※go away,§ sj suddenly shouts, lifting his head from steve＊s shoulder, his voice trembling but loud. ※leave him alone!§

the director raises an eyebrow, looking very much like he＊d throw sj off the room if he had the opportunity, and steve feels a chill go down his spine. beneath them they can hear banging and thudding, and six-one-eight takes a step forwards.

※it won＊t hold them for long,§ he says.

※no,§ the director says, and his eyes narrow marginally, calculating. ※probably not.§

in one swift movement, he unfolds his arms, unholsters a gun and shoots shield in the shoulder. shield lets out a strangled yell and hits the floor hard, and then the director grabs six-one-eight and shoves him towards seven. without shield to hold him back, seven launches himself at six-one-eight, blind rage etched into his features.

※steve, run!§ shield bellows, scrambling to his feet with a hand clamped to his shoulder. this time, steve doesn＊t have to even think; it＊s three against two but he＊s got sj to think about, and he＊ll die properly before he lets anything happen to him-

it all happens so fast; seven and six-one-eight are fighting by the stairwell, seemingly determined to end the other at all costs, and the director raises the gun to point it at steve but before he can shoot shield is there, lunging at the director and shoving his wrist high. the gun goes off above their heads and sj cries out, and steve looks about for an exit as the director is distracted-

there. a fire escape. he surges into motion, running across the roof and heading for the wrought iron bars he can see. ※hold on tight,§ he says to sj, keeping on hand on his head and the other tucked under his legs. ※don＊t look.§

there＊s a crash and a cry, and then a hand grabs the back of steve＊s uniform and yanks him viciously backwards. sj screams and steve swings around on instinct, letting go of sj＊s head to punch his assailant straight in the mouth. the director staggers back, the gun flying from his hand, and steve has a wild moment of satisfaction because the bastard hadn＊t been expecting that, now had he? steve kicks the gun away, sending it skittering across the rooftop out of the director＊s reach.

the director straightens up, spitting out blood, eyes glittering with fury.

※why should you live when the rest of us don＊t?§ he snarls, and he swings at steve, catching him with a vicious uppercut. steve staggers back, and sj is screaming and he＊s falling; he hits the concrete on his back, barely throwing out a hand in time to break his fall, and sj＊s head smacks painfully against his jaw.

※this is exactly your problem,§ the director says, standing over them. ※you＊re so concerned with protecting that you et we were built to fight.§

steve struggles to his knees, body screaming out in pain. he looks up to see the director right in front of him, and then shield sprinting away from seven and six-one-eight, signalling with his hand as hees towards them. the navy of his uniform looks black where it＊s covered in blood, and his face is pale but the expression on it is determined and also pushing scared, eyes locked on sj-

steve＊s heart is pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursing through him. ※trust me?§ he asks sj, voice low, not taking his eyes from the director

※yes,§ sj replies, and steve doesn＊t hesitate. he stands up swiftly and pulls sj away from him, grabbing him under his arms and hefting him through the air, over the head of the director. sj lets out a strangled yell but shield is there perfectly in time, reaching out and grabbing sj roughly out of the air, grunting in pain, presumably because of the bullet wound. he turns with the momentum of the catch, spinning on his heel and running towards the stairwell, sj clinging to his side.

※nicely done,§ the director concedes, right before he steps forwards and kicks steve in the stomach. steve staggers back and hears sj screaming in the background. there＊s the bang of a door and sj＊s voice is muffled and echoing as shield carries him down the stairwell, and seven and six-one-eight are still fighting-

the director kicks out at steve again and steve grabs his ankle and twists, but the director knows the move and turns with it, dropping down and rolling over on his shoulder, moving into a crouch and swiping his leg around, kicking the back of steve＊s legs hard and sending him crashing to the floor. steve rolls back as the director lunges at him, bringing a knee up to catch him in the chest and then shoving him sideways onto his back.

the director twists around and his hand goes for the remaining gun strapped in at his side; steve lashes out and punches him hard enough to send him staggering back. he lunges after him to grab the gun, yanking it free from the holster. he tightens his hold on it but instantly realises it＊s been modified to withstand the director＊s grip and the case doesn＊t so much as bend, so he opts for hurling it well out of reach off the edge of the roof.

※don＊t need a gun to take you out,§ the director pants.

steve cocks his head, bracing himself and raising his fists. ※yeah, i can see you＊re doing swell so far. i＊m clearly nearly beat.§

face twisting in fury, the director swings at him again. steve dodges the first hit but not the second; another dizzying uppercut to the jaw that leaves him reeling for a moment, the memory of the robot doing exactly the same just before he was stabbed searing into the forefront of his mind. he swings for another punch but the director grabs his wrist and hauls him over, flipping him onto his back so their positions are reversed, and steve wishes violently for his shield-

there＊s a distant crash and steve manages to look up just in time to see stephanie and themander burst onto the roof. themander grabs six-one-eight and helps seven tackle him to the ground, and stephanie bolts over to steve and before the director can even look up, she jumps over and kicks him hard in the side, sending him sprawling across the gravel. panting, steve gets to his feet and joins the fray; it＊s nasty and messy and steve feels like he＊s in a goddamn bar brawl, but between him and stephanie they wrestle the director to the ground. steve has his arms around the directors neck and stephanie has his wrists twisted up behind his back, and then violet is there and holding his shoulders down. breathi