​     Estelle grabbed the arm of the nearest algrim and snapped it like a straw.​ She grabbed the weapon she had, then used it to shoot at every algrim she saw.​

​     Noel ran over to where he heard Brock's muttering, planted a foot on Brock's prone form, then screamed at the top of his lungs, "I'm right here! Come and get me you cowardly motherfuckers!"

     That drew a slew of weapon fire, which was what Noel wanted. Invulnerable, with Brock momentarily out for the count, he made for the best diversion. One algrim smacked him over the head with what was, basically, a high tech billy club. Good. Someone he could place. Noel counted to three, then used his leverage and a lot of training to grab the club, then wrest it from the algrim's grasp. He used the club to shatter the algrim's knees, then his skull. He felt for his assailant's rifle, but before he could find it another algrim grabbed his arm. Good. Someone else he could place. As Noel wrestled a weapon out of that man's arms, two other algrim jumped on him.

​     Noel pulled the trigger on the weapon he now held.

     ZZZAAPPP!

​     That got the algrim to let him go for a second. 

     Noel thought, that sounded like this weapon fires some sort of plasma burst. 

​     "Estelle!" he shouted. 

​     "I'm to your left!" she shouted back. 'Shawnacy and Trevor are behind you!"

​     Noel turned to his right and blasted away.

     Shawnacy cracked an algrim's skull with her battlestaff. She swung her staff upward, catching another algrim full in the nuts. She grabbed their rifles, curled into a ball, then spun up over everyone's head. A half dozen algrim flew up with her. She fired on them as she spun. She felt as comfortable in open air as most people did on solid ground.

​     Trevor got to his feet and looked around for Noel. No way could he get to him, though, because, for the moment, Noel and Brock were surrounded by a dozen attacking algrim. He watched Estelle wade into the black clad warriors, fists swinging. Trevor figured that the best thing he could do would be to get out of everybody's way. He stepped backwards, away from the fighting, towards one of the distant walls of the cavern. 

CONTINUE