Kariza points at the ventilation shaft in the ceiling.

“That’s your starting point.”

She has beamed the map of the massive flagship to my comm, as well as to Leto’s. The way to the command center is lit up by a red line.

All I have to do is follow it and I’ll end up at the heart of this entire ship, where I can hopefully pull the plug and disable this flying killing machine.

The key word being hopefully.

I take a deep breath to steady myself. This is it.

Leto wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck. Kariza starts ohhh-ing right away, but I try to ignore her.

“Are you sure about this?” Leto asks. “There could be another way.”

“I’m sure,” I say. “There is no other way. I have to do this. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

I’m trying to convince myself as much as him. After one final, long kiss I climb into the shaft, Leto giving me the necessary boost.

He summons forth Luan, and the spectral lion leaps into the shaft gracefully. It’s a small miracle he can fit his figure into the small space, but then again, the spirit animal doesn’t seem bound by conventional laws.

And so, we set off, an unlikely duo.

The ventilation shafts are long and dark, but I can’t stop or turn back now. there’s a massive spectral lion right behind me, sniffing and growling. The only way out is through.

“How are you doing, big guy?”

Luan growls.

“I’ll take that as a ‘I’m doing great, thank you for asking, human.’”

There are many twists and turns, but I feel like I’m still on the right path.

Voices in the distance grab my attention. I slow down to a crawl and edge closer to the source, holding my breath. I peek through the slits in the side, and my heart skips a beat.

I see a man in a dark suit, sitting in a plush chair. He’s seated at a large, round table, together with two other men — only they are both holographic images.

In the middle of the room, suspended high above the table, is a giant face. Hovering menacingly in the air.

I squint my eyes. That can’t be real, right?!

The image shifts and flickers before my eyes. It too is a hologram.

“Wellington. Please inform the Council of the progress you have made.” The face booms. Its voice sounds female, but it’s hard to tell due to the distortion.

“It is going very well, madam! I already have more than half the essence I need to stabilize the Rift!”

The face glowers at the other two holograms.

“See? How hard is it?! You have two have disappointed me. Who knew that the Wellingtons would prove to be my most loyal assets, while the Takeshi’s and the Zuberi’s let me down, again and again.”

“Please, madam,” one of them pleads. “We tried our best, but those damn Chosen have such great powers, it’s not my—“

“SILENCE! I won’t listen to your petty excuses one moment longer! You got bested by a human female. You sicken me, Takeshi. If my father was still alive to see this, he would have you flayed alive.”

He glances down at the floor, afraid to say a single word more. I understand. That face is beyond terrifying.

It’s almost no longer human. It seems she’s had so many body modifications that she’s more cyborg than human.

“Wellington will lead the way! Soon, the Rift will be ours, and these pesky Zorans won’t bother us any longer. Cloning, gene manipulation, unshackled AI research — we’ll finally have the tools we need to get rid of them once and for all!”

I feel myself glowing white hot with rage as I watch the conversation unfold. This is the heart of SINTRA, I realize. This is what they are really like, behind the scenes, when you take away the veil.

Behind me, the spirit lion sniffs and paws at the floor. He nudges my behind, but I ignore him, my eyes focused on the conversation that is playing out in front of me, my hands resting on the floor.

What else are they up? Every little bit will help me in taking them all down. Even the smallest hint can be important.

Luan nudges me again.

“Stop it,” I hiss, reaching back and slapping his golden snout. To my surprise, my touch singes his whiskers.

Huh?

I look at my palm.

It’s white hot.

And then it’s too late.

The ventilation shaft groans and shifts.

Oh please no —

The entire contraption collapses. I realize a second too late that I’ve been so damn angry that my palms have been melting the ventilation shaft itself. Luan tried to warn me, but I was too stupid to realize it. And now it’s caving under my weight, and I’m falling, I’m falling, I’m —

SMACK!

I land unceremoniously in the middle of the table, disturbing the holographic image of the corrupted woman.

“What is this?!” She barks. “Another human female deciding to drop in?! Wellington, explain yourself!”

The threee men look at me with wide eyes. The two holographic ones sever their connection, leaving only Wellington. He rises to his feet and flicks open a blade.

“You,” he says with a low sneer. “You dare to interrupt me in front of the grand mother herself?”

“What?” I say. “THAT was your grandmother?!”

“No, the grand mother! Two words! Ah, you simpletons are all the same, the intricacies of language escapes you. No matter. I’ll teach you a new thing or two!”

He jumps onto the table. I can’t help but notice how exceptionally shiny his shoes are, and at the same moment I curse myself for thinking something so silly at a time like this. I crawl backwards as quickly as I can, but it’s not fast enough.

Casper Wellington looms over me, his blade glittering in the light, a wicked smile on his gaunt face.

“Feel free to scream,” he says. “It’s more fun for me.”

With a deafening growl, Luan leaps down and sinks his claws into Wellington’s back. He collapses with a cry, blood dripping down onto the table. With surprising agility he rolls onto his wounded back and swipes wildly with his blade, and to my horror, connects with the golden lion’s exposed underbelly.

The spirit animal cries out in pain, and in a puff of smoke, disappears.

I’m left with horrible thoughts haunting my mind.

Is Luan okay?

Is Leto?!

Or did that swipe of Wellington’s blade end both of their lives?

Wellington stumbles back onto his feet, his expensive suit ruined, and turns back to me, the look in his eyes even wilder than than before.

“Now... where were we?!”