The harsh sound of metal grating on metal swallowed the compound as hundreds of doors slid open around the facility. Sleipnir cocked her head to the side, curious but cautious at the same time. She considered leaving Muninn and Fritha to investigate, but decided they needed to stay together. That was before the gunshots. She immediately focused on that sound alone, trying to pinpoint its exact location. Seven hallways up. Maybe. The only reason someone would be shooting that far away was if they had encountered Ayra. Or rather, she had encountered them.
She's a trained assassin. They're probably all dead. She can handle herself. Sleipnir reasoned. She's fine. The Asgardian cast a doubtful glance at her comrades. But humans are so fragile. They'll be fine without me. I'll just go check on Ayra and then come back. They won't even miss me. Without a word, she turned and vanished, following the distant echoes like a ghost.
She navigated a path through the corridors faster than the gunfire she was chasing. The wretched bang of a pistol only made her increase speed, whipping down the hallway like a gust of wind. A glimpse of scarlet up ahead caught the speedster's eye, and she stopped. Everything stopped. The world stood still for a second, frozen in time while the Asgardian processed what lay before her. Carnage. But that wasn't the truly horrific part. Sleipnir had fought in ancient wars, slain deities, and watched immortal empires fall by the sword. It wasn't the matter of blood-soaked corpses that made her heart drop. It was the sight of one of her friends, broken and limp, lying among them.
Sleipnir made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a gag. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. She wasn't sure if her heart had started up again after the world froze.
She looked over, and saw a man standing upright with a gun in his hand. A spare knife was in Sleipnir's grasp before she had even made a conscious decision, and she threw it mercilessly at his heart. Fortunately for the fellow, the speedster's hands had been unsteady since she laid eyes on her fallen comrade, so the dagger had shifted in its flight. Instead of killing the man as intended, it sliced through the sleeve of his shirt, dragging him backwards and pinning him against the wall. I only need a moment. It's enough. The shifter thought.
She moved forward and knelt softly at her friend's side. Her clothes touching the ground turned crimson, but the raven-haired girl didn't notice or care. She was focused solely on the assassin's bullet wounds, but one glance was more than enough to tell it was hopeless.
"No ... no. No no no no no no. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She choked. "This is my fault."










