Ryan knew he couldn't fight them all at once. He had to break their formation, create chaos. He also knew they were expecting him to make a run for it.
So, he did exactly what they expected. He feigned panic, his eyes darting to the left, then to the right, as if searching for an escape path that wasn't there. He was playing the part of the cornered rat.
Kane's soldiers took the bait. They advanced more quickly, their movements becoming more aggressive as they scented an easy victory.
Just as they were about to close in, Ryan exploded into motion. He didn't run away; he dove forward, sliding behind a large, low-profile Precursor control console that sat directly in the path of one of the fire teams. From their perspective, it looked like a desperate, last-ditch move for cover.
They were wrong.
This was the console he had noticed earlier, the one his Neural Symbiote Map had flagged with a tiny, hidden icon labeled "Auxiliary Defense Sub-System."
