I know its too late for submissions, but might as well throw my take into the mix. Word count, not including this opener and the title, is at 292. [b]This is the End[/b] I leaned against the door, letting a slow flow of electricity flow back into my plated body. The human equivalent would be the rush felt after heavy exertion. Despite the situation, I smiled to myself. Flesh was weak, while the cold iron would remain strong. The door behind me certainly did. It seemed that the whole damned city was after me. Beyond that door would be a few hundred Cabal, maybe even a thousand. It wouldn't matter when they got through. Even so, I made sure to push back a little more on the door. The longer I survived, the longer those ungrateful sacks of meat downstairs would have to escape. I knew that they wouldn't thank me, possibly not even mourn me. They didn't understand me, those of the City. The humans were the worst, but I was even shunned by my own kind. It wasn't me that was confusing; it was my opinion, my belief, that was intimidating. My view was simple: war is cruelty. The only rules that exist are those you impose upon yourself. I had no rules. That was why I stood while others fell. But that wouldn't happen this time. This was the end. I wasn't giving my life for some grand cause or noble ideal. I was trapped. A group of Guardians was down below. If I took enough of the bastards with me, I'd give them a little more time. Chances were they'd be dead despite my best efforts. But death, at this point, was an exercise in inevitability. As they said back at the Wall, you can either sit there whining, or grab a shovel and start digging. The display in my helmet beeped. I was at full combat capability. Time to die.