The relative safety of the service corridor lasted for about thirty seconds.
Then the howling started.
It wasn't the sound of an animal. It was a high-pitched, electronic shriek that seemed to echo from the metal walls themselves, a sound that grated on the teeth and made the soul itch.
"Phase Hounds," Jinx growled, her face a mask of grim familiarity. "The new models. Kael's personal pets."
"Well, at least we know he's a dog person," Jax quipped, his cheerfulness a little strained now. "That's a point in his favor, right?"
"The corridor ahead splits," Chloe's voice cut in, all business. "The patrol patterns are converging. You can't stay together."
"Split up," she commanded. "Jinx, Jax, take the left fork. It leads to the lower-level maintenance shafts. Create a diversion. Loudly."
"Loudly is my middle name!" Jax declared, already pulling a particularly nasty-looking grenade from his belt.
