The tunnels are mostly empty. No more than three smaller class mimics cross their path and they quickly dispatch them. They stop at a corner so Kyungsoo can sense the direction of the omega again before continuing.

Kai keeps an eye out for any movement, shinning the light attached to his wrist guard. The other hand he has on the trigger of the automatic rifle Tao gave him. Everything is dark and silent except for the slow beeps of the bomb at Kyungsoo’s hip. The captain had turned it on once they’d entered the nest. He said it was best to have it ready for when they found the omega. Jongin wonders how fast he’ll have to be when throwing it to the alien beast. He’d be teleporting Kyungsoo and himself out, and he still didn’t have much practice carrying another person like that. It usually took him a few seconds to get it right.

“There’s two more levels down,” Kyungsoo says. “We need to get there.”

Kai grabs his hand, but the other shrugs it away.

“No. Save your energy,” he says. “Let’s see if there’s a way down.”

They move down the tunnel until they reach a dead end. There’s a hole the size of a basketball court leading down. Kai peers over the edge, but there’s nothing but darkness below. “That’s too deep for ropes. I’m going to have to teleport us anyway.”

“Fine, let’s—Look out!”

Kyungsoo pushes him into the hole. He’s so stunned that he free falls for seconds before he teleports back up. The captain battles with an alpha mimic. The beasts blue fire—unlike the orange of the smaller ones—is a live thing that spews out of the alien beast’s maw. Boulder after boulder detaches from the wall and hurls itself at the alpha. Kyungsoo is barely keeping it away from himself.

Kai struggles with what to do. The riffle will only annoy the beast, but it won’t actually kill it. And he could teleport to Kyungsoo and get them out, but if he times it wrong, the beast could easily get him or he could get his captain killed.

Kyungsoo screams something to him, but it’s hard to hear over the alpha’s mighty roar when it’s knocked down by half a wall collapsing on him. The captain takes his chance and runs. Only he doesn’t run towards Kai.

He runs to the hole and jumps.

Kai’s heart drops to his stomach. He lets go of the rifle, letting it hang from his back, runs after Kyungsoo and dives, just as the alpha re-emerges. He spots the falling light of the bomb attached to Kyungsoo and aims for it. Kyungsoo grunts as they collide, still falling. He wraps his arms around th