The bullet from Cortana's gun blows the head off of the metallic snake and keeps going, grazing Zyrian's shoulder before burying itself in the floor. The thrown gun strikes another snake and knocks it to the floor where it writhes, trying to right itself and get out from under the weight of the weapon. There's a pained gasp from the bier and finally movement from Steel himself as his eyes open, staring and seemingly unseeing in the split second before Cortana's literally on top of him.

In the moment she tackles him, his gaze focuses and turns to her. There's surprise, then recognition, and then panic as he, Cortana, the bank of servers serving as his bier, and the last frantic copper snake guarding him all go crashing hard to the floor. Wires snap with the impact; while he's too elaborately tied-in to be completely knocked free, she's jarred him loose by breaking some wires and tearing others free from his now bleeding body. Unfortunately for Zyrian, that also means he has nowhere to go, as he's still tethered to the wreckage by the remaining wires.

Abruptly, the wires ensnaring Yelena let go and writhe in the direction of Cortana and Zyrian. They're moving less smoothly, though, with much less coordination, and struggling to reach their master where he's been knocked to the opposite side of the clearing. Similarly, a copper snake reaches Elidibus and strikes only to go wide and completely miss his leg.

From all around them are the rustling, slithering, thumping sounds of reinforcements in the form of copper snakes making their uncharacteristically clumsy way inward to defend Zyrian. The defenders are not down for the count, but the attack on Zyrian seems to have sent them into disarray.

From Zyrian there are groans of pain and a strained "No--no!"