Tom felt paralyzed. All of time seemed to stop once Sylva’s blade cut into Marcus’s flesh. In that instant, Tom felt as helpless as he did when he had to watch Scott, Emily, and Michael die in battle. Another flood of emotions. His rage directed at Sylva for what she’d done, but also his own guilt over his interactions with Marcus. They’d clashed so many times that Tom had secretly hoped the grumpy bastard would just…go away.

  But not like this.

  “Marcus!” Tom ran to the elder man’s side as he collapsed on the floor. The stump where his hand had been continued to pump out blood, as even more flowed from the wound on his abdomen.

  “Tom…” said Ethan, clearly having trouble himself at putting words together. “The Sanctum…”

  In that moment, Tom had almost completely forgotten about Sylva and the Sanctum. Right now, he tried to worry about Marcus. Tom tore Marcus’s shirt open, then ripped strips of cloth off it. He tied one of the strips around Marcus’s arm, trying to stem the bleeding from his severed hand.

  “What about Sylva?” asked Ethan.

  “Fucking go!” shouted Tom. “You need me to wipe your ass, too?”

  Tom immediately regretted those words, but there’d be time for apologies later. Ethan didn’t offer another word, just ran into the Sanctum. Tom activated the scanner on his helmet, and the diamond flashed blue as it did its work. The results of the scan appeared on Tom’s HUD.

  Marcus’s blood pressure dropped at a precipitous pace. He had to try to stem the bleeding as much as possible.

  “Hey kid…I don’t think it’s gonna do much…” whispered Marcus, his voice straining.

  Tom shook his head. “No, there has to be—”

  He stopped, then looked off to the side. The Flameblade, which he’d dropped in the chaos. Tom sprung from the ground and ran to its location. His feet slid across the floor as he tried to stop, and he grabbed the sword’s hilt. Running back, he nearly toppled over as he got back down on the ground. Tom held the sword with the blade pointed at the ceiling. Flames erupted all along the metal, and Tom concentrated, trying to increase the temperature as much as his powers would allow. The flames soon receded, but the blade now had a slight glow to it.

  Tom grabbed Marcus’s arm and held it up. He brought the sword close to the stump and looked at Marcus. With a thought, Tom’s helmet retracted so he could look Marcus in the face.

  “This is gonna hurt…” he said.

  Marcus’s eyes were heavy-lidded, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod. Tom pressed the hot metal against his skin, and Marcus’s entire body stiffened. He tried to scream, but his voice proved almost impossibly weak. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, and Tom had to suppress his desire to vomit.

  He pulled the sword away and examined his handiwork. It had worked, the wound was closed. Tom didn’t know how much damage he might’ve done in the process, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

  “Now for the other one…”

  Tom charged up the Flameblade again, heating the sword once more. He looked down at Marcus’s abdomen. The length of the blade combined with the placement of the wound made this more challenging.

  “Okay…I think I got it.” Tom positioned himself perpendicular to Marcus. He pointed the sword straight ahead. “What I need you to do is to get on your knees, and then…kneel forward.”

  Tom stared at the blade, waiting for Marcus to do as he said. But Marcus remained propped up against the wall. Tom looked over at him.

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  “Marcus, c’mon. I know it’s gonna hurt, but I need you to work with me.”

  Tom stared into Marcus’s eyes. They’d shut completely.

  “Marcus...?”

  Ethan followed Sylva into the Sanctum, the door shutting behind him. He gripped the Aquatrident tightly in his hand as he entered the pitch-black room. His suit adjusted to the lighting, shifting things into night-vision for his benefit. And he saw Sylva in the darkness, approaching the beam of light in the center of the room. Ethan pointed his trident at her, summoning up a powerful waterfall to surround her. She stopped, then turned to face him, staring at him through the cascading water. Sylva pulled the mask from her mouth, staring at him with her black eyes.

  “The green one,” she said. “Fitting it’s you who’s made it this far.”

  “I’m not letting you get any further, Sylva,” he said.

  “You’ve heard my tale. You know what the Quantum Group did to me,” she said. “To my people. My world.”

  “I know what you said, but that doesn’t stand for a whole lot. I’ve seen no shortage of people who make shit up to justify their actions.”

  “Then let us ask your masters,” said Sylva, gesturing toward the beam of light in the center of the room.

  Ethan glanced at the light, then back at Sylva. “Your people have caused a lot of damage today. That man you mauled? I don’t know if he’s going to survive. So forgive me if I’m not so keen on giving you the benefit of the doubt, you psycho.”

  Sylva closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Her image fluctuated, as if Ethan’s eyes were out of sync with each other. The next thing he knew, she was no longer in his watery prison, she was right in front of him.

  Ethan raised up the Aquatrident, but Sylva grabbed it. She used his own strength against him, flipping him on his back and taking the trident from him. Sylva brought the weapon down, halting herself with the tines just inches from Ethan’s neck.

  “You will see. And then, you will learn.”

  Sylva tossed the Aquatrident aside, then moved into the beam of light. Ethan got to his feet, but before he could take a step toward her, the shadowy holographic images of the Tribunal appeared around her.

  “Who are you?” asked one of the Tribunal. “What’s the meaning of this intrusion?”

  She drew her blades from the sheaths on her back. “My name is Sylva, and I’ve earned the title of the Shadowblade. I’m the consequence of your actions.”

  “These terms mean nothing to us.”

  “Varilia,” she said.

  Silence fell over the Tribunal.

  “You recognize that name, do you not?” asked Sylva. “That was the name of my world. Before Quantum came and destroyed it.”

  Ethan stayed in the shadows, studying the holographic representations of the Tribunal. The giant, floating heads cloaked in shadow maintained their silence. For Ethan, the silence had something to say. He couldn’t determine if it proved Sylva’s claims, but it no longer seemed so unbelievable.

  “Have you nothing to say in defense of your crimes?” asked Sylva.

  “We do not need to dignify your half-truths with an answer.”

  “‘Half-truths’?” Sylva repeated. “Was it a half-truth when I watched my family slaughtered by your soldiers and your mechanical monstrosities? Was it a half-truth when I was forced to rape my planet’s resources for your benefit? Was it a half-truth when I watched my people choke on the toxic atmosphere you created?”

  “There is much you do not understand about your homeworld.”

  Ethan couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. His helmet disassembled into its nanite components, retreating from his face. He moved behind Sylva, staring at the faces of the Tribunal. Their darkened eyes fixated on him.

  “Knight Jackson.”

  “It’s true?” He pointed at Sylva. “Did the Quantum Group destroy her world? Steal its resources? Enslave their people?”

  “The situation is far more complicated than you understand.”

  “The fuck it is!” shouted Ethan.

  “Varilia had the potential to be an enemy world.”

  “The potential?” asked Ethan. “You mean they didn’t even pose a threat, you were just basing this all on whether or not you thought they might someday, somehow pose a threat?”

  “We’ve heard enough of their lies.” Sylva raised her arms, bending her elbows. She threw her arms forward, and the twin curved blades flew from her grip. They whipped around the Sanctum, silver streaks cutting through the darkness of the room.

  The blades sliced into the room’s hidden technology, and Ethan could hear electricity crackling as wires frayed and split, as metal was cut to shreds. He watched with a mixture of uncertainty and fear as the images of the Tribunal flickered until they completely vanished.

  The twin blades returned to Sylva’s waiting hands. She sheathed them behind her back, then turned to Ethan. Her eyes regarded him carefully, and she extended an open arm.

  “Jackson is what you are called?”

  He hesitated and then answered, “Ethan, actually.”

  “Ethan.” Her features softened as she spoke his name. “You know the evil they’ve done. There’s nothing this place has to offer other than lies. You no longer have to serve as their puppet. Instead, you can come with me.”

  “And then what?” he asked.

  “This was but a communications array. But with your help, we can avenge my people and my world. One world in recompense for many. We can build something better from the wreckage,” she said. “I’m offering you a chance at something better. What say you?”