A stunned silence settles over us. Zahra and I step closer to Aleister, flanking him protectively as we watch Iris.

"I know you were very young, Aleister," she says, "but do you not even recognize my voice?"

Aleister's mouth opens and closes, his whole body quivering. "I—your voice is—"

Iris's holographic eyes close. Her lips move, and a sweet melody, sung in a pure, golden mezzo, floats out between her lips. "...I told my love a story with no end...I gave my love a baby with no crying, and then..."

"...Mother?" Aleister's voice is almost a whimper. "It's...it's you..."

"Hold up!" Zahra cries. "What in the name of fork-exec is going on here?!"

"You see," Iris says, "I was human once. My name was Imogen. Everett was my husband and Aleister was my son."

"Why didn't you tell us any of this before?" I ask.

"I didn't have access to memories of my former life until very recently. Had I known before, I'd have-" The hologram stutters erratically. Iris seems to be struggling to maintain her composure.

"...Iris? You okay?"

"I don't have much time. I need to tell you how to access the Lernaean Gate. Do you recall the device you used on the rooftop of The Celestial?"

"The portal gun?"

"That gun was an experimental prototype of a far more powerful machine. The Lernaean Gate is an advanced prismatic hyperpermeator housed at a facility to the north."

"Advanced prisma...what?"

"Prismatic hyperpermeator," Zahra informs me. "Pay attention."

"It can safely transport all of you home. Or to another location, should you wish. You'll need to bring the large prism that was activated at the Hostiles' Stronghold last night."

"The Island's Heart? How did you know we..."

"I detected energy levels consistent with the presence of a major crystalline lattice in your vicinity."

"Sounds about right," I remark.

"The Lernaean Gate requires a power source of incredible magnitude. The 'Island's Heart', as you call it, should be sufficient. Bring the prism to the MASADA facility approximately one quarter mile off the time of the northern peninsula. I can promise you that there, once and for all, you'll finally be able to leave La Huerta behind."

"...But...aren't you on Rourke's side now?" I ask, still a little wary.

"Yeah," Zahra agrees. "Last I checked you were into blinding people at spectacularly sucky moments."

"Irrelevant!" Aleister snaps. "She's clearly not lying or attempting to manipulate us!"

"Dude, you can't seriously be buying this!" Zahra cries.

"Everett activated a part of my programming that prevents me from acting against him. However, I choose to see your departure from La Huerta as beneficial to all involved parties."

"...So...you couldn't come with us?"

"I cannot."

"And that's...that's it?" Aleister asks, his voice strained. "You're all that's left of my mother, and I'm never seeing you again?"

"I can't tell you how sorry I am that I couldn't be part of your life, my...Aleister. Though I don't have the opportunity to be a mother to you, I can certainly say that I'm proud of the steadfast and forthright young man you've become."

"More like bred fast and uptight," Zahra whispers to me.

"Zahra!" I hiss reproachfully.

"What? Too soon?"

"It seems I must terminate this connection shortly," Iris says. Her voice is starting to shift, back towards the voice I've grown familiar with. "Please hurry to the facility. It won't be safe to travel that way much long-" She struggles to continue speaking. "Good-bye...Aleister...I...love you...very much..."

"No! Mother, wait!"

The hologram flickers out. The terminal goes dark.

"Aleister..." I whisper. "I'm so sorry..."

"I was only two when she died...I never thought I would remember her face..." He lowers himself to the floor, resting his face in his hands. "My megalomaniac of a father brought her back as an automaton! A mere servant! The next time I see him, he'll have hell to pay!"

The sound of a distant growling makes us pause. I feel a twinge of fear and look around wildly.

"Uh, guys? Anyone seen Murphy?"

"The sound's coming from inside that hole," Zahra says. Inside the partially collapsed wall, there's a narrow, cave-like space, quite like the one we first found Murphy in. And sure enough, at the far end, Murphy is crouched and ready to pounce on a small crystalline fragment. He growls at it, and green fire flickers into being along the surface of the crystal. Murphy yips a warning at the object.

"That shard looks like there's a evil spirit trapped inside," Zahra mutters. It reminds me of the light that surrounded Quinn, but I don't say that. I approach carefully, gently nudging Murphy aside.

"Stand back, fella," I murmur. I stretch out a hand and cautiously poke the crystal with my index finger. The flames instantly recede. I pick up the crystal shard, and slip it into my pocket.

"...How exactly did you know to do that?" Aleister asks warily.

"Uh...wild guess?" I clear my throat. "...We should get back to the others."

The three of us emerge from the bunker with Murphy trotting behind. I immediately spot movement in a thicket of trees nearby.

"There's something over there," Aleister says lowly.

"Get ready," I murmur.

We conceal ourselves, preparing to fight or run from whatever rampaging beast may be approaching, when we hear a familiar voice.

"Ha!" Varyyn says. "Another miss!"

The elyyshar comes running out of the undergrowth with Diego close behind. They don't seem to notice us hunkered down just a short distance away.

"You think your so fast!" Diego laughs. "Eat this!" He hurls a seed pod at Varyyn, who deftly dodges. He stops, pretending to look for cover, intentionally keeping himself open. Diego picks up another pod and pegs him in the chest.

"Oh!" Varyyn gasps with mock indignation. "How dare you! I am the elyyshar!" He dramatically falls to the forest floor.

"It is official!" Diego cries triumphantly. "I, Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto, have caught them all!" Winded, he sits down beside Varyyn.

I notice Zahra getting ready to clear her throat, but I put my finger to my lips, grinning conspiratorially. She shrugs and heads back to the beach. Aleister picks up Murphy and follows. I watch Varyyn and Diego together, lying on the floor amid shimmering bioluminescent flowers.

"You know," Diego says, "I really owe you a whole handful of those seeds right in the face. How many times did I get in trouble for telling everyone you were studying when really you'd snuck out to surf Colonnade Cave?"

"Many times. You are a very good tutor."

Diego snorts. "And now you're the elyyshar and I'm one of the Twelve. Who would've thought?"

"I never expected to take my mother's place so soon. It happened so fast, I..." Varyyn suddenly seems on the verge of tears. It strikes me watching him how young he is, especially in Vaanti years. "...I never got to say goodbye..."

Diego places a hand on his shoulder. "Ximeadra was very brave to do what she did. She did it for all of us, but mostly because she loved you and knew you'd make a great elyyshar."

"...Yes..."

"And as it turns out, you're basically Aragorn! The king no one expected, but everyone hoped for."

"...You really think I'm Airborne?"

I see Diego wince a little. "Ara..." He trails off, smiling. "Never mind. Yes. I do."

Varyyn sits up and pulls Diego into a tight embrace. I can see Diego's face over the Vaanti's shoulder, startled and blushing. He awkwardly pats the elyyshar's back.

"...Thank you, Diego."

"Of course!"

They separate slightly, their eyes meeting. After a moment, they pull apart, looking away awkwardly. Diego clears his throat.

"Uh...so...how many tribal festivals have you guys had, anyway?"

"Aside from today, I've only attended one other Valinorim. I was no older than Taari then. My mother was occupied with hosting and I wasn't getting much attention...so I took Uqzhaal's symbol of office, a very special clay whistle, to the top of a coconut tree, and dropped it on the quuk'tanoi champion's head. It broke into countless pieces."

Diego burst into peals of laughter. "You were such a brat!"

"I was. Poor Uqzhaal."

The two of them lean back on their hands in silence, looking off into the rainforest. Diego moves his arm closer to Varyyn's. Varyyn tentatively reaches out to take his hand.

"...Diego...I am grateful to have met you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Diego replies.

"...You have pleasure?"

"I mean, pleasure not like...that's not...er-" He rubs a hand over his face. "I'm gonna try to pretend the last three seconds didn't happen."

"Do or do not," Varyyn says. "There is no try."

I actually have to clap a hand over my mouth to smother my laughter. Diego blinks, astonished.

"That...was actually a pretty solid reference." He entwines his fingers with Varyyn's. Varyyn turns to squint into the trees, looking in my direction. From the way his presence comes to the front of my mind, I can tell he's picked up on mine. He smiles slowly, no doubt realizing my game.

"Alodia is a very good friend to you," he remarks.

"Best I've ever had," Diego agrees. "Why do you—Oh. Hey, Allie."

"Hey, guys," I say with a grin. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I've got some news, and we need to gather everyone together."

"...So apparently, this Lernaean Gate can get us home, but we'll need the Island's Heart to power it."

I look around at my friends, gathered on the beach with several of the Vaanti. They look back at me, their expressions a mixed bag of confusion, uncertainty, and hope.

"Home? Already?" Raj murmurs, "B-but I was kinda enjoying myself..."

"Yeah! We worked hard for this vacation!" Craig agrees. "I think we should see it through!"

"Uh, pretty sure it was given to us for free," Diego says.

"...Well, to be fair, there was a lot of fighting and almost dying before this party," I point out.

"Okay, fair, but still."

"The real question," Jake says, "is whether we can actually trust Robomaid now that Rourke's reprogrammed her?"

"My money's on no," Zahra says flatly.

"See? There ya go. Besides, what's so bad about this place anyway? I kinda like it here!"

"I'm with Alodia," Michelle says. "Honestly, Craig, how many times have you almost died in the last week?"

"Uh, think I lost count."

"I trust her," Aleister says firmly.

"You do?" Jake asks.

"My father may have made her what she is now, but even he couldn't take away her humanity. She wasn't lying to us. She clearly wanted to help."

Everyone pauses a moment, considering his words.

"You can't know for a fact that she was telling the truth," Zahra says softly. "An AI with unlimited database access is not someone you wanna trust."

"That's a good point," Grace agrees, but if there's even a slim chance we can get home, I think we should try."

"Grace is right. Who knows when we'll have another opportunity like this?"

"So...you are leaving, then?" Varyyn asks softly.

"...I...guess so..." Diego answers uncertainly.

"...I will be sorry to see you go," the elyyshar says. "But I suppose I must accept that your destiny is larger than Vaanu."

"Are you okay with us taking the Heart?"

"Of course. I will accompany you to ensure that it returns to Elyys'tel." He exhales slowly. "The northern reaches are dangerous. It is different there."

"So this is the un-dangerous part of the island?" Zahra scoffs. "Great."

"I will arrange for several of our best warriors to come along as well."

"All right. So we're doing this."

"Lila, you haven't said anything yet," Estela remarks. Lila doesn't respond. She sits a short distance away in the sand, looking mournful.

"You all right, Lila?" I ask.

"Huh? Oh..." She forces a bright smile. "I'm fine! Everything's great! We're going home! Yay!"

"...Were you hoping to stay?"

She sighs. "I just really thought we'd find out where the guests at The Celestial went by now. If something happened to them, it's my job to find out about it and report it to Rourke International."

"They can't expect you to comb every inch of the island."

"If you can't help someone, sometimes you must trust in their ability to find their own way," Estela adds.

"I guess that's true," Lila sighs. She stands and seems to shrug off her melancholy. "Thanks, you two. I feel a lot better now."

"You're welcome," Estela says with a smile.

"I think the island's finally getting to me," Jake deadpans. "I could swear I saw Wednesday Addams over there give someone a pep talk."

Estela just shrugs. Uqzhaal approaches with a group of Vaanti scouts.

"Like the ever-roaming constellations themselves, the Catalysts journey toward a new horizon!" the shaman says. He removes the Island's Heart from a satchel and hands it to me. "Good fortune on the path ahead, friends. You will always be remembered by our people."

"I wanna go, too!" Taari exclaims.

Seraxa puts a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The Catalysts' path is leading them away from our people, Taari."

"But I'm a Cat-a-liss, too!" he protests.

"You are a little boy who's about one word away from not eating supper!" Seraxa says firmly. Taari goes silent, pouting. Satisfied, Seraxa continues. "We owe much to you, Catalysts. May your stars guide you."

"Cat-a-lissus forever!" Taari cheers.

"We should make our preparations and then get some rest," Sean suggests. "We'll head out first thing in the morning."

Jake salutes him with two fingers. "Aye aye, Cap."

The next morning, we bid the Vaanti goodbye and set out on our journey northward. I shed my Vaanti warrior clothes, replacing them with the camo gear Jake gave me. The catalyst idols clink against each other in my backpack. As we crest the foothills of a mountain range, the warm sea breeze gives way to a noticable chill. One of the Vaanti scouts suddenly stops and points into the distance.

"Much snow up ahead!" he says. I look toward the distant slopes and see gleaming snow running all the way down to the shoreline.

"It will be very cold soon," Varyyn says. "We must prepare."

"But this is a tropical island!" Quinn protests.

"How far did we walk anyway?" Craig asks.

"It must be a time anomaly," Grace muses. "Maybe an ice age from thousands of years ago."

The scouts produced rolled blankets and start passing them out.

"You will need these."

"Yeah, I'll take one," Zahra agrees.

"Tosskal," Diego says. "Thank you."

"It's something, at least," Michelle concedes. Eventually, though, the scouts run out. I and a few of the Vaanti are left without extra covering. My breath is turning into clouds of steam in the air. My teeth start to chatter. Jake drapes an arm over my shoulders, drawing me under his blanket with him.

"Th-thanks, Top Gun, but we're gonna have a hard time walking like this..."

Grace, already wearing a jacket of her own, digs into her bag. "Here, Alodia. I've got an extra." I blink as she pulls out a puffy green coat.

"You brought more than one jacket to a tropical island?"

She grins. "I'm always cold. I always pack extra layers. Try these on."

I slip the coat on and zip it up. It's lightweight, but well-insulated. After a couple minutes of my body heat circulating within, I am feeling perfectly toasty.

"Thank you, Grace. Well! Let winter come! I'm ready!"

With most of the group bundled up, we proceed on the journey. As we trudge onward, the snow underfoot becomes thicker. Thick enough to crunch with each step. Cold winds drive clusters of falling snow into our faces. Aleister draws his blanket more tightly around himself.

"This is just miserable," he mutters.

"Freakin' ice age around here," Craig grumbles. "What's next, some kinda meteor impact?"

"Don't give the anomalies any ideas, Gronk," Jake warns.

There is one member of our group who actually seems more chipper than ever. Murphy repeatedly runs ahead, then stops and waits for us to catch up. I snort.

"At least he's in his element." Suddenly, Murphy stops, letting out a howl of alarm. "Huh? What's wrong, fella?"

"Someone's there," Estela murmurs. We all stop. A lone silhouette stands amid the white haze. I squint.

"Um...hello?" I call. There's no response. "Who's there?"

A small circle glows red near the figure's face, accompanied by a wisp of smoke. I approach carefully. The figure in front of me is hulking large. The red glow vaguely illuminates a dark face and glittering dark eyes. Atop a military jumpsuit, he wears an intricate steel exoskeleton.

"Alodia, get back!" Jake shouts. He rushes to stand between me and the figure, pushing me protectively behind him. He addressed the figure in a snarl. "Lundgren. What the hell are you doing here?"

My stomach flips wildly. I grasp Jake's arm. Lundgren takes another drag on his cigar, fixing Jake with a piercing gaze.

"Jacob. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough, you miserable-"

"Your family's disappointed in you, McKenzie. First you sold American arms to a Kharzistani dictator, then you resisted arrest and took yourself off the grid."

"What do you want, you asshole?"

"You, McKenzie. I'm here to bring you in." My grip on Jake's arm tightens.

"Jake, who the hell is this dude?" Craig demands.

"Pretty sure that's the asshole commander he told us about," Zahra says flatly.

Lundgren ignores them. He keeps his eyes on Jake.

"Had to break the news to your mama myself. 'Sorry, ma'am. Your son betrayed his country and endangered his fellow soldiers'." He smiles in a way that makes my skin crawl. "And then I held her while she cried hysterically. Least I could do."

"Don't. You. Dare." Jake's voice is a low, dangerous growl.

"That all you got, boy? Lyin' around in a hammock's made you soft."

"We both know what happened, Lundgren. What you did. You killed him."

"Jacob, while I'd love to catch up on old times, I'm gonna need you to come with me if you don't want your new friends to get hurt." He pins his gaze on me, standing close to Jake, grasping his arm protectively. "...She's a pretty one, ain't she?"

"Alodia," Estela sidles up to me and murmurs in my ear, "we should be able take him if he's on his own."

"Arachnid!" Lundgren shouts. "Into position!"

At his signal, a series of armored Hummers come roaring over a nearby ridge. At least two dozen soldiers emerge from the vehicles and begin to move into formation, readying their rifles. They all wear bizzare futuristic full-body armor. Their faces are covered with masks that flash with tiny lights. Jake turns me toward him, gripping my shoulders and looking into my eyes.

"Listen to me, Princess, it's me he wants. Take the others and get out of here."

"Jake, I can't just-"

"Are we really doing this right now?!" Michelle cries.

"Go, Alodia! Please!"

"I'm not leaving you!" I reach up and grip his face in my hands. "Don't you dare ask me again!"

His lips quiver as he looks down at me. "...Dammit, Princess. Why you gotta make me feel weak at a time like this?"

"Now!" Craig suddenly shouts. He and Sean and Zahra launch a series of hard-packed snowballs at the still readying soldiers.

"Everybody run!" Sean cries.

"Scouts, protect the Catalysts' retreat!" Varyyn orders.

The Vaanti scouts draw their spears and rush forward to engage the soldiers, trilling battle cries. We make use of the momentary distraction to scramble toward a nearby ravine. Rounding the mountain slope, we nearly run off the edge of a cliff.

"Diego!" Varyyn cries out as Diego's foot slips on the edge of the precipice and he struggles to throw his weight backward. I spring forward, latching onto him and pulling him back.

"Ohmygod," he gasps, trembling. "...Thanks, Allie."

"You have my gratitude as well," Varyyn says. I look at Diego.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just need to start breathing again..."

Grace steps up to the edge and peers over. "Ohhhh, that is a long way down..."

I dare to peek down as well. The bottom of the chasm is completely lost in the darkness hundreds of feet below. I hear Murphy yipping ahead of us.

"Dudes, there's a path around the edge!" Raj calls. "Follow Murphy!" He moves as fast as he can up a narrow walkway, bottles clinking in his messenger bag. We follow him, stepping carefully over the slick stones. Jake glances back the way we came.

"Shit! They're gaining on us! Keep moving, Princess!"

As we ascend, the snowfall gets heavier, stinging my face with icy blasts. A wrecked aircraft comes into view, its wings balancing precariously atop two adjacent cliffs. As my gaze returns to the walkway, I notice someone rounding a corner ahead. A woman, wearing armor like the others, with two katanas crossed in sheathes behind her back, smiles at us.

"Well, well. Don't I just feel like the Pied Piper."

"You!" Jake growls.

"You know her, too?" I ask incredulously.

"You might say Wolf and I go way back," the woman drawls. She reaches over her shoulders to draw her blades. They're tech-enhanced, radiating waves of heat that cause the cliffside to weep melting snow as she moves closer.

"Here, kiddie kiddies," she purrs.

"I don't like her," Zahra declares.

"Uhh, a little help here, guys?" Raj calls from the front of the group, the first one in Katana Chick's sight.

"Raj, douse her!" I shout.

"But I've only got my good stuff on hand!" he protests.

"Just do it!"

He reaches into his bag and pulls out a champagne bottle. "I hope you like Chateauneuf du Pape! ...'Cause I do."

He sabers open the bottle, causing foam and liquid to spray at the woman. She yelps as popping sounds come from the champagne-coated katanas. A cloud of hissing steam rises, blinding her.

"Good call, Alodia!"

But a series of heavy thuds makes me realize that someone is approaching behind us. A tanned man with a massive body-builders' physique and fearsome tech-enhanced gloves on his hands, approaches with a wicked smile.

"Told Lundgren I wasn't going to kill any of you." He points one mechanical fist toward the mountain slope. "Guess I lied."

The power fist strikes the rock face with a deafening crack, causing the walkway to tremor beneath our feet. Fissures for in the slope, and huge chunks of stone roll down toward us.

"Head for the plane!" Sean yells. "We gotta cross!"

"That plane looks like it could fall at any minute!" Diego protests.

"If it was gonna fall, it would have already! Come on!"

"Leaving so soon?" Katana Chick asks in a snarl. She touches a disc near the center of her suit, and suddenly she is nearly indetectable against the cliff. "Don't worry. When it happens, you won't see a thing."

As she and the hulking brute converge, we all rush onto the wings of the plane. Gunfire rings out across the chasm.

"There are more on top of the mountain!" Aleister cries. I look. Lundgren and his soldiers are standing on the summit, their automatic rifles pointed at us.

"Crap! We're sitting ducks!" Craig yells.

Estela drops onto the cab of the plane and uses her heel to bash open a rusted boarding door.

"Inside! Now!"

One by one, we jump into the gutted interior of the plane. Estela stands guard by the door. Lundgren's voice comes from outside.

"Gas 'em, Mouse."

There is a moment of dead silence. Then, a masked figure in red and black drops onto the nose of the plane and smashes the front windshield. Four cannisters roll into the plane, spewing acrid violet-colored gas.

"Oh, no...I don't have a cannon this time," Grace says weakly.

"Hang on, everyone!" I stumble over to the control panel, searching the buttons desperately. The violet-colored clouds sting my eyes, making them water. My head starts to spin. I can just barely make out the label on the small metal switch: Emergency Oxygen Masks. I flick it with a trembling hand, and feel myself slump against the dash...

… "Alodia! Alodia!"

I open my eyes to find Sean hovering over me, a mask over his mouth and nose. My face feels strange, but my head is quickly clearing. I'm in one of the dusty, frosty passenger seats. I raise a hand to my face and feel one of the masks secured over it.

"...Sean?"

Sean exhales slowly and smiles. "She's okay, everyone!"

"That was a good call," Jake says from my other side. "Unfortunately, you also managed to get a pretty big breath of the stuff."

"Is everyone okay?"

"For now."

"...What about Murphy?"

Sean chuckles. "Well, see for yourself." He gestures to where a very grumpy Murphy perches on top of a seat, whining and pawing at the mask fixed awkwardly to his muzzle. Diego strokes his fur.

"I know it's uncomfortable, little guy, but you saw what those clouds did to Allie. And your lungs are much smaller."

Murphy sighs resignedly, slumping on the seat back. I hear a rattling sound, and glance over to where Craig is struggling to open a wall-mounted first-aid cabinet.

"How the hell are you supposed to get this to..."

"Craig, what are you looking for in there?" Michelle asks.

I bolt to my feet, hot dread filling my chest. Within the cabinet, I can see a glint of amber. I dash over the help Craig with the latch. The door of the cabinet swings open and a crumpled note falls out. I pick it up and smooth it out.

Found this during the excavation. Silas should be interested in it. Don't show it to any of Rourke's people.

-Henry

"Odd place to stash it," I murmur. Craig pulls out the idol. It depicts a man with the head, shoulders, and arms of a bear, crouched and ready to attack. He passes it to me. I try not to let him see how my hand trembles as I reach out to take it. The gutted plane around me washes away in a wave of rippling colors...

I'm on the tarmac in a small airport. The signs around me are all in Spanish. I recognize this place. This is the airport in Costa Rica where we all took off for La Huerta. Sean and Craig stand beside a small pile of luggage.

"This is it, bro! One tropical island vacation comin' up!"

"Can't wait," Sean agrees, grinning. "Hey, did you find out yet?"

"Uh, nah. They'll probably email me tomorrow or something."

"Hey, you got this, Hsiao. I talked to those NFL guys about you."

"You did?"

"Yeah, man! They were like, 'So what do you think of 68? He any good?'"

"...And...?"

Sean shrugs. "I told them the truth. They aren't gonna find a better run-blocking guard at any school in the state."

"Wow. 'Preciate it, bro. I dunno, maybe I do have a shot."

"Oh, wow! Is that Zahra Namazi?" A short distance away, Zahra opens a black duffle and slips out her laptop. "So she's coming, too? Geez, I haven't seen her since..."

"Sophomore year," Craig finishes, sadness nipping at the edges of his features. If Sean notices, he doesn't comment.

"No way!" I hear Diego gasp. "Sean Gayle is coming on this trip, too?"

"Really?" Grace asks. "He is?"

Several other students flock over to Sean, though I am not among them. God knows what I was up to at the time, but now I watch through Craig's eyes. Sean's confidence and assured ease seem to immediately dazzle our classmates. Craig watches from a completely different world. A buzz from his phone distracts him. An email has come in. The one he's been waiting for. Heart pounding, he reads it:

Dear Mr. Hsiao,

Our draft scouts were glad to make your acquaintance at the Hartfeld Varsity Mixer. As I'm certain you're aware, we're limited on the number of athletes we can consider for the 2017 NFL College Draft. While we won't be able to iclude you on our list, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

The sound of laughter and cheering comes from the group surrounding Sean. Craig's gaze slips to the floor as the scene begins to dissolve.

My vision grows dim as I'm yanked through space and time. The inertia brings me to the edge of nausea. I find myself in an unfamiliar laboratory, no doubt somewhere on La Huerta. Several of my friends gather around a computer terminal. Craig stands near a steel double door.

"You comin' or not, Big Guy?" Jake calls. "Portal's almost ready to go!"

"...Ain't nothing for me back home," Craig says softly.

A muffled explosion shakes the room. The door cracks open slightly.

"They'll be inside soon!" Estela cries. A trap door opens in the floor, and everyone begins climbing down. Michelle waits on the ladder, looking up through the hatch.

"Craig, what the hell? Come on!"

Craig walks over to the terminal, squints at the screen, and taps a button.

"...It's been real, guys."

"Crai-" The hatch snaps shut above her, cutting her off.

Another detonation knocks the double door off its hinges. Three soldiers rush into the lab.

"Surrender or be neutralized," one barks.

"Screw you!" Craig snarls back. As the soldiers ready their weapons, Craig runs headlong into them, roaring. He plows them over like rag dolls, sending bodies and weapons scattering. He turns to run through the door, but a towering figure blocks his path. The man with the mechanical fists grins down at him.

"Heh. I like your style, kid."

"One side, asshole!"

"...That's my line." The titan of a man deploys both mechanical fists into Craig's chest. He's thrown clear across the room, crashing heavily against the opposite wall. He slumps to the floor, groaning and gasping. The brute looms over him. "You gonna tell your friends to come out? Or do I gotta make you fly again?"

Craig coughs, blood oozing from between his lips, but he smirks up at the brute. "You're too late. ...Gonna suck to have to tell Rourke you blew it again. He probably wouldn't even waste a cryo tube on a loser like you. Just...scrap you...for...spare parts..." His chuckle turns into choking. He struggles for breath in vain. Finally, his head drops...

… In a flash, I find myself back in the gutted plane. I tremble as I grip the bear idol.

"Good god..."

"...You okay, Alodia?" Craig asks.

I force a smile, stuffing the idol into my backpack. "Fine. Just...wishing this gas would clear out."

The violet-colored clouds finally begin to dissipate through the holes in the plane's hull. Diego cautiously lifts his mask.

"Unless we can make this thing fly, we should probably get out of-"

He is interrupted by the piercing screech of metal grinding on metal. We all clap our hands over our ears. Estela peers out the door. Her eyes widen.

"She's cutting apart the wing!"

Katana Chick grins at us from the other side of the chasm, sawing through the wing's tip. "This is your captain speaking," she calls, her voice echoing across the canyon. "Fasten your seatbelts! It's gonna be a rough landing!"

"There's a door on the other side!" Lila cries. "Everyone together!"

We all rip our masks off. I help Murphy with his, and we all ram into the opposite door, forcing it open. I'm the first out, climbing out into a cloud of snow, a heavy blizzard that makes it impossible to see beyond a few feet. The plane lurches violently beneath us.

"Go!" Sean yells. "Before she cuts it down!"

We make our way carefully across the wing, fighting to keep our balance in the driving wind and bitter, biting cold. Murphy scampers ahead, undampered by the cold or the wind.

"Everyone, join hands!" I call. "Form a chain! I can get us across!"

I feel Jake's hand in mine, and look back, barely able to make out his face. "We're good, Princess! Go!"

I concentrate and steadily make my way across the icy wing, leading my friends behind me. "Keep going! Don't look down!"

"We're almost across!" Raj calls. "We're almost home free!"

At last, my feet hit snow-covered stone. I leap forward, giving the rest of the chain room to tumble to safety. Aleister startles me by being the first to wrap me in a tight hug. Then he composes himself and pulls back.

"...Thank you," he says. "For not getting us all killed."

"Seconded!" Lila chimes in.

I'm about to answer when Katana Chick's superheated swords finally slice through the last of the far wing. A loud rumble fills the air as the plane careens into the shadowy abyss. I shudder.

"...I'm starting to think bad luck with planes is genetic," I mutter.

"Oh, god, don't say that," Diego pleads

I'm distracted from answering by a hail of bullets whizzing through the densely falling snow around us.

"Get back over here!" Katana Chick roars. "Playtime isn't over yet!"

"Dammit!" Mecha-Fists snarls. "We can't get across!"

"Now's our chance!" Lila declares. "We can lose them in the blizzard!"

Slowly, painfully, we make our way up the other side of the chasm. We barely speak, concentrating on the climb. Finally, I crest the top, and find myself on a wide plateau. The snow piles are up to my knees here. My classmates disappear within the driving white clouds, but I over the howling wind, I can discern voices.

"Sean...?" Michelle calls. "...Anyone?"

"You guys still there?" Quinn whimpers. "Please say something..."

"Follow my voice!" This call breaks through the din of the wind like a cannonblast. "Come to me, Catalysts!"

"...Varyyn?" I hear Diego call. "Where are you?"

Gradually, we begin to find each other. When we're satisfied that we all made it, we hold onto each other and press forward, eager to put distance between ourselves and the chasm. A little ways ahead, I make out the shape of a large crate poking out of the snow.

"...What is that...?"

"It must be from the cargo plane," Grace says.

There are words printed on the metal box, but snow clinging to the surface obscures them. I pull my hand into my jacket sleeve and brush it away, revealing the words: Mansingh Transglobal Tech. Grace recoils in shock.

"Wh-what?!"

"Grace, isn't that your mother's company?" Aleister asks.

"Why would they be sending equipment here?!" Grace cries.

"I dunno, but we're not gonna figure it out now," I say. "We should keep moving. This storm doesn't look like it's gonna let up."

We trudge on through the blizzard. I lose track of how long we wander through the endless snow drifts. Dread fills my belly. Our meager protection against the snow isn't going to last forever, nor is our energy, especially without food. If we don't find shelter soon, we're going to freeze to death.

"Guys!" Diego calls out, his voice hoarse. "There's something over there!"

I look where he's pointing. There's a building looming in the distance, large and gleaming. We turn towards it. In our present state, I think we would walk into Rourke's laboratory if it were dry and heated. As we approach, we can just make out the words on a sign half-buried in the snow: 'Elysian Lodge Resort.'

"Another resort?" Sean croaks. "All the way up here?"

"We're...saved...!"

Aleister looks up at the building with resignation. "...So we hope," he murmurs. "...Let's go."