Sarah, Bryan, Iris, and Chronos crowded onto the mecha's hand. Iris kept a fist knotted in the back of Bryan's shirt the whole way, whether to steady herself or because she was scared of heights, it didn't matter.
The hand rose, and the cold wind of the dawn hit their faces.
.
.
.
When they got a glimpse of the surroundings, there really was nothing left. Just the basement they had crawled out of, a scatter of broken pillars, and mud as far as the searchlights reached, glinting wetly where the water had drained off.
Sarah turned in a slow circle, seeing what happened to the others and their enemies.
Bryan didn't turn in a circle. His eyes had already caught on a shape out past the rubble. His face went blank, unable to decide what to do or how to react.
He saw Colonel Vane lay pinned under a fallen slab of concrete. He wasn't moving. Bryan had seen enough bodies in his life to know what it meant.
Ah, he thought, as he felt his heart drop. Damn.
