Jocasta opened her mouth, a clever lie already forming on her lips. Unfortunately the guard closest to a panic button was already lurching toward it, either having recognized the prisoners, or simply too nervy to wait a few seconds for clarification. Quick as lighting Jocasta yanked the needler from its pouch, thrust it out one handed and fired. The miniaturized weapon made a whack, whack, whack, as it fired combining the air splitting report with the hum of the acceleration coils, sounding like the worlds most spiteful sewing machine. The man going for the alarm jerked and fell sideways, blood grouting from the joint between his chest plate and his helmet. Everything was suddenly happening at once. The guard closest to Jocasta tried to swing the barrel of his rifle to bear even as his lips twisted to shout for help. Jocasta cut her arm down, parrying the barrel away with her own weapon. The plasma rifle went off with a sun bright flare that made the hair stand up on everyone's neck. The ravening plasma bolt struck one of the ceramic riot shields and refracted splashing up over a number of cardboard containers which immediately began to burn. Jocasta fired her needler as she finished her parry, putting three needle sharp spikes into the boot and lower leg of her assailant. The man reeled back in time for his chin to meet Markus's pistol but as it came forward, cracking him back so hard the chin strap of his helmet broke and bounced free. The bloodied guard now unconscious crashed into his partner as he tried to clear his own weapon and he went down in a tangle of limbs. 

An alarm began to shriek, a fire alarm ironically, and the roof erupted in a torrential downpour of fire suppressing foam. The stuff had a reeking chemical tang and somehow managed to be both slippery and clingy. Jocasta tried to back up to get room but her feet went out from under her and she crashed to the ground, her needler still shimmering with the waist heat. Markus fired into the pair of downed guards with a quick snap snap that made both bodies spasm and lay still.