Fire!

With the revelation of general McClain's betrayal, John was all business. He leaned forward and folded his hands together, "Doctor Newman, I hope you understand the predicament you've placed me in."

The doctor pushued her glasses up, "I do, which is why I'm asking you to trust me."

John wasn't sure what to do in this situation. If he risked helping Charrack then the military would deem him a traitor, indeed all of mankind would look on him with hate. Deep down, he felt there was no choice other than to help Charrack, but something was holding him back, making him hesitate.

The doctor broke the silence, "I can get Charrack out of his cell and provide a way out that should be relatively clear."

"What about guards?" John asked.

"That, I leave to you. What do you need?"

John thought for a moment. What he really wanted was a light machine gun, maybe a few grenades and smoke bombs. Thermal scopes, stealth suits, and radio jammers would have been useful too.

John let out a sigh in resignation, "What have you got?"

Sarah but her lip in thought, "Access to the armory and lab supplies. I don't know what you are looking for."

An idea struck John that might do the trick, "Can you get me access to those as well?"

"I may have dropped my access badge by mistake." Sarah winked and unclipped the badge from her coat pocket and slid it into John's hand.

John shot to his feet and snapped his fingers, "I have a plan, give me your lab coat."

Sarah gave John a quizzical look but followed his instructions. He threw the coat around his shoulders and grabbed Sarah's glasses.

"If you're trying to pose as me, I'm not sure you quite fit the role." Sarah gestured to John's arms that barely fit into the sleeves.

John rushed into the bathroom and looked for anything flammable, he got lucky and found some hand sanitizer. He stood on top of a chair and reached up to the overhead lights, pulling the cover off.

"If I hit an exposed electrical wire, he explained, we can say I started a fire when I was angry or bored." He explained.

"But the fire suppression system will just put it out."

John smiled and pulled out a few wires, "Not if it starts above them."

He opened the top of the hand sanitizer and lay it on its side next to the light fixture that was integrated into the ceiling. After this he stuck one wire inside the bottle and the other on the outside edge of the steadily expanding pool. He quickly jumped down and stood to the side.

"This may take a minute," he said, crossing his arms.

A second later they heard a sizzle and pop as smoke spurted out of the ceiling. The fire quickly expanded and began heating up the room. The sprinkler system activated a moment later and water poured down on their heads.

John walked over to the door, "how long until the alarm goes off?"

Sarah shrugged, "It already has in the operation center, but the quarantine wing should activate once the system figures out the fire isn't going out."

The remaining lights exploded, spilling hot glass shards all over the pair. John shielded Sarah with his own body as the sharp particles rained down on them. An alarm began sounding and all the doors automatically opened.

The guard at the door spun on them in confusion, "What?..."

John clocked him with a right hook and the man rolled around on the ground in a semiconscious state.

"Get me that path and let Charrack out of his cell. Thanks for your help, I'll put in that good word for you." John waved at doctor Newman as he rushed down the echoing hallway.

...

Charrack sat in his cell all alone. The rumble in his stomach had grown to a thundering growl that even his guards could hear. He had been given neither food nor drink since his arrival, even after doctor Newman ordered it for him.

One of the guards stared at Charrack as he paced up and down the cell. The silent presence darkening Charrack's mood further.

"What are you looking at?" Charrack finally growled.

"Just another beast in a cage." A woman's voice answered.

"From where I stand, your people are the beasts." Charrack's voice boomed.

The guard clenched their fist, "Your kind murdered my sister."

Charrack walked up to the glass and stared down at the guard, "Your people started this war, and mine only defended themselves, nothing more."

"Oh really?" The guard removed her helmet, allowing her blonde braids to spill on her shoulders, "What kind of people defends their own by eating their enemies on the battlefield."

Charrack barred his fangs, "You lie."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" They shouted.

"Maybe they were starved, and your family tasted good." Charrack licked his lips, "Maybe I should eat you myself and find out."

The guard took a step closer to the glass, "Even if you were out of your cell, you couldn't possibly rip through my armor."

"Care to test that theory?" As Charrack spoke his last line, an alarm began to sound.

The guard put her helmet back on and returned to her post as all the exits opened.

"What is going on?" Charrack put his face up against the glass to get a better view.

"None of your concern, lizard!" The blonde guard yelled over her shoulder.

A minute passed with the alarms blaring before a man in a lab coat and glasses stumbled into the cell area. He caught sight of Charrack and rushed over to the guards.

"What are you doing here, don't you hear the fire alarm?" The second guard asked.

The man didn't answer, but bent over double, out of breath from his run.

The guard took a step forward and put a rough hand on the man's shoulder, "This is a restricted are, you need to leave."

The man steadied his breathing and smiled, "No, I don't think I will."

He sprung into action, twisting the guard's arm behind their back and grabbing the stun baton out of their other hand. Then he shoved them onto the floor with his foot and jabbed the electric baton into their back. The guard convulsed and went still.

The other guard swung her baton at the man's head, her blonde hair still visible peaking out from under her helmet. The man spun around gracefully and aimed a blow ant her in return. The guard managed to block the attack and push him away.

Charrack looked back and forth between the humans in confusion, not understanding why one of their own would turn on them, "Would someone tell me what is going on?"

The two ignored him and continued their battle. For all the guards skill, she couldn't land a blow on the mysterious man who could dodge her attacks. Her bulky armor made her slow and incapable against such a lithe opponent.

Through great effort, the man managed to wrap her in a headlock with one of her arms above her head, "You might as well give up and make it easy on yourself."

The guard slammed her heel into the mans shin. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip, "suit yourself."

He lifted her into the air and flipped over backwards, slamming her head into the ground. The guards helmet cracked against the ground and bent at an awkward angle. The guard attempted to stand up again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The strange man cautioned.

The guard continued to slowly rise to her feet and the man grabbed her arm by the wrist and shoulder, "If you insist."

He twisted the arm in a rapid motion behind her back and there was a loud pop, as the joint was pulled out of socket. The guard groaned and collapsed onto her face.

The man smiled and grabbed her key card with his thumb and index finger, "Thank you."

He opened the door and gestured for Charrack to exit, "Congratulations on negotiating your release."

And Charrack, punched him in the face....