Blind Mag swallowed nervously as she rode the elevator to Rotti's office, her letter of resignation in her hand.

It has to be done, she told herself for the billionth time. I can't stay here and promote his horrible reign any longer. It's worth the price…

…I deserve to pay the price.

When the elevator doors opened, the last remnants of a heated argument echoed in the dark office. Mag couldn't know for sure what she had walked in on, but based on the fact that it was Amber Sweet who was standing in front of Rotti's desk, she had a pretty good guess.

Rotti looked past his daughter to see who had come in, and his face split into that sickening smile he always wore when he looked at the Voice of GeneCo. "Mag," he said, his voice dripping with the fondness a miser has for his money, "please come in." His smile faded briefly as he shot a hateful look at the young heiress he had just been talking to. "Amber was just leaving."

Amber herself said nothing; the venom in her eyes - which, at the moment, were a perfect, milk-chocolate brown - was more than enough to communicate her feelings. Mag was used to such glares from the youngest member of the Largo family, and was fully aware of how very differently Rotti treated the two of them; not for the first time, Mag felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl.

This time was different, though. Mag hesitated a moment, inclining her head slightly in acknowledgement of Miss Sweet, then took a breath and risked saying to Rotti, "I wouldn't ask you to prioritize me over your own daughter. I only need a moment of your time - she can stay if she wants."

Father and daughter both blinked in surprise - it had been a long time since Mag had spoken up like that, and Rotti had probably thought he'd completely crushed Mag's spirit. Well, you were wrong, Mag thought determinedly, gaining a modicum of strength from the thought, and she walked up to Rotti's desk and dropped her resignation form in front of him.

Rotti's eyes narrowed as he saw the envelope. "What is this?" he asked, his tone guarded.

"I cannot stay on as the Voice of GeneCo any longer," Mag stated as firmly as she could. "I refuse to continue to support you or your company. I'm leaving."

The silence that met this declaration was deafening. Mag glanced nervously at Rotti's two henchgirls, who, she was well aware, were under orders to kill anyone who made Mr. Largo unhappy, including the bearers of bad news. She couldn't help it, but her biotech eyes also picked up the way Amber's eyes were round with shock as she stared at Mag - shock that Mag knew would quickly turn to pure outrage. She wished she could apologize to the young heiress, even explain herself, as she had wished many, many times before; but she knew her place.

Rotti opened the envelope and read through Mag's form very slowly and deliberately, and Mag couldn't help being intimidated, even though she knew full well that that was his tactic. A whole five minutes passed before he looked up at her again and spoke.

"Your contract does not allow for resignation," he said, a malevolent glint in his eyes giving the words so much more meaning than they bore superficially.

Mag swallowed again. "I'm fully aware of that," she said.

"You are signed on for life," Rotti continued, his tone growing more dangerous. "You belong to GeneCo."

"I am aware of that," Mag repeated.

Rotti was silent for a moment, then asked in a soft, dangerous voice, "Are you also aware of the consequences you will face if you leave?"

Mag took a breath, gathered her courage, and replied, "I am."

Rotti nodded slightly, almost to himself. "Then I have nothing more to say to you," he said tonelessly, setting Mag's form aside.

"Nor I you," Mag replied as coldly as she could manage, and she turned and left the room. She didn't turn to look back as the elevator doors closed behind her, but she didn't need to see with her eyes to know the scene she had left behind.

~X~

"Hey, bitch!"

Mag stopped at the shout from behind her. She turned. "Yes, Amber?" she asked.

The young GeneCo heiress strutted angrily down the hall to get right in Mag's face, her two bodyguards positioned behind her as always. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" she demanded.

Mag sighed heavily; she had known that she would have to deal with such a confrontation as soon as Miss Sweet found out about her resignation, but she hadn't counted on the young woman being present for her announcement. "I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Amber snarled, her otherwise-beautiful face contorted with rage and hatred. "My father has given you everything, and you're just throwing it all away? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Mag closed her eyes sadly, knowing full well that by 'everything', Amber meant the life she should have been given, as Rotti's own daughter. "I'm sorry, Amber," she said, unable to face the furious young woman whose birthright she had virtually stolen. "I just…I can't stay anymore."

"And why not?" Amber shouted. "My father gave you everything! What could you possibly not want about your fucking perfect life? Is it just too perfect, is that it?"

"No, Amber," Mag said softly, still not able to look the girl in the eye. "It's not…not that your father gave me too much, or not enough…"

"Then what the fuck is your problem?" Amber demanded. "And fucking look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Mag hesitated, then forced herself to look up and meet Amber's furious eyes with her own. Not to her surprise, she saw that those new, beautiful brown eyes were glistening with tears of rage; she had a feeling Miss Sweet's eyes wouldn't be brown for much longer.

"Amber, I…" Mag hesitated, wondering what she could possibly have the right to say to this broken young woman. "There's…There's more to life than fame and fortune," she finally said lamely.

"I know that," Amber sneered; "like you always say, it's what's on the inside that counts!"

"I don't mean surgery," Mag said without thinking, then quickly bit her tongue.

Not quickly enough. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Amber asked, her eyes narrowing.

Mag glanced away from Amber's face again, and for the umpteen billionth time, she wished with all her might that Marni was there to help her. After everything she had done, all the bribes she had accepted from Rotti in return for helping him brainwash the world to do his bidding, she had no right to talk about morals, not even to his daughter - especially not to his daughter.

When it became evident that Mag wasn't going to answer Amber's question, the young heiress shook her head disgustedly. "Fucking ungrateful bitch," she spat.

Both women were still for another minute. Then, Amber shook her head again, turned on her heel with a huff, and started walking away.

Mag didn't want Amber to walk away. She wanted to be able to tell Amber the truth. Now that she was finally doing the right thing…who knew if she'd ever have another chance to make things right?

"Amber!" she suddenly blurted, looking up at the retreating angry young woman.

Amber stopped and looked back. "What?" she asked spitefully, turning to face Mag again and crossing her arms.

Mag thought frantically. She still had no right to talk to Amber about right and wrong, but she had to say something…

"You're lucky," she finally said.

Amber blinked.

"You're…luckier than me…Amber," Mag said. "I know you…may not realize it, but you are."

Amber's eyes narrowed again. "Why?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"Because…" Mag hesitated again, biting her lip, then said, "Because you don't understand what your father's done…or what you're doing."

"What?" Amber asked, bewilderment mixing in with contempt.

Mag opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything more that she had any right to say. Tears of sorrow welled in her eyes as she realized that it was too late - that there really was nothing she could do. "I'm sorry, Amber," she whispered, and she turned her back and started hurrying away.

"Hey!" Amber shouted. "Get back here!"

Mag ignored the girl's shouts, tears leaking out of her biotech eyes.

Mag really did envy Amber's ignorance - she knew the young heiress didn't know any better than to behave as she did. Rotti had neglected his daughter, lavishing all his favor on Mag, and Amber had been left to figure things out for herself; it was no wonder that she had turned out so horrid. Seventeen years' worth of guilt over her part in the young heiress's mistreatment crushed Mag now. This was the worst part about leaving, really - not the price she would have to pay for standing up to Rotti, but the fact that she would be leaving Amber even more hurt, alone, and confused than before.

Marni had left Rotti to marry for love, and Mag had always been proud of her best friend for that…but at the same time, she had always wondered if, had Marni only stayed, it might have been possible for the youngest Largo to have been saved. Amber Sweet had only been seven years old when Marni had left Rotti - she had still been little Carmela Largo, relatively uncorrupted and full of life and promise. If only the girl had had a mother - a role model, who loved and cared for her and taught her the difference between right and wrong - she might have grown up to break the pattern of her family, even turn things around and make things right one day. Mag had tried to do something herself at first, but once she had realized what Rotti was using her for, and had found that she was unable to stand up for what was right in the face of everything he was offering her, she knew she had no right to teach anyone about moral standards, or act as anyone's role model - it was just as well that Shilo had died with her mother.

Marni…Amber…Shilo…I'm so sorry, Mag thought as she finally made it home and allowed her tears to flow freely. I let things get too far…I let myself be used to turn the world into the hellhole it is today…It's all my fault…

I deserve to die…