal, and so on. Her saber was settled into a clip on her right hip and a heavy blaster was dangling from the thick leather belt hanging off her waist. Her brilliant hued hair had been swept up into a tight braid that ran the whole length of her head but she’d tucked the rest into a bun at the nape of her neck. The last thing she wanted was something an enemy could grab onto.

The mission they were embarking on was going to be dangerous, no doubt, and Aoife questioned her own sanity for a moment in agreeing to do this. Still, it was not only too late, she also knew she had no choice. She needed Levin. She wasn’t going to beat this addiction on her own. Of course, there was also the other fact that she didn’t want to admit to herself. She had begun to grow sweet on the older Jedi. He was devilishly handsome and she knew he had risked much to bring her as far as he had…not to mention he had a really nice behind. Aoife’s face broke out into a smile as she adjusted the mini-sleeve of her spandex black shirt. The clinging cloth had more than one use, not only would it keep people from grabbing their clothing by being close enough to the body to not provide purchase but it also would wick away moisture from their skin, keeping them from getting overheated in battle. Not to mention that it looked really good clinging to Levin’s chest. The smile on Aoife’s face became an outright grin as she place her hands on her hips and waited patiently. Her mind wandered from the past few weeks to where she’d rather be at that moment when she suddenly felt Levin’s presence heading in her direction.

It was hard not to sense Levin Caelum in the Force. He was a walking ball of white light to those that could feel him in the living energy of all things, it was hard not to notice him. Aoife didn’t turn around when he walked in, her gaze remaining on the door head of her. It would be twenty four more hours till she’d need another shot and she thought for a moment about telling Levin to just give it to her then but she knew that the timing on the doses had to be perfect to keep her on track for completely beating the addiction and she also knew she’d be a liability to Levin if she was high on anything. Aoife sighed and finally looked over at the man next to her as he started talking. It was so hard to force herself to stare at his face when the cloth of his shirt was clinging to him that way, still, his eyes were lovely enough for her to manage the feat regardless. Her lustful thoughts halted for a moment at Levin’s mention of Locke Nemsee though and her smile faltered a bit at the reminder. Locke was a fellow Investigator, one of the men she had once shared a profession with, and she had even met him a few times during her time as a padawan and then as a knight. He was a handsome, cocky, and humorous SOB and she had gotten along with him fairly well the few times they’d interacted…but that was before her fall.

Aoife’s mind churned with the thought of seeing an old colleague again. It was one thing for Levin, who she had never really known or interacted with, to see her at her worst but facing Locke meant she would have to come face to face with her past. She hoped he didn’t start asking her questions she didn’t want to answer. Part of her hoped he simply wouldn’t recognize her but she doubted violently purple hair was something people forgot. Aoife nodded her silent understanding of Levin’s words and watched him turn to grab something from the wall, a smile curling back onto her lips as she leaned back to get a better view of those pants she’d picked out for him. “You know,” she said sarcastically, “I know my own last name. Considering how many times you’ve had to hold my head out of a toilet and keep me from vomiting into my own hair, you could just call me Aoife.” Aoife cocked her head to the side as she stared at his rear, straightening up right away as soon as he had returned to her side.

The ship landed with a thud and the dock was complete. Levin stepped forward and as soon as he opened the door, Aoife’s face crumpled in disgust. She leaned away from the stench and waved a hand in front of her nose as if that would help. “Ugh…I think I worked a bar scene that smelled like this once. It’s like the south end of a north bound HUTT.” Aoife frowned heavily as Levin turned to face her. “You bring me to the most lovely places,” she growled sarcastically. She hated the whole idea of this place. If it was filled with so many evil people, why not just hit the place from orbit with a tactical weapon and be done with it? Aoife simply didn’t understand the idea behind sending three individuals, Jedi or not, into such a dangerous situation just to save some horrifying space jail. Still, she knew there was no turning back Levin once he’d set his mind to something and as he nodded and stepped into the jail beyond, Aoife sighed and followed behind him. Her boots rang hollowly on the steel floors and dim lights flickered overhead. The whole place smelled like something had curled up and died in a corner…in all the corners as a matter of fact.

There was no sign of anyone else yet but she doubted that would last. They would have to act quickly and kill any enemies without hesitation as they arose. The people of that prison weren’t the petty theft sort, they were more the ‘I-killed-your-mother-and-desecrated-the-body’ sort but at least that meant that Aoife would have no qualms about killing them. Her time living as an assassin had quashed any reservations the woman had once held about taking a life and in this place her rule of ‘no innocents’ meant all targets she would meet would be righteous. Still, she didn’t much care for the fact that they had no real plan of action other than to fight their way through countless criminally insane inmates to meet up with someone they didn’t even know was alive all so they could make their way to the center of the prison and destroy a source of ultimate evil. The whole notion was ludicrous for anyone but a Jedi but that was the sort of thing the Jedi specialized in. The crazier it sounded to everyone else, the more likely a Jedi would be able to pull it off.

“You know…,” Aoife said uneasily as they made their way down the silent corridor, “us just walking into this place with our sabers held high is like teabagging a rancor…the sheer audacity of it will be the only thing that saves us because no one is going to believe we’re THIS stupid.”

Another one down. And another.

Locke had lost track of how long he'd been fighting off the men that were trying to kill him, though he knew it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. But when only focused on trying to keep a horde or murderers and rapist--and in some cases, raping murderers--from pulling your entrails out, there you tend to lose track of time. Thankfully, there was just one more man to deal with...

A big man with teeth that looked to have rotted beyond repair years ago was running at him, and before Locke could bring his pistol to bear, the man was on him, sending both of them crashing to the ground. The air in Locke's lungs was forced out under the man's weight, and his lightsaber clattered out of his hand from the impact. That wasn't good. Locke was fit and healthy, yes, but his strength lay in his agility, not in the raw power his could physically put out. And this man was big. He had to have at least a hundred pounds on Locke, if not more than that. Luckily for Locke, the man took the moment to laugh and roar in triumph, as if gloating to his fallen friends. That'd be the last mistake he ever made. Locke's hand with his pistol flew out as Locke used what ability he had with the Force to augment his strength, and the weapon slammed into the man's temple with a loud, resounding crack! The man cried out before Locke fired a blast off into the place where his blow had connected, and rolled the man over from on top of him as he fell over. Locke looked around in a moment of disorientation before pulling his lightsaber to him with the Force. "Idiot," he said. "You don't gloat until after the person you want to kill is dead." Locke's stone grey eyes swept over the room, which now held a fair number of dead or dying inmates of various species. "I mean, really, I'd think that people like you of all sorts would know that, but I guess you're all known for being vicious, not smart, eh?"

Locke clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt with the smoothness of one who had done the motion many times before sighing heavily. Now that the adrenaline was starting to leave his system, he could feel that he hadn't gotten out of that wave of crazies untouched. There was a small cut on his cheek that was leaking a little trickle of blood, and his chest ached from when that big man crashed into him. But, all things considered, he was alright. He leaned against the smooth metal wall of the station for a moment to let his breathing slow down before he pushed deeper in. If this was how things were at the entrance to the place... Locke didn't really want to think about what was coming. "I don't get paid enough for this," he muttered as he pushed off of the wall. Lev had yet to show up, and that caused a bit of worry to rise in the pit of Locke's stomach. Surely he would have been here by now, right? Locke reached out with the Force, but he didn't like what he felt. It was like the Force here was sick, if such a descriptor could be used. As if all of the evil beings that had been locked up here for so many years were having an effect on the Force; it was malevolent, evil even. The first time Locke had felt anything like it was when the Sith started coming from the skies back on Rhen Var. To be honest, it was something he'd rather not feel, but there wasn't anything to be done.

Fortunately for Locke, he had a comm device, and Jedi used a certain signal, so he could contact Lev if needed. Locke pulled the little thing out and turned it on, setting it to the correct frequency before speaking into it. "This is the Candy Taker paging the Good Doctor. Have you landed yet?" For some reason, he wasn't too keen on using their real names, not when there was the chance that someon could intercept and listen in on the signal. Still, if Levin's head was on right, he'd get who 'Candy Taker' was. "Things are a little hot here, so so-" Locke spotted another man running toward him, but two well-placed shots put him down. "As I was saying, it would be lovely, if you could take time out of your busy schedule to come give little ol' me a hand. I'm- GORRAMIT!"

He sprung into motion again as another wave of men came in, but he pushed through them with the Force, running past them out into the main part of the prison. Actually, on second thought, that might not have been the best idea, but it was too late now. "Well, now I'm running. Can't talk and run effectively. See you later." The young Knight ran faster as he stuck the comm back into his pocket, hoping he'd find some chance to get a better description of his location to Lev. Or maybe he'd just run into Lev. That would be nice.

As they walked down the corridor that lead to the main section , Levin listened to Aoife's words. She had a point, they shouldn't exactly be advertising their position. He had yet to pull his lightsaber from it's arm holster, but the Theelin had spoke just as he considered it. Seems even when he wasn't talking, she knew what he was thinking. His green eyes glanced to his left at her- the woman who in such a short amount of time, had become a constant companion to the Healer- something he as far from used to. He usually worked solo, allowed him to concentrate better, and not be concerned about an ally. But concerned he was, and oddly enough, more over Aoife's safety than his friend Locke, who was probably neck deep in cretins.

"I will try in the future, Aoife Ca... Aoife. And I would not call this place lovely."

He paused for a minute after he spoke, and turned his gaze away. His mind turned over what he just said. Surely even he knew she was joking. But just out of habit, he had taken her seriously. Sarcastic people always seemed to say things that went over 'Literal Lev's' head. The Jedi shook his head and peered around, purposefully not looking at Aoife.

"I knew you were not serious. I was... joking too. What do you mean by teabagging? Wait, I would rather not know. But you are correct in not flashing our lightsabers too soon, but keep it ready. This is a maw of pure sin."

After a few more moments they had reached a large, heavy door that would leave to the rest of Labyrinth. Lev laid a hand on it as his eyes fluttered closed. The Force reached out to the area in front of the door, and people were felt just outside. But they were crammed in a twelve foot walkway- and there was enough of them that even Levin couldn't pinpoint exactly how many were there. His hand would be retracted from the door just as Locke's voice crackled over the comm unit Lev had given Aoife.

"...I knew that man stole the candy for the Padawans."

Grumbled Lev as he motioned for Aoife to hand him the comm. Once he had it he clicked the transmit button.

"Candy Taker, head towards the middle section, turn on your comm's location device so we can track you that way. The Force is not right here- I can not reach you through it. Stay safe, you still owe me a jar of candy."

Levin turned to face Aoife and handed the comm back to her. They needed to meet up with Locke, in this place, the more separated they were, the higher the risk for them. Luckily, Levin had a plan, he always had a plan. Lev turned to face the door once more, and realized that if they were to even crack the door open, the inmates on the catwalk would force the door open, and swarm them. There wasn't nearly enough room in the corridor to fight with both of them in there.

"Aoife, stand back behind me. I'm going to clear some room for us on the catwalk in front of this door. Follow me, and go back to back. We are not alone."

With that Levin's lightsaber flipped out of it's holster into his awaiting palm. It snapped to life and the silver blade cast white light all around them- more than enough for him to see what he was doing. He spun around and placed his free hand on the hilt of his weapon, and plunged the lightsaber into the door. It hissed and crackled as the metal around the lightsaber got white hot. The weapon was pulled up, then slowly moved into a large rectangle to cut a section free. His free palm opened wide and the Force pooled into his mind until he thrust it forward, a burst of Force shoved the still smoldering section outwards, and the screams of inmates pushed off the catwalk sounded. In an instant, Lev was out of the corridor, silver blade flashing as it cut a swath through the killers and psychopaths. He was on the catwalk finally, but the inmates didn't appreciate the sudden emergence of a Jedi- let alone two.

His lightsaber was held in a Niman stance, the more defense oriented one, and his vivid eyes peered over the river of faces that turned to glare, sneer, and snarl at him.

It was going to be a marathon.

Aoife didn’t notice the glace Levin threw in her direction, she was too busy trying to quell the unpleasant feeling of the place she now found herself in instead, but she turned her face to him as he spoke. A frown pulled at one corner of his mouth when he made the comment about the place being called lovely. The man couldn’t seem to take a joke if his life depended on it and Aoife had decided that if Levin was going to save her from spice, she was going to have to save him from his own damnable need to take everything way too seriously. The frown stayed put as Levin paused and turned away from her for a moment but it quickly gave way to a massive snort of laughter at his comment on not knowing what “teabagging” meant. She clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to force down the giggles that still wanted to push up past her lips. Perhaps it was the complete ridiculousness of the situation that had struck her as so funny but there was something about Levin’s serious tone in this dreary horrible place while talking about such an out of place topic for him that left her biting her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Aoife managed to gain control of her giggles once more as the oppressive nature of their mission and the looming threat they now faced welled up around them once more. She was glad at least that she had Levin at her side for all of this. He was a source of bright light in a world of darkness and she felt somehow comforted just having him there. When they reached the door, Aoife stood back and watched as Levin placed his hand on the metal and drew the Force in around him. She knew he was looking past it, feeling out what they might face on the other side and if his scowl was any indication, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. She was about to ask what he’d seen when a voice cut through the still air around them and made Aoife jump slightly. Locke’s voice came over the small radio in Aoife’s pocket and she pulled it out to listen intently. The voice certainly brought back memories though it had gotten a little deeper than she’d remembered. Memory was such a fickle thing though. A grin accompanied a quirked eyebrow at the comment on the candy but she handed over the radio without question. That was a story she was simply going to HAVE to hear when and if they all made it out of this place alive.

Aoife hid her snort of amusement at the comment on Locke still owing Levin candy. The other investigator had better pay up too, Aoife had personal experience with just how stubborn and persistent Levin could be when he wanted something. She could well imagine Locke being hounded for that candy a full twenty years down the road if he didn’t return it. She tucked the radio back into her pocket and looked at the door as Levin spoke. She was going to protest being told to stay behind Levin like a padawan but she also knew that her condition meant he was stronger than her right now and arguing with him over it would have been a matter of pride instead of good tactics. Aoife snapped her mouth shut with a click and nodded even though she didn’t like it. She wanted to be back to her full strength again and remorse hit her for what would not be the first or last time that she had fallen as far as she had. There was a time she’d have been more partner and less liability. It was something she was determined to get back to. “Whatever you say, Good Doctor.” she said with a light giggle.

Aoife’s saber was in her hand in the next moment and she readied herself as Levin cut through the door. It had been quite some time since she’d been able to really cut loose in a battle and she was feeling better now than she had in most of the last two years. As soon as the section of door slammed inward toward the inmates and began to topple them off the catwalk, Levin was on the move and Aoife was right behind him. She fell into old habits she’d picked up in her time with Nuk and placed her back to Levin’s. She could feel the Force radiating off of him as they moved and she didn’t need to see him to know what he was doing. The shift of muscle in his back told her where he was swinging his saber and the Force told her where the danger was coming from. The energy would surge dark and malevolent on one side or the other and without a moment’s hesitation, Aoife’s saber would be there to slice down any offending limb that dared try and enter Levin’s space. She closed her eyes and let the sounds and sensations around her guide her in a way she hadn’t known since her days as a Jedi. There was a strange sense of peace even though she was killing people, something she’d need to address in herself later, but it wasn’t the killing that was comforting, it was the fighting alongside another Jedi knight.

Aoife used her skills to their fullest and used Levin’s own body as a fighting ground as much as anything else without getting in his way. She rolled across his shoulders to her left, slammed her right boot onto the railing and pushed up over Levin’s right shoulder to deliver a swift decisive blow into an inmate there before dropping back out of sight and reappearing on the other side a moment later to cleanly behead someone. Even though the majority of the inmates were in front of Levin and Aoife was clear of them from behind, she kept an eye out even as she continued her display of acrobatics around him. Her saber cut cleanly under his upraised arm as he struck down an enemy on the left and she took out one on his right. Every time she struck though she was gone again, constantly moving in a fluid dance she’d almost forgotten that would let Levin act with all the skill he possessed while she aided him to the best of her ability.

"You know," Aoife said between thrusts, "I just don't think we're making friends here, Levin. It's sad, I know," another inmate fell beneath her saber, "but some people you just can't reach. Like THIS guy," Aoife's saber sliced cleanly through an inmate's shoulder. "Well..ok...some people you just can't reach mentally but you know what I mean," she joked lightly.

"Hey, hey now," Locke said as he ran, "you gave me the jar of candy. By my reasoning, it's just fair that I took it." An inmate was suddenly looming in front of him with what appeared to be a crowbar in hand. The man screamed wordlessly at Locke before lunging at him and swinging the thing with such might that it would crack Locke's skull like an egg if it hit. Luckily, Locke's encounter with the men in the entrance way had limbered him up quite nicely, and he ducked down to the side before taking the man's arm off at the elbow. A shot to the head followed, and the man fell to the ground in a heap, but Locke didn't stop to look; he was still being pursued, after all. "But really," he continued, "it is some really good candy. Where do you get it?"

He had to but the comm away again as he closed in on another group of men. There were too many for him to take on with any reasonable amount of speed, and given the fact that there was another group behind him, he chose to avoid another fight. There was a catwalk up above, and so he leapt up, using the Force to strengthen the muscles of his legs and propel him up and over the group of inmates to safety on the walkway above them. And there, he was free for a moment. Locke hadn't realized that his breaths were coming heavy and the muscles in his legs were burning so much until he stopped, but a moment of drawing in the Force, sickly as it felt, and he was ready to keep going. On and on the catwalk wove through the massive prison, to the point where Locke found himself wondering how big the place really way. It was big from the outside, but once you were in it... It was a wonder. Or, a wonder in its size, anyway; the interior of the prison was about as nice as the people it held, and Locke didn't even want to think about the smell.

Still, he pressed deeper in along the winding walkway, fighting through whatever belligerent inmates he came across. Move toward the middle, Lev said. Where is the middle of this place? Locke sincerely hoped the Healer hadn't run into any trouble; this wasn't the sort of situation he could take on by himself. Thankfully, his fears were allayed by the sound of a lightsaber off in the distance, and he moved on with renewed vigor toward the source.

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Seventeen hours. Or was it eighteen? Jejres lost count. The big Besalisk looked over the ragged remains of the team of men he'd been working with for years. Well, some of them. Others were new. Pity for them that they had to deal with this so early into their careers.

He was the one in charge of security at Labyrinth, and had been at the station since it opened over nineteen years ago. And through those nineteen years, there had been times where the prisoners had attempted an uprising. All of them had failed. But this one was different. Ever since those men arrived...

A wave of pain rolled through his head. Jejres had gotten a nasty cut in the initial fighting, and other than some quick work, they didn't have the supplies to do anything about it. But he couldn't complain about it, considering that most of his men were dead. They might all be dead, if those blasted Jedi didn't show up soon.

"Look, sir, I'm just s-s-s-saying, we n-need to initiate the self d-d-destruct sequence." Jejres turned an eye to the man that was talking. He was one of the younger men; he'd been at Labyrinth less than a year, and had a stuttering problem like nothing Jejres had ever seen before. The current situation hadn't helped much. Jejres didn't think he was the sort for security work, but who was he to deny the man what he wanted to do? "If the J-Jedi aren't here, then it's t-t-too late for us to k-keep holding out like t-this. We've got to k-k-k-k-keep them f-from g-g-g-getting aw-"

"Look, Jensen," Jejres had a habit of calling his men by their last names, "if you don't stop whining, I swear that when this is over-" The sudden sound of humming outside the door of the area they'd locked themselves up in caught his attention. "I know that sound..." He pushed himself up to his feet, and, much to the dismay of his men, opened the door. And there they were. Three of them, from what he could tell, up on one of the main walkways. He saw a two of them, one with a silver lightsaber, and one with a yellow one, pushing in one direction, with a lone man with an orange-ish glow sword moving in from the opposite direction. "There's our help, boys, he yelled out as he took his massive rifle up in his hands. To arms! Let's give 'em a hand!"

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Locke kept fighting through the press of men, thankful that the narrowness of the catwalk kept them all from flooding him at one time. One of them tried to tackle him, and he jumped up and over him, kicking off of the railing to roundhouse another in the face before firing down with his pistol into the back of the other's head. Another man was on him as he landed, and Locke grunted in pain as he took a hard blow to the stomach--though thankfully, his vest absorbed a good deal of the impact--before his blade took the man in the throat, leaving a neat, smoking hole, before its victim fell to the ground. Locke could definitely see Lev's silver blade up ahead, but there was someone else with him. Who that someone was, Locke couldn't say for sure. Not yet. But any help was welcome help at this point. The sound of another man running at him from behind got Locke's attention, and he turned and fired off two quick shots, the first of which missed. But the second took the target in the chest, and Locke was on him as he fell to the ground, ramming his orange blade into his chest. Just a little further, Locke he thought as he turned to keep running in the direction of Lev and whoever it was he had with him.

There was a sudden welling of blaster fire on the ground level, and Locke looked down to see that the remainder of the security force had arrived. One of them, a big Besalisk, looked up and waved Locke on, indicating that they had their level under control. There couldn't have been more than five or six of them, but Locke nodded in agreement and went on. Before he could meet up with the security team, he'd have to get to Lev. And that other person.

As Levin and Aoife worked back to back, the Theelin using her flexibility and him using his reach and strength to become a living prisoner processor. The duo worked in perfect tandem, something Levin had found odd in his weeks at Aoife's side. It seemed even in this short amount of time, the two had developed a bond- a combat bond in the very least. But something told Levin that as time went on, it would only strengthen. The two already knew each others fighting style, and movement style, which when the Force intervened, made them a potent duo in combat.

"We are not here to make friends, Aoife. We need to find Locke Nemsee."

Grunted Levin in between cuts. It was after a clean beheading did Lev realize that the Theelin was joking. He rained a flurry of blows against the armored chest of a Rodian- apparently he had gotten a security guards gear. Luckily, standard issue plasteel armor cut the same as butter under the blade of a lightsaber. A pair of Weequay charged right at Lev before he had a chance to pull his weapon from the Rodian. He reached out with the Force to nab them and with a jerk of his fist the two were sent off the edge of the catwalk.

"I knew you were joking, by the way."

Lev added- he knew that she knew that he didn't think she was joking, but he felt it needed to be said. A few more human prisoners were felled by his blade, and the catwalk ahead of him was finally clear. It was a good thing in the bustle of the fight, that Lev didn't hear Locke's comment about his jar of candy. Levin's eyes scanned around as he felt a familiar presence twinkle in the distance. He motioned for Aoife to follow and then he was on the move. His legs propelled himself forward with the Force at his side, making the Jedi move faster. Locke is nearby, follow me. Lev sent through the Force to Aoife, and turned sharply to leap off the catwalk.

He plummeted stories downward, the occasional push or pull with the Force allowed him to dodge any obstacle, be it catwalk or projectile. With a flip and a flow from the Force Lev twisted and landed on a catwalk just above Locke. Apparently the male Investigator didn't notice the Wookiee that had leaped off a railing at him. As the Wookiee fell Lev jumped as well. With a quick move Levin launched his lightsaber at the attacker, and the spinning blade cleaved the hairy brute in two. The Healer landed just in front of Locke just as his lightsaber returned to his awaiting hand. Lev turned a casual eye to Locke with a blink and raised his eyebrows.

"Locke Nemsee. Good to see you weren't killed. This is Aoife Caaso- one of my patients."

Lev said as he gestured to the purple haired woman. He wasn't sure if the two had been acquainted in the past- but either way, Locke needed to know the name of their third. His green eyes scanned the area to make sure no inmates could get close- it seemed they were in a rare clear moment. And they needed to use it.

"Aoife, Locke, we need to move- the Nexus is deeper within the station. Follow me."

The Jedi motioned for the two to follow him, and he walked down the catwalk towards a door at the end of it. They needed to get out of the cell blocks, and into the 'safe' areas, where the guards moved. That way, the chances of them running into enemies en route was lessened.

We are not here to make friends, Aoife. We need to find Locke Nemsee.

Aoife rolled her eyes behind Levin’s back. The man couldn’t take a joke if it was rolled up and shoved so far up his butt it was shaking hands with his colon. The Theelin told herself repeatedly over the last few weeks that if it wasn’t for the fact that the healer was phenomenally good looking, she’d have strangled him long ago, as it was, she had simply learned to roll with the man’s strange lack of humor. She wished sometimes that there was an appreciative audience for her witty banter but at the very least she could amuse herself by poking fun at her stoic partner from time to time. While Levin carved the Rodian into a brand new shape, Aoife curved gracefully around his left, well below the swing of his arms, and took out a human inmate at the knees. She smiled beatifically at him as he fell, the vision of her the last thing he would see as she shoved her saber straight through one of his wide surprised eyes. Apparently he hadn’t quite expected her to show up there. In the next instant Aoife had swung around, planted her knee on Levin’s back and used the Force to help propel her up high enough to deliver a stabbing blow straight downward into the waiting skull of a kaleesh who was going to wake up in the afterlife wondering what just happened.

"I knew you were joking, by the way."

“No you didn’t,” Aoife grumbled under her breath. She knew they were both well aware that Levin would almost always assume she was being serious and she was fairly certain he was actually incapable of telling a joke even if it would save his life. The next time Aoife popped up around Levin’s shoulder it was to discover that there were no more enemies to cut down. She sighed gratefully for their temporary respite but it was over as fast as it began. Levin’s thoughts projected into her mind and then he was off again like a shot, the Force pulling in around him to assist in his speed. Aoife had no trouble keeping up as they had both learned to naturally fall into the same speeds when running though she was fairly certain Levin would well outdistance her if he was pushed to do so. His connection to the Force was considerably stronger than her own. With nothing but the slightest flicker of forewarning, Levin leapt from the catwalk and plummeted downward. Aoife did not even slow in hesitation. She leapt off right behind him and followed in his wake, her powerful legs kicking off from the various obstacles in her path and sending her into a dizzying but elegant display of acrobatics which sent her tumbling and spinning through the air as she fell.

The thick soles of her boots slammed into the railing of the catwalk which only temporarily held Levin before he was on the move again, this time saving Locke from a wookie that was about to cleave the man into small chunky bits. Aoife had barely touched down on the railing before she pushed off hard into a swan dive which morphed into a flip and ended with her thumping down on Levin’s other side, pointedly away from Locke. The nervousness she’d felt earlier about meeting an old colleague had vanished in the face of fighting for her life but it cropped up again now with a vengeance. Aoife wished silently that Levin hadn’t called her one of his patients in front of Levin. She preferred the other Investigator never know what she really was, an addict and a Jedi fallen from grace, but she stayed silent anyway. Saying something right then would only draw attention to it and she didn’t expect that Levin would understand the subtleties of tact at a moment like that. Besides, Locke would know soon enough anyway, he’d no doubt have questions, but Aoife was determined to make that Q and A session wait as long as possible. Let it never be said she wasn’t good at procrastination.

Aoife turned away from Locke under the pretense of watching their backs, all so she wouldn’t have to look at him or invite any sort of inquiry. She had imagined it would be hard to see another Investigator she used to know but as she swallowed her own nervousness and her stomach flopped painfully, she realized she’s had no idea exactly how hard. Coward, she thought angrily at herself. Still she couldn’t force herself to turn around. Fortunately, Levin wasn’t the sort to sit still for long and he’d barely said a few words to Locke before he was looking for their next move. As soon as he brushed past her on his way toward a door at the end of the catwalk, Aoife was right behind him. She glanced down and noticed the small group of guards below them that were valiantly fighting their way through the inmates as well. It looked like they were doing a fair job of it but Aoife couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to survive going through the rest of the prison with them, especially in the face of a Dark Side nexus. The faces of Thomas Gastin and Ev’an Lohntah popped up in her mind immediately, their uniforms stained in blood and their eyes staring vacantly up at her from the floor of her dingy bathroom…where she had dragged their bodies after slaying them. Perhaps it was the uniforms the security forces below were wearing but Aoife couldn’t bear to be the cause for any of their deaths.

“Levin, the guards,” Aoife said pointedly, “What about them? We can’t just leave them here.”

Oh, well I bet that hurt, Locke thought as his blade fell just a tad short of the inmate he was sweeping at. The Rodian was lucky; instead of getting cut nearly in half, he instead just took a long, shallow cut across the front of his torso. Actually, considering that his death would have been painless had he not been falling back, it probably would have been better for him to just get cut. A shot to the back put him down and ended his problems, though.

With that last inmate down, the section around him was clear. Locke's orange blade faded away as he looked around, panting to catch his breath. He looked back at the way he'd come, and a part of him was a bit sickened by the trail of bodies and body parts that marked his progression. For a moment, he was at Rhen Var again in his mind, seeing his comrades and those he had grown up with die all around him. The bodies kept falling, as those from both sides perished, and soon the once-grand courtyard was a dying ground. So many had died that day. And all of them, even the Sith, had been people. They all had their stories, their hopes, their dreams. But all of that had been cut tragically short. And for what

Locke shook himself back to the present. Of course there had been a reason to fight at Rhen Var: to protect the Republic and her people. To protect his home. But all of the killing... It's just something you gotta do, Locke, don't get so melancholy over it. It was strange though. No, Locke never liked killing, but he'd never before had any trouble moving on past things. It's this place, he thought as he recalled the taint that he'd felt in the Force. It's so oppressive. We need to finish this and get out of here. Before something bad happens.

His hand absentmindedly went to one of the pockets on his vest and produced one of the small pieces of candy that had come from Lev's jar. Locke was starting to develop a habit of carrying a few around with him, and they were good to chew on when he needed to think, or calm down. I'm really gonna need to find out where he gets these, he thought as he peered over the side of the catwalk. The guards were holding on, and Locke got the pleasure of watching the Besalisk smash a Twi'lek's head against a wall before flinging the body at an approaching Weequay. Well, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side, Locke thought as he started to turn around.

The next few moments were a blur. There was a giant fur mat falling toward him, and he shrieked in surprise. The candy fell from his hand as he reactivated his blade and swung out, but before he could hit it, a silver lightsaber went flying through the air and took care of his assailant. Then, Lev was before him, eyebrows raised, and the other landed behind him. Lev's comment to Locke was ignored as the Investigator's eyes went wide at the sight of the one that accompanied Levin. That purple hair, the face... it all seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place a name. Then it hit him. Aoife Caaso. The thought came at the same moment Levin said her name, and Locke was speechless. He remembered Aoife. She'd been an Investigator, like him. A few years ago, she had gone missing...

"Wait, wait, wait," he said, his disbelief plain in his voice. "Aoife? The Investigator? Light, Aoife, we thought you were dead! What happened?" Locke shook his head as if to clear his thoughts before he stopped. "Never mind, this isn't the time for that." The questions could wait until they weren't in a prison surrounded by crazies that wanted nothing more than to rip out their insides. But still...

Locke let it go and reached into his vest pocket to pull out another piece of Lev's candy. It was the last one he had on him. "Aoife's right, Good Doctor," he said as he popped it into his mouth, " we do need to meet up with the rest of the guards. And really, where did you get this candy?"

Levin paused on the catwalk and peered back at Aoife and Locke. In his desire to find and smite the Nexus- he had ignored the guards. But he still wasn't sure if going down that level to assist them would be worth it. True- they could be saved right then and there, but what was to stop the guards from being struck down later? In the time the trio would spend saving them, Lev could have sealed the Nexus, and the more looming danger would be avoided. And Levin knew that where there was a Nexus of the Darkside... there was the taint of it.

What he found curious was that so far, it appeared to be nothing more than a prison riot gone horribly bad. Where were the ghouls and the fiends? Where were the ghastly visions of bodies nailed to walls or strong from the ceiling? Where was the blood and bile stained floors? This was different than most Nexus' Lev had faced. They were usually brutal, cruel and blatant- this one only let it's presence be known through the Force itself, and that worried Levin more than anything else.

He turned to face Locke and Aoife with a disapproving glint in his eye. He needed to get this job done, but couldn't do it alone. Lev realized this, even if he didn't like it. His eyes slid closed before they opened again, the previous glint replaced by a look of determination.

"Agreed, we will get them to a safe house until we can seal this abomination. And Locke, this is hardly the time for questions."

Levin nodded to Aoife and cast a glance at Locke as he moved to the railing to peer down at the guards. There wasn't nearly the amount of inmates that Lev and Aoife had just dispatched, but to the guards, it probably felt like a marathon. He snapped his lightsaber on and the silver blade cast it's white glow around Levin. His eyes turned to look at Aoife and Locke and he nodded.

"I will tell you, Locke Nemsee, after we are done here."

And with that Lev propelled himself over the railing to land saber first right in the middle of the crown of inmates. With one hand Levin cut a swath away from the guards towards the back of the crowd, the other would periodically flash-bang the horde around him. He knew that Locke and Aoife would do the right thing, and steamroll over the part of the crowd that was trying to get to the guards, the other half Lev had well under control, as the pile of bodies around him noted.

Aoife risked glancing back at Locke as the man popped a piece of candy into his mouth and she couldn’t help the sad ghost of a smile that passed over her face. The few times she had interacted with Nemsee, she’d always found him to be funny, light hearted, and generally just a blast to be around. It looked like some things never changed. His sense of humor at least was still fully intact and the sound of his jovial voice brought back memories of happier days when she’d still been a part of the Jedi Order and a part of the Investigators. They were a strange sort of family, what with most of the rest of the Temple not really knowing what it was they did, and Aoife could fondly look back on the times she had hung out in some bar, acting decidedly un-jedi, as she and a few other Investigators she’d befriended shared rounds and stories. Those memories had become tinted with wistful sorrow these days though. Aoife had fallen, had shamed herself and her training through that fall, and she doubted highly she’d ever get to have such days again.

As soon as Aoife heard Levin’s voice, she let old memories fall to the wayside and gave him her full attention. Locke was her past but Levin was her present and he had done a lot to raise her up from the mire she’d fallen into, the least she could do was to defend his back and follow his lead. For all intents and purposes, he’d saved her life and she owed it to him. In the few weeks since he’d picked her up off that dirty street in Metallos, Aoife had spent almost every waking hour around the healer, and so when he spoke she could see the subtle signs that he was struggling with this situation. She’d come to accept, if not understand, his driving obsession with wiping out the Dark Side where ever it cropped up and she knew it was frustrating him to not just rush headlong into the center of the nexus and sear it from the face of the galaxy. She didn’t want to just walk away and leave the security forces to their fate but at that disapproving look Levin threw in her direction, Aoife knew she’d go wherever it was Levin decided. She had faith he’d make the right choice regardless, Levin was the most genuinely good person she’d ever known, but it was a relief none the less when he agreed to help the guards first.

Aoife smirked at Levin’s stoic reply to Locke’s question. The man’s insistence on taking everyone seriously amused to her some extent and she cast a lopsided grin in Locke’s direction as Levin leapt down into the fray. “Ya know, I’ve been trying to get my hands on his 'candy’ since I first met him. You’ll have to tell me how you managed,” she said jokingly before vaulting up and over the railing in a headlong dive toward the inmates below. She landed only a few feet away from the large besalisk and her right leg shot out as soon as she’d touched down, catching a very surprised inmate right across his ribcage in a Force assisted kick that sent him flying. Her saber hissed on in a flare of yellow light and she spun, swung out and sliced the arm off the nearest man reaching for her, and then dropped her left shoulder backward deeply to avoid a swing aimed at her. In an instant she was back upright, spinning to the man’s left and taking his head clean off with a backhand swing as her eyes focused on the next in line. The Jedi’s sudden appearance offered her the element of surprise and Aoife didn’t waste a moment of it. She’d been killing bad people for money for over two years and this was no different…except that she wasn’t being paid. By Aoife’s reckoning she could have bought a space yacht with the money she would have charged for the body count she was racking up this day but Levin had asked her to come and Aoife figured he’d already paid more than enough in advance by giving her a life back.

“What IS it with you people?” she growled between swings, ducking another blow before popping up on the inmate’s other side and severing his spinal cord, “Being EVIL cannot possibly keep you so busy you can’t bathe!” The yellow blade swung furiously as she moved through the crowd. A large kiffar latched onto her right arm in a grip hard enough to bruise and he grinned at her as he yanked her toward him. Blackened gums glared out of his drawn lips and the smell that hit Aoife made her eyes water. She let the momentum of the man’s pull carry her close and with a pull of the Force, she yanked her saber into her free hand and slammed it up under his chin. He barely had time to look confused before his body hit the ground. Aoife didn’t pause to see him fall, her attentions were too busy keeping a shistavanen from tearing her head off. “For the love of the LIGHT!” she screamed, “BRUSH. YOUR. TEETH!” Each word was punctuated by a stab or slice at the inmates crowding around her and three more fell to her blade, effectively clearing a small space near the guards where she could take a breather. “Being insane is no reason for poor hygiene,” Aoife grumbled irritably as she stood before the guards, the ground before her now clear of enemies.

"Oh, Lev, you're such a tease," Locke said with mock annoyance when the Healer taunted him, saying that Locke would have to wait until the current ordeal was over before he found out where Lev's candy came from. But he couldn't help but grin stupidly as he said it. Lev was such a stiff sometimes, and while Locke had no doubt that the man had said what he did with absolute sincerity, there was something amusing--endearing, almost--about it. "But I guess I'll have to wait," he added on longingly when Lev jumped down below. He shook his head a bit as he watched Lev fall before he landed on the ground. So perhaps the man wasn't the most lively, but still, Locke considered him a friend. And there was no denying the man was absolutely devoted to his cause, a trait that Locke very much respected. He'd always welcome Lev to fight at his side, and there were few he'd rather fight alongside with.

His pale grey eyes shifted to Aoife when she spoke to him, and he laughed warmly at her joke. "Ask to go in his office one day," he called after her, "I'm sure you'll get his candy then." It was good to have her back, whatever 'back' might mean. He hoped to at least find out where she'd been over the past few years, but there was a time and a place for everything, and the current situation was neither. Still, it was good to be around another Investigator again. Though, Locke felt a bit sorry--and more than a little amused--at the thought of poor stoic Lev having to be stuck with someone like Aoife and the sense of humor she had. Locke very much appreciated her humor, as it was the kind that Investigators seemed to share, but Lev... Well, their time together would surely produce some interesting stories.

Locke came out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the fighting on the floor below. Levin and Aoife were making good progress, and seemed to work quite well together already. That was good. The Force only knew they'd need to work together once they moved deeper into the prison. So, they seemed to be handling the front lines well enough, so Locke decided to provide some support from above. He clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt and took the backup pistol he'd brought with him from his belt. Wielding two pistols wasn't a thing he did often, as if he usually had two weapons in use, it was his pistol and his blade; and there was also the fact that he normally only had his one pistol on him. But, he'd done it before, and while he wasn't the galaxy's best, he could still shoot well enough to hit. Being able to call on the Force for focus certainly helped. Lev and Aoife, along with the guards, seemed to be holding their own on the ground, so Locke made the decision to provide some covering fire from his elevated position before jumping down. So he drew in on the Force, trying to ignore the taint he felt in it, and set to work.

Blaster bolts screamed out from his weapons, flying into any inmate below that would dare attack his comrades. They fell swiftly and furiously, and though not every shot hit, there were enough inmates swarming around that it would be hard to miss. After a short while, he was satisfied with what he'd done from up on the catwalk and leapt down, much like Lev and Aoife had shortly before. Locke landed towards the middle of the group, blasters still in his hands, and moved around them, almost dancing from spot to spot as he spotted his targets.

As the fighting went on, he ventured out, and yelled out in surprise when he was suddenly tackled from behind by an Aqualish. They tussled on the ground for a moment before the Aqualish managed to wring on of Locke's pistols--his pistol, no less--from his hands. The Aqualish stood to his feet, clearly thinking himself victorious, and Locke found himself staring down the barrel of his own gun. Of course, he had his other pistol pointed at his foe, so they were at a bit of a standstill. "Hey," He yelled out, anger plain in his voice, "get your grubby hands off of my gun! Go find your own damn weapon, you sorry sack of--" The Aqualish growled at him and Locke cut off, suddenly reminded of the fact that he did not want to get shot."Hey, wait, wait, wait, I'm sorry," he said, trying to sound as empathetic as one could when a gun was pointed at them. "Look, I didn't mean it, okay? I'm sure your hands are uh... very clean." The Aqualish nodded proudly and Locke pressed on. "And uh... you're not a sorry sack of anything, right?" He dropped his pistol and at the same time, sent a feeling through at his opponent (who was, no doubt, quite stupid) that he was a friend, and didn't mean him any harm. "I mean, let's face it," he said as he slowly walked over and threw his arm around the inmate's shoulder, "your problem is that your just misunderstood, right?" The Aqualish nodded emphatically. "I thought so. I mean, everyone should see that you're wise and strong, right? That you aren't really a bad guy, you just fell on hard times, right?" Again, the Aqualish nodded. "Well, I just want you to know," Locke continued, "that I understand your plight, and I will make sure that everybody in the galaxy knows-" His pistol suddenly was ripped from the inmate's hand and into his with a sharp tug through the Force, and an instant later the Aqualish was on the ground with a smoldering hole in his face where the blaster bolt struck him. "-that you're a damn idiot," Locke said flatly as he reholstered his other pistol.

And, from the looks of things as Locke looked about, that had been the last of the inmates in this area. "Well, I'd say our little trio makes a good team, don't you think," Locke said to no one in particular.

"Damn straight you do, Jejres, the Besalisk guard captain said as he strode over to the three Jedi. His four remaining men were behind him- a Human, a Barabel, a Twi'lek, and a Kiffar. "'Bout time you Jedi showed up. We were startin' to worry you woldn't make it. Good thing you did though." His eyes suddenly went a bit distant, and his four arms sagged a bit. "There's all sorts of terrible things goin' on deeper in. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

Levin nodded in agreement to Locke's statement. It seemed Investigators reveled in making smart comments as and after they killed. He preferred to simply smite and move on- but then again, as Investigators, they needed to act like they weren't Jedi. It just amazed him how even though they were trained in the core arts that make the Jedi what they were- each sect of them acted different. He looked around at the swath of dead bodies that lay on the catwalk around them. They smelt of bodily fluids and rot- a bad combo. Lev raised his hands as he drew the Force into his core before with a sweeping push, the bodies would slide across the floor and off the catwalk, leaving nothing more than blood to drip through the diamond-weave floors.

Once that problem was taken care of, Lev's eyes immediately began to scan each person in front of him- both visually and through the Force. Locke appeared to sustain minimal injuries, some scratches, bruising, and fatigue. Aoife had a scratch on her face, a few bruises and wasn't as fatigued as Locke, but it was still there. The guards were in worse shape. The Barabel had a broken arm, and his left eye had been swollen shut. The human had a cloth tied around his neck to stem the flow from a nick to his veins. The Kiffar had a broken nose and a couple cracked ribs. The Twi'lek was one of the worst off, his left lekku had been torn almost completely off- and had large lacerations down his back from what was probably one terrible attack. He probably wouldn't make it more than another hour unless Levin intervened. And then there was the Besalisk. A broken wrist, a cracked rib, stabbed in the stomach- twice- and yet acted like nothing was wrong. Lev mentally applauded the man for his ability to keep cool under all that strain and agony.

"It is good to see there are survivors. I am Knight-Healer Levin Caelum, that is Investigator Locke Nemsee, and Investigator Aoife Caaso. We are here to remove the cause of this, as well as get you five out. Please, inform Locke Nemsee of our current situation while I heal you all."

Levin turned towards the Besalisk and bowed his head in respect. He knew what order to heal the group in, worse off people first. His feet took him to the Twi'lek and used the man's knife to cut his shirt off. That would make it easier for Lev to heal him. With eyes closed and hands spread open above his flesh, white light poured off of those hands and the wounds began to seal. As Levin made the bond to heal the Twi'lek, images of a dusty planet where a modest home sat filled his mind, a small crowd of children played while a female Twi'lek watched lovingly. Before the Twi'lek knew it, his wounds had been sealed.

"Rest easy, Son of Ryloth. You will see your family again."

He said with an affirming nod. The Twi'lek grinned meekly and Levin moved to the Besalisk who was still talking to Locke. Once more Lev focused on healing those wounds, Jejres' wrist would be achy, but after a minute or two of tat healing glow, he would be healed. Levin wasted no words of courage to the man, he was a beacon of the Light in that place. Levin would then move one by one to the Kiffar, Human, and Barabel- each one would be healed as well as he could in a single shot, but the small group would survive their injuries

It was time for the Jedi's turn. Levin stepped to Locke and held his hands just over Locke's chest, and began the process. Luckily, out of the entire crowd, Locke's wounds were the least damaged. He also poured a good portion of the Force into Locke to help with his fatigue- the least he could do was help his feet not hurt.

"I assume you have a plan for the guard staff, Locke Nemsee?"

Levin asked just before he stepped away from Locke and towards Aoife. With his back turned to the rest of the crowd, Levin turned stern, but kind eyes down to the Theelin. He was grateful that neither Locke nor the guards would see his face at this point, as Aoife received an expression very few ever see. His left hand moved up to hover above her right cheek while his right hand moved to hover just above her chest. Levin's eyes fluttered shut and he focused on healing the cut on her cheek so it wouldn't scar at all, and during that he poured a current of purified Force into her as he did Locke, but with it was a strong feeling of courage and hope- a move Levin only used rarely due to the amount it took out of him.

Another minute went buy before the light off his hands faded and the process was finished. Levin leaned back against the railing to the catwalk and sighed heavily. Trauma healing sessions were always the most taxing- were they on Coruscant, he'd work at healing these kind of wounds over the span of a week or two. His eyes closed and his right hand moved up to massage at his temples where a slight headache began to form. The Force was difficult to draw on in Labyrinth, like trying to breath in ash laden air. The Healer contemplated healing himself, but first took note of his own wounds. The abdomen of his shirt had been split by a knife, and his stomach had a five inch long slice that ran horizontally across it. Not deep enough to matter, only a flesh wound. Another small cut on the left side of his chin made that area of his stubble pinkish in color. His left arm had a large bruise on his forearm where an Epicanthix had nearly broken it. But besides these trivial wounds, Levin himself was fine. He could heal himself later.

He turned his now opened green eyes to Locke, and once more his eyebrows raised ever-so slightly.

"So, have we got a plan?"

Aoife looked over just in time to catch Locke’s parting remark at the aqualish he’d been fighting and she didn’t bother to hold back the snort of amusement that bubbled up in response. Locke’s sense of humor had become something of a legend among the Investigators even in the short time she’d known him there. Sure, most of the Jedi that shared their profession had to keep a sense of humor about it all or lose their minds but Locke was in a league all his own and Aoife could appreciate that. They could use all the laughs they could get in that dreary place. She could feel the oppression of the Dark Side there like a thin film of oil on her skin and it was decidedly creepy. She shoved aside the feeling in the face of Locke’s optimism though and gave him a wide grin. “Yeah, we make a heck of a threesome,” she said just under her breath, wafting the quiet innuendo over to Locke for his amusement.

Her attentions turned to the besalisk when he finally spoke up and her smile dropped into a heavy frown. “Oh that’s comforting. Thank you.” Her words were practically dripping with sarcasm and she threw an exasperated look over to Locke. Why did people always insist on saying ominous things like that in already creepy situations? Just once, Aoife wanted to find someone in a scary situation who said ‘wow, thanks. I think that was the worst of them.’ Even if it was a lie, it would have made her at least feel better. She cringed openly and suppressed a shudder at the sickening squelch the bodies made when Levin shoved them off the edge of the broad platform they were standing on and her stomach turned when she glanced down at her boots to see a shine on them from fluids that hadn’t been there when she’d started out.

Aoife walked over to the edge of the platform and tried her best to scrape some of the gore off the edge of her boot. Her head snapped up though at Levin’s words. He’d just called her an Investigator. She hadn’t been known by that title in years, had thought it lost entirely at this point, and it affected her more than she’d thought it would to hear it again. Her expression shifted from brief confusion and shock to one of wistful gratitude but then she let her normal façade of detached humor fall back into place. Still, it had meant a lot to her that Levin had called her by her old title. It was good to hear, more than she would admit even, and it saved her from embarrassment in front of the guards, something she was grateful to the healer for. His discretion had offered her a chance to at least avoid uncomfortable questions or looks from those they were there to save.

Aoife leaned back against the railing of the catwalk and tried her best not to look too overly interested in what Levin was doing but she couldn’t hide the fact that her eyes followed him as he moved from person to person. He was truly a wonder to behold as he healed someone; the bright flare of pure light, the way his aura seemed to glow, the look of concentration on his handsome face. Aoife had to admit, she never ceased to be impressed or fascinated by the man. He truly was a pure being in a galaxy with so few of them. Of course, her intentions weren’t quite so pure and she openly stared at Levin’s behind with a cat-like smile as he moved over to heal Locke. She did so enjoy those pants. Finally it was her turn and Levin moved up in front of her. She watched him approach and saw the change in his eyes. He was still as stern as ever but she’d gotten to know him pretty well in their time together and she could see the underlying gentleness there that he seemed to reserve for her lately.

Aoife stared down at the hand just a few inches above her chest but willed down the urge to grab it and press it to her cleavage just to see what stoic quiet Levin would do in response. Instead she simply repressed the giggle at the idea of his potential reaction and contented herself with looking up into his rugged face. He really was a downright gorgeous man. It was then that she felt the surge of energy that washed over her. It felt like being dunked into warm bath water, a feeling she’d gotten used to what with him having to do this sort of healing on her quite often since they’d met, but this time it was backed with something else. There was a surge of something bright behind it, a boost that made her feel like she could take on any of the challenges they faced, and she knew it had to be Levin’s doing. She offered him a lopsided but sweet smile and pressed a wave of gratitude back up to him before the connection was broken and he moved away. The air always felt a little colder whenever Levin broke the healing connection with her but there, in that place of darkness, she could feel the world wash back in like a wave of ice water. The sooner they were out of that mess, the happier she was going to be.

She turned expectantly to Levin when he leaned back against the railing but found much to her surprise that he wasn’t healing himself. She could see the smear of blood along his abs and the tinge of pink along his jawline and she threw him a look of confusion for a moment. When he turned to Locke to ask what their next plan was though, it became all to evident that he had no intention of healing himself. She’d been less hurt than he was and he’d made a point of helping her, so why wasn’t he helping himself? Her confusion melted into a look of stern unhappiness which she promptly covered under a false mask of optimism when she turned to look back at the guards. “Excuse me,” Aoife asked brightly, “but do you have a map of the facility? That would be immensely helpful to us. We can find a good lockdown place for your men to stay safe and it would aid us a lot in figuring out a plan.”

While she spoke openly, her mind was busy sending a message loud and clear across the Force to Levin. What are you DOING? she asked angrily, You’re our healer. You’re the ONLY healer. HEAL. YOURSELF. I shouldn't have to tell you this. You not healing your own wounds is selfish, Levin Caelum. There are a lot of people depending on you here; it is more important that you be in perfect health than any of the rest of us. Locke and I are here to help you but at the end of the day neither of us can actually get RID of this nexus. It has to be you. So stop being such a stubborn ass and drop the martyr routine or I swear to the Force, I will spend the rest of this excursion grabbing your butt every time you turn your back. Her frustration and concern for Levin’s wellbeing radiated off of her in waves, most of which were aimed in his direction, and she knew the threat of upping her normal levels of sexual harassment would get a reaction out of him. Sometimes Levin was too nice for his own good and she knew full well he’d use every last breath of energy in him to heal a scratch on her face while he let himself bleed to death if she didn't put a stop to it right then and there. In that place, they couldn’t afford to let him be so selfless. It would sign everyone’s death certificates if their only healer fell and if Aoife had to grope him a few times to get her point across...well, it was for the greater good.

Locke smiled with a quiet laugh at Aoife's little joke. "Best threesome I've ever been in," he in returned as his grey eyes sparkled with amusement. It really was good to have someone with a sense of humor along. Locke was very much thankful that Aoife would probably help keep him from going insane, though he supposed that, were she not here, he could have some fun with Lev, but it wouldn't be the same.

His eyes moved to sweep over the area they'd just cleared out as Lev pushed the bodies away, and he shook his head slowly.. So many dead, and more to come. Locke's nose wrinkled at the stench. It wasn't from the bodies, since they'd not yet had enough time to start decomposing--though, really the prisoners weren't the cleanest sort to begin with--but Labyrinth just smelled bad. Locke couldn't place what the stench was exactly, but it was there, pervading the place and assaulting his nostrils. Perhaps it was the stench of the corruption that had been trapped within the station's walls for so long. Or maybe it was something worse. Something more sinister coming from within Labyrinth's belly. They'd all find out soon enough, for better or for worse.

"Well that's good to know," Locke said to the Besalisk's statement. "And here I thought things would be easy!" He rolled his eyes a bit and leaned back against the rough durasteel wall behind him. He moved the candy in his mouth around idly as he thought, and he turned his eyes to Levin as the healer began to do his work. The guards were pretty beat up, and Locke found himself wondering if these were really all that remained of the guard force. Surely there had been at least one hundred for a place like this, right? What the hell happened here?

Locke's thoughts were cut off by Lev's approach. The Healer planned to heal him. That made Locke's eye twitch. He hated getting healed. Everyone else he knew said it felt fine, maybe even pleasant, but for him, it was like being thrown into freezing water. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. For a moment, he thought about trying to wave Lev away; after all, he wasn't too bad off. He had a few minor cuts and some bruises, but he was fine, really. Good thing I had this vest on, he thought wryly as he pondered about the number of times he'd been hit in the torso, with little more than perhaps a light bruise or two to show for it. He was a bit tired, but he'd fought through worse before. But he knew there'd be no dissuading Lev once the man was set on what he was going to do, so Locke just came off of the wall and prepared for what was coming. He tensed right before Lev's hand was within range, and a moment later his breath came out in a sharp hiss as the sensation of coldness slammed into him. A few choice swears that shan't be repeated here came from his mouth, but before he knew it, it was over. Or, he thought it was, rather. Lev did something, and it felt more like a cool breeze, rather than being assaulted with liquid nitrogen. Locke dared to think that it actually felt a bit pleasant. Whatever it was, it didn't last long, and it left Locke feeling like he'd just arrived and was ready to go. He gave me some of his own energy, Locke thought with some sense of wonder as the realization dawned on him. But Levin didn't say anything of it, instead asking if Locke had a plan for what they'd do before going to take care of Aoife.

"I, uh..." Locke's brow furrowed in thought for a moment as Levin worked with Aoife. "Well, let's see..." Once again, though, his thoughts were derailed by Levin, who, now that he was done with Aoife, was leaning heavily against the railing of one of the catwalks. Locke frowned for a moment, and his expression softened with worry as he finally noticed the injuries that Levin had taken. Yes, they could be worse, but Levin, being who he was, was refusing to heal himself in favor of caring for the others. For a moment, Locke's grey eyes were locked with Lev's green as the Healer once again asked if Locke had a plan. But for a moment, Locke was silent as he just looked at Lev. "You dutiful dog you," he said softly enough so that only the Jedi would be able to hear, "take care of yourself to, eh? We don't need you crapping out on us halfway through this."

Aoife spoke up with a plan, and Locke nodded in agreement. "She's right," he said, turning to Jejres. "A map of the place would be a great help, as would any location that you guys might be able to bunker down for the rest of this."

The big Besalisk looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, there's a fortified control room a little deeper in," he said. "We can get you a readout of the place there, and once we're there we can control the security systems again. To give you guys a hand. One of his big eyes turned to Levin. "It's the least we can do for the help. It was quiet for a moment before he adjusted the giant rifle he carried and started to walk forward. "But standin' around here yappin' won't do anything, so we'll lead you to the control room. Just stay close," he added as he turned his head back slightly to look at the Jedi, "There are all sorts of abominations in there.

"Abominations?" Locke asked as he fell in to follow, motioning for Lev and Aoife to come along.

"M-m-m-monsters," the Human stammered as the group approached a pair of massive doors. "They l-look like they should be d-d-dead, but they aren't. They don't t-th-think, they d-d-don't plan. They just k-kill."

Locke frowned. Monsters? What does he mean, 'monsters?' Surely the Dark Side's taint wasn't that strong here. Maybe the man was crazed. "Sounds splendid," Locke said a bit too cheerily. "Lev, I say that once this is all over with, we need to go get, extremely, ragingly drunk. Sound good to you?" Locke turned to look at the man with a wicked grin. "Of course it does," he continued. "Good, I know the perfect place back on Corsuscant. Their stuff is cheap, but not so cheap that you'll have to worry about throwing it all back up on the sidewalk. Food's pretty good too, now that I think on it."

"You make sure you get out of here alive first, Jedi," Jejres said with a laugh as he keyed in the code to open the two doors. "Because this place has gone beyond just being hellish. He barked a laugh as the two doors began to move. "It was hellish before all of this sh!t started to happen." The doors separated before coming to a stop, and a short, rancid blast of air wafted out onto the group. "Ladies and gents," Jejres said as he picked up his rifle and went to stand in the middle of the gaping maw of the doorway, "Welcome to Labyrinth."

"Lovely," Locke said when he was sure that his stomach wouldn't start heaving from the smell. "Remind me to book the place for a vacation sometime next year."

Levin's eyes snapped to Aoife as her voice came through the Force like a furious gale of wind. He clenched his jaw at her words, and forced down a flush of his cheeks at her threat. So he looked away from the Theelin, and right into the soft gray eyes of Locke. His friend spoke, and the left corner of Lev's mouth turned up in disapproval. Yes, it was true that he didn't feel it was needed to heal himself, but if it put both Aoife and Locke at ease, he would do as they wished.

His eyes fluttered closed and both arms raised to stomach-level with his palms facing up. Lev traced over the wounds he had with the Force, each cut and bruise etched in his mind's eye before he let waves of the Force wash in and out of his cuts and wounds. As if there was an invisible zipper attached to the cuts, they slowly sealed shut, and the bruise on his arm seemed to fade. With a deep breath Lev drew in as much non-tainted Force energies he could to refresh his mind and body. He turned his gaze first to Locke, then Aoife, and nodded without a word- signaling he was finished healing.

Happy? Levin sent to Aoife. He knew she would be, but also stifled a grin at her probable disappointment of not having an excuse to grope him. The Healer met the Besalisks look and shook his head once.

"Please, I was sent here to raise you and your men from perdition. You focus on keeping yourselves safe while us Jedi work."

Levin stated in that slight moment of quiet. No more lives would be lost to this malignant machine if he had anything to say about it. This place needed to be cleansed, and not just of the Nexus, but of it's very existence. How did the Jedi let this place be made? Prisons were always a source of uneasiness in the Force, but one made specifically to house the most sinister, vile, and deadly beings in the universe? Surely the Jedi spoke out against the very idea of it, the Force wouldn't be able to stand up to so much evil in such a small area. There was only one answer- this place was made against the wishes of the Jedi.

He glanced at the group when the Besalisk mentioned abominations. Levin knew it, there couldn't be a Darkside Nexus without some sort of tainted presence. A person's presence in the Force unfortunately was easily tainted when it has left it's physical form. That is why these Nexus' were important to erase from the galaxy. In that brief moment as a person died, and their presence was released to the Force, the Nexus grabs said presence, and twists it into something despicable. And the worst off the presence was to begin with, the worst the abomination turned out to be. But what the stuttering human said made Lev raise an eyebrow. Abominations usually could be seen by just about anyone, but they were never able to actually outright kill someone- taint, infect, and change someone for sure, but not kill.

Lev's mind was stripped from thought as Locke spoke his name. His eyebrow raised and he was about to say something about never drinking alcohol, and that his body was a temple. But the Investigator just kept talking, as always. Locke was always talking. Luckily, the Besalisk spoke soon afterwords, he laughed, but Levin could feel what the man was going through. He was captain of the guards here, and they had been annihilated- no one as pure as that man could ignore that kind of pain. The Jedi watched as the doors opened, and turned his face away from the stench that pervaded the area now. All of a sudden, his mind flashed with a vision of rotted, fetid skin stretched over swollen flesh, and a pair of eyes, it's whites pale green and webbed over by some sort of white mucus. Levin shook his head to remove the image- the warning- and he pushed a sense of warning to Aoife and Locke.

"Be on your guard, there is something unclean in the bowels of this place."

When Levin finally healed himself it was met with a mixture of mostly relief with just a touch of disappointment on the part of Aoife. Now she wouldn’t have a cheap excuse to grope the healer at random intervals though she was entirely willing to let the threat stand regardless and if he faltered in the least on his healing duties toward himself, well, then she’d just have to take action.

Happy?

Her smile was all mock innocence as Levin sent across the question to her. Immeasurably, she shot back at him before giving her attention back to Locke and the besalisk who was heading the security team. While Aoife was more than happy to joke on the outside she was far from lax about the mission or its potential dangers and she turned keen eyes on both men as the laid out a plan. They would get the security guards to the fortified room and from there the guards would not only be safe but could even render aid through the use of the computer systems as the Jedi made their way downward toward the belly of the proverbial beast. As a shudder coursed up her spine, Aoife let her eyes flick down to the stains on her pants and boots. Perhaps the beast wasn’t so proverbial after all. It felt as if the very building was alive and most unhappy about their presence.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it now, as much as Aoife would have been more than happy to pack herself and the others back onto the ship they’d arrived in and head out. Again she questioned why they didn’t just blow the place up from a distance and be done with it but she had to trust in Levin’s judgment on these things. She had never dealt with a Dark Side nexus before and wasn’t sure if it would simply get wiped out without the building around anymore or if it would linger. Levin’s insistence on facing it head on suggested the latter and that didn’t make the Theelin very happy. The Dark Side was dangerous on the best of days but a nexus? That was evil in a purified form, concentrated into one area where it would fester like a wound in the Force. Just the sort of thing she knew her impromptu partner Levin just LOVED to destroy.

The word abominations certainly caught Aoife’s attention and her head snapped up to stare wide eyed at the Besalisk. Abominations? What KIND of abominations? She’d heard of a nexus making people nuts before but never producing tangible evils all its own. She could only imagine what horrors were lurking further down in the depths of this metal husk but the pallor of the human’s face as he stammered out the word monsters let her know that what ever it was, she was NOT going to enjoy it. Locke’s bright persona never the less pulled a smile out of her as he cheerily invited Levin out to drink. A grin tugged at Aoife’s lips at the thought of her stoic partner being even the slightest bit tipsy since the man refused utterly to even eat his own candy because it wasn’t healthy much less touch an ounce of alcohol. Even if Levin wasn’t interested in drinking though, the thought of a few stiff shots of something powerful enough to peel paint definitely sounded like a plan to her.

Aoife kicked off from the railing she’d been leaning against and followed behind the rag tag team of security. As soon as the doors to the rest of the building opened she felt the bile rise in her throat. The stench was overwhelming and she didn’t bother to hide the gag as it hit her. Aoife turned to her head to the left but managed to hold back throwing up, a fortunate thing since she found herself staring right down at Levin’s shoes. She’d already thrown up on him quite a few times in the short period of time they’d known each other and she didn’t figure he’d have much appreciated her vomiting on him once again so she was grateful that she’d managed to hold it in. “Oh Light. That smell could knock a carrion eater off a crap wagon at thirty paces. What IS that? Did it always smell this bad or is this a special occasion worked up just for us?” Aoife’s face crumpled in disgust and she blinked a few times rapidly to clear the light stinging that accompanied the smell. It was as if the very air was tainted.

“Oh Locke,” she said brightly, making her way forward to pat him affectionately on the shoulder, “if you’re planning on coming back here for vacation, you’d better book way in advance. The waiting list is probably a mile long. Still, you should totally bring your newest girlfriend here. This is a definite step up from your apartment.” Aoife grinned jovially at her fellow Investigator before wandering a few steps forward to poke her head out the door. The coast was clear if one didn’t count the smell as being an adversary and she took a tentative step out into the hallway before she heard Levin’s warning behind her. A feeling of caution washed over her and she recognized it as coming from the healer himself. He must have sensed something within the Force that she hadn’t but knowing there was something even more horrifying than hordes of psychotic inmates all bent on their disembowelment out there in the darkness didn’t make Aoife feel any better. “I know,” she said with heavy sarcasm in response to his warning, “I can smell it.”

Aoife wasn’t really trying to be contrite but sarcasm and wit had always been her fall back for when she was terrified or uncomfortable about a situation. After all, if one didn’t have humor, what really was left? She glanced back at Locke and Levin before turning to Jejres. “All right, big boy. Where’s the control room?” Aoife offered the large being a bolstering smile and twirled her saber with a flourish. The move seemed to have the affect she was looking for as he snorted in amusement and echoed her smile with a smaller and albeit sadder one than her own. At least she’d managed to lighten the man’s mood some. Force knew these guards could use every bit of cheer they could get after what they’d been through. She fell into easy step beside him, taking up a lead position, and though her posture looked relaxed and sure from the outside, there were tell tale signs of her discomfort. Her shoulders held the tension of ready alertness and her bright eyes flicked from side to side along the hallway as the moved. Far down in the darkness she could make out the occasional noise of the inmates farther within the structure though the sounds were echoing and it was hard to place their origin.

Locke laughed heartily at Aoife. She was so much fun to be around again. "Ah, but Aoife, I have connections. With the right kind of persuasion," he waved his hand in an over-exaggerated way, using the same motion employed when the fabled Mind Trick was put to use, "you can convince a great many people to do some good things, no? Why, I bet I could book a week before coming here and wind up with a presidential suite that has a bay window looking out onto that lovely red nebula. " He grinned wryly and almost gagged on the putrid air before going on. "I think my latest girlfriend would love it."

He laughed again, and though his mouth was a smile, it did not touch his eyes. They were hard, and alert, like slabs of grey stone, looking to and fro to search for any threat that might come near. As the group started to move in, he fell back to a position towards the center of the group, behind Lev, Aoife, and Jejres, and among the other guards. Instead of his lightsaber, he held the two pistols he had in his hands; from what he'd gauged earlier, Levin and Aoife were a pair that worked extraordinarily well together with their sabers, as if they'd known each other for a good long while. So, he figured he'd let them tackle whatever came up close from the front while he gave support from the back. And, should they be attacked from the rear, he could lend his saber to help the men in the back with him.

Onwards they went, deeper through the twisting corridors of Labyrinth's belly. The place wasn't well lit, and the lights had been destroyed in some sections, leaving the group to wander through pools of darkness. Locke could see damage on the wall, carbon scoring from blasters that was likely created when the fighting started. And, despite the sounds echoing from deeper in, they didn't encounter anything. Not yet.

"There were a hundred and fifty of us before this started," the Kiffar suddenly growled in his deep, gravelly voice. "Now there's just five." He spat down onto the filthy metal floor beneath their feet. "We were supposed to be the best of the best. What the hell happened?"

"Shut up, Nier," the Barabel said flatly. "You know as well as the rest of us we were outmatched from the start. We can't fight military forces. And those... those... things. He shuddered visibly, and shook his head.

"Both of you shut up or I'll break your legs," Jejres called, looking back. "I won't have my men arguing at a time like this." The Besalisk sighed irritably before turning to look at Lev and Aoife. "I guess I need to introduce 'em, huh? The Human is Joran. The Kiffar's Nier. The Twi'lek is Voris. And the Barabel is Fiskis. They can be knuckleheads, but they're good men."

The group continued on in relative quiet for a little while longer until they came into a large square room that looked to be a dining hall of sorts. It was an absolute mess. Tables were flipped, blood stains were all over the floor, and there was an assortment of corpses--both guard and inmate--to go with them. "Alright," Jejres said as he hefted his rifle and gave a sidelong glance to the assembled team behind him, "this is one of the mess halls. There's another deeper down, but this area onward is where the fighting's been. Stay alert. Once we get out of here, the control room's just down the hall."

Locke let out a low whistle at the sight. "Jeez," he said as he lifted his pistols to a more ready position, "I wonder what happened he-"

He was cut off by a sudden scream outside one of the doors. They slammed open, and to the surprise of all, a guard stumbled through. His clothes were torn and his face was a mess of blood and bruises, but he was alive. He was followed by a group of inmates, some of which had a sickly pallor to their skin. The guard didn't make it more than a few panicked steps into the room before they descended on him and ended him. Locke's pistols were up on instinct, and he assumed everyone else was in motion to handle their guests. But, as the first shots left the barrels of his weapons, the doors on the other end of the hall were forced open, and another group of prisoners came flooding in. They were being attacked from both sides.

Splendid.