A body flew through the open door before Duncan and the others, landing in a broken pile on the floor. He ran to the figure, horrified by what he saw; it was Freya, broken and bloodied. Whatever had done this to her was ridiculously powerful; one of her arms was snapped in two, the other badly burnt as if she had tried to block a Fire spell. But she was alive, Duncan was relieved to find. After casting a few curative spells on her to deaden the pain and slow blood loss, he led Xerox and Syrus into the next room.

[hr]

The Major roared victoriously as the second traitor fell, unmoving beneath a pile of rubble, but didn't stop his juggernaut charge toward the two women. But the action left him momentarily distracted, enough for the traitor to set up a surprisingly effective counter that had the hulk staggering backward. The world seemed dimmer somehow, as if half the lights had suddenly shut off. Wiggs couldn't have known that the SeeD's attack had crushed one of his eyes and even if he did, it would hardly have mattered; there was still one traitor ahead, bracing for a fist fight. Barging in, gauntlets swinging, he was able to get a glancing blow in before the girl hit back, a series of lightning punches and arcing kicks that quickly put him on the defensive. For a long moment it seemed as though the SeeD had the upper hand, might even win... But it wasn't to be. Sheer brute force was the deciding factor as Wiggs finally landed a single punch, breaking through the girl's block to crush her arms with a burning fist. The body flew back like a ragdoll but that traitor was no longer the Major's concern; she could be finished at will. He turned slowly back to the others, a leery grin snaking across his misshapen features. For the first time he spoke, his voice inhumanly deep and laced with the stuttery sound of artificial modulation.

[b]'ThREe doWn... MoRe to COmE. HUnnngerrr, kILLL. TrAAI... tors.'[/b]

The monsterous soldier took a deep breath and charged. Out of nowhere a spell blindsided him, sheets of ice encasing his arm and binding him to the floor. His inertia kept him moving forward and Wiggs crashed into wooden floorboards with an ominous shattering sound.

[hr]

The three of them burst through the doorway, weapons ready at hand. The scene that greeted them was pure carnage... One very dead SeeD, their informant unmoving under a pile of rubble... and in the centre of the wide corridor, a gorilla of a man half frozen to the floor. Duncan paused for a critical second, trying to take it all in, but that one second was long enough for Syrus to act brashly. The Sorcerer dove forward, power accumulating around his fists; Duncan recognised it, the sealing magic cast on Eika during the test. If Syrus could seal Wiggs even temporarily... But that wasn't meant to be either. The Major's reaction was instant and over in a heartbeat. Before Duncan could even register what was happening, Syrus' unconscious form was battered out the window, broken limbs flopping around uselessly. The SeeD stood transfixed, horrified by what he had saw as the hulking mass pulled his frozen arm free of the floor and turned toward him, gauntlet machine gun raised. Duncan reacted, utterly thoughtless as he raised his paramagic rifle and pulled the trigger. A long arc of electricity hit Wiggs dead centre mass, eliciting a roar of pain... and something more. Suddenly the Major's movements were much slower, more erratic, almost as if... Xerox figured it out first. [b]'It's the implants! Hit him with Thunder, now!'[/b]