Sirens wail at the top of the skyscraper. The echo of hurried footsteps shakes the metal floor. Nicole leads the group, with Billy bringing up the rear and Anby flanking in the shadows. They run without stopping, while the noise of an enemy faction reverberates behind them.

Nicole: "Billy, open that window NOW!"

Billy: "Gladly!"

Billy draws his dual pistols and fires. The bullets ricochet with a dull boom: armored glass. From outside, a hostile helicopter detects the noise and launches a volley of missiles. The impact shatters the room. The air fills with fire and debris. Bodies are flung into the void.

They fall.

The ground vibrates as if in a whimper. The air smells of burnt electricity and the dust of broken realities. Billy lands first, rolling on the ground and getting up as if he were part of the show.

Billy: "I'm alive! And I'm still handsome! ...Hello? Anyone else land with style?"

Nicole stands up with a frown, brushing pieces of debris off her shoulder as if the dust bothered her more than the explosion.

Nicole: "If you take one more second to strut, I'll make sure you don't get up on the next landing."

Anby falls right after… literally on top of Billy.

Billy: "AAH, MY RIBS!" Anby (calmly): "I softened your fall. She's grateful." Billy: "Was that a kick or a blessing disguised as aggression?!"

A deep roar cuts through the conversation. Then another. And another, higher-pitched one. From the ground, from the walls, from the shadows… creatures begin to emerge. Some look like metallic insects; others, enormous beasts made of wires and flesh. They have more eyes than they should. Some don't even have faces.

Nicole: "Great! We've gone from 'almost killed by a helicopter' to 'Hollow-version monster banquet.' Anything else? Meteor shower? Killer clowns?"

Billy: "Don't get any ideas, Nick... you know what happened last time." Anby: "My sword's ready." Billy: "And my spine, broken but available."

The monsters pounce. Claws, talons, teeth, and chaos. The group launches into combat, synchronized as if they'd never been apart. Every blow is a dance, every dodge a millimeter of difference between living and being eaten.

But they do it with style. Because if you're going to fight in the Hollow… you better do it with attitude.

Nicole, panting between attacks Nicole: "Remember… if we die, let it be with an epic line."

Billy: "I have like five lists! Which one do I use first?!"

Anby: "Silent, lethal… but if you look at her closely," she smiles a little.