Sheri flinched as the missile struck, debris raining down around them. It was difficult to see in the haze of smoke and dust, and the silence was ominous. Surely the explosion had not managed to take both of their attackers out, as tempting as it was to think that it might have. She peered out cautiously, and in the distance she heard a whir and click that confirmed that at least one had survived the carnage.

“Shit...” she whispered, unable to believe that thing could really still be coming. How much abuse had it suffered in one evening, only to keep returning ready to dish out just as much if not more than it received? It had managed to escape being crushed in the elevator shaft and had even held it’s own against their mysterious pursuer. What hope did they have against something like that?

A hand closed around her arm and she jerked around, heart racing, only to see Deadblood, silently gesturing over towards the exit on the far side of the basement. Even with that freaky cyborg up and moving around again the masked man was no where to be seen for the moment. They might have a better shot getting to the exit with only one of those heavy hitters to contend with. Hell, maybe the creature had managed to off the mystery attacker, but Sheri highly doubted that given the way this evening had so far progressed. No, better to make a break for it while it was still possible.

The two crept out from their hiding place and began to ease cautiously towards the exit, and for a brief moment they both hoped that the thick cloud of dust would provide enough cover to creep to the door without incident. A sudden hail of gunfire erupting from the smoky darkness dashed those dreams however, leaving Deadblood cursing and the two of them scrambling to seek cover again.

The exit loomed so tantalizingly close and yet seemed so far out of their reach for all practical intents and purposes right now. There was no getting around it, they were going to have to face that creature head on at least once more if they had any hope of escaping the basement.

Sheri felt that familiar dull throb start in her head, and knew that while she might have it in her for one last mental assault, she would have to be calculating and strike decisively and swiftly. All though there was definitely no lack of debris down here to employ against their cybernetic assailant, the lack of visibility in the wake of it’s latest missile strike in this enclosed space was proving a definite handicap. While it likely did nothing to stymie their attack with it’s enhanced vision, it was proving to be a thorn in their side.

Deadblood seemed to already realize this, scanning through the darkness for the next availible source of cover to shield them should CP-ZERO feel trigger happy again before they could formulate a concrete plan of attack. Deadblood was about to cautiously motion Sheri towards that next safe haven when he felt something brush against his shoe, something heavy and foreign yet at the same time oddly familiar.

Sheri quirked an eyebrow as he suddenly bent down, and grabbed at something on the ground before suddenly shoving her out into the open towards the exit! before she could question or protest, he shouted for her to run, before turning in the direction the bullets had come from.

“Hey fucker! Yeah, over here! Come on you big metal piece of shit, I’m right here, come and fucking get me!” Deadblood yelled, as Sheri paused for a brief second, wondering exactly what the hell her partner was doing.

“I said GO..!” he hissed, before turning his attention back towards the heavy footsteps approaching. Sheri wondered for the hundredth time that night if Deadblood hadn’t finally lost whatever marbles he had rolling around upstairs but she didn’t have to be told twice to keep moving. Even if he was crazy, he seemed confident in his gambit, and she’d just have to trust him.

She continued towards the exit, closing in on the door as those ominous footsteps grew even louder, and just as she was sure Deadblood was done for she heard a loud hiss that made her pause and look back.

She could just make out what looked like Deadblood emptying a fire extinguisher right into the armored face of CP-ZERO before bringing the canister across that visor with a loud clang before dropping it and bolting towards the exit.

“Fucking RUN!” he shouted, as she shoved the door open and fled into the emergency stairwell leading back up to the street, Deadblood hot on her heels practically shoving her up the stairs.

No sooner did they reach the street level than they both spotted it. There, against the side of the building sat a large trash compactor no doubt used to crush up boxes and packing refuse. Alongside it sat several dumpsters and recycling bins, all in a neat row. They exchanged a glance, and wordlessly both gave a hard push. The dumpsters went first, tumbling and crashing down the stairwell, breaking the metal steps with both their weight and the force applied. Next went the recycling bins, their contents spilling messily down the now reamed out passageway, and finally with a shove came the trash compacter itself.

Sheri groaned and swayed on her feet for a brief moment, feeling as if she were about to pass out. Deadblood took her by the arm and began to lead her away, breathing heavily but satisfied that nothing would be emerging from that particular exit ever again.