Author's note: The "stratagem" scene is a homage to a scene near the end of Matthew Reilly's "Ice Station."

- IronForce

World 5-2

"Bren? Are you still there? The whole planet is going crazy! Fire and lightning erupting everywhere! And I see just 'offline' next to Kris, what does that mean? Is he OK?"

The voice seemed to come from somewhere extremely far away. Yet it forced Bren to return to his senses. It had to be Rayna.

Bren found himself lying on one of the tower's walkways, suspended high above. The Machine's glove was still on him, glowing faintly blue. It possibly had protected him, manipulating gravity so the impact had not been fatal.

"Where are you?" Bren coughed to the helmet mic.

"We're still in the air with the Katakis! We're coming to get you!"

"I'm inside the tower," Bren said wearily. "I think that's easier said than done. Listen, the Machine is gone. But it said the core is going to overload now. You've got a choice to make. Try to get away while you can. Or –"

"We'll try to stop it."

"Right. But that too, it's easier said than done."

"It's the energy source UPFF has been waiting for."

Bren thought for just a second.

"Kris sacrificed himself, just so that I could reach the Machine. I don't want any more unnecessary sacrifices. I'm just a machine now. I'm resigned to what's coming to me. Think carefully. I won't blame you either way."

The voice on the other end fell silent.

Inside the cockpit of the Katakis Rayna felt an icy finality engulfing her. Kris was gone, without them getting to say goodbye properly. And Bren was resigned too, ready to die inside the Machine's tower.

She forced herself to think in military terms.

There was still a battle to fight. The whole planet going crazy was the final enemy, and to stop it, they would need to regain control of the energy source. But the goal felt potentially meaningless. If the UPFF was just full of traitors – why should they have it either? Just let the planet blow.

But if they would just bail out now, the unknown fate of their teammates would haunt them forever. Bren. Juko. Vadim. At least Kris's fate was known. He had done what he felt was necessary just at that moment.

Rayna shook her head to clear it. She did not really believe what she was going to say.

"We've got to try to stop the core!"

The Katakis dodged a tongue of lightning narrowly. With some breathing room again, Ardon looked at her from the pilot seat. "How?"

"I'm still figuring it out!"

But before Rayna could plan the next step clearly, she thought she saw shapes on the side of the tower.

"Ardon! Take us closer! I think they're –"

"I see them. Yes. Looks like Turrican suits. Hanging from the structures. Shit."

Rayna felt the sudden sideways acceleration as the Katakis banked, flying closer to the collapsing tower. There was one Turrican hanging from the leg of another. She could not tell who of them was Vadim and who was Juko.

Then the whole side of the tower began to fall, amid a giant cloud of dust from below. Were they too late already? The Katakis flew into the dust cloud, and it was suddenly hard to see beyond a ten meters or so. A large chunk of the tower's metal structure fell from above, missing the Katakis barely. They could certainly not hang here longer than absolutely necessary.

Back to full consciousness now, Bren sprinted down the walkways. Pieces of twisted metal rained around him from above. The shield was close to red now. He kept thinking, one half reload remaining. Not yet need to slam that one in. There were still the brains on the columns, spitting out their own blood or whatever it was. But Bren kept just running and dodging, firing only minimally.

A pack of eyes and fingers jumped him, and Bren unleashed a few more crescent shots, until the path was clear, at least for the moment.

To tell the truth, Bren had no idea where the core was. Hopefully, right below the tower. He was also surprised that his body had not been broken down completely from the fall. Or who could tell, maybe it was? As it was only the suit that was moving. Just a brain inside a metal suit.

Down another sloping walkway. It was almost making him dizzy again. But he thought the trembling all around him was intensifying by the second. There was really no time to waste.

Finally Bren was at the bottom of the tower. No enemies, just fried brains and other corpses and twisted pieces of metal, ranging from small to huge.

How would he get to the core now? Even if it was there. The floor was still intact.

Bren looked above, and saw a huge piece of metal falling down. He sprang to the side wall, flattening himself against it.

In the next second there was another huge impact, and the ground was shattering underneath him. Bren felt himself slide downward. The motion was impossible to stop at this point. He saw a white-blue glow come from below.

Now it was like a vertical stream of energy he was falling through. Deep below, he saw some more walkways, and a huge luminous sphere.

That … was the core?

But how could he make it down alive? In preparation, and with nothing else to do right now, Bren slammed the last power cell reload in. Half bar remaining now. Either it would be enough, or not.

The sphere came closer, almost filling his whole field of view already. Bren saw streaks of lightning extending from its surface. Probably, if those touched him, the burst of energy would already deplete the shield to nothingness. Bren thought his hair was standing in attention inside the helmet.

He fell further, and the motion began to slow down, as the Machine's glove glowed brighter again. It was as if it and the core were communicating.

At last he landed on a steel walkway, with a control terminal almost as tall as him at its end, facing the sphere.

He looked at the terminal's display. It was completely indecipherable. He would have needed Juko, as he himself had no idea how to bring the core back in control now.

Vadim and Juko were in the Katakis' rear bay now. Shaking from adrenaline, but alive.

Rayna heard Bren's voice on the comms again.

"I'm at the core terminal. But I can't make any sense of it!"

"We've got Juko here now. She could help."

"That's what I thought too. But are you able to get here in time? The tower's collapsed, and it's getting crazier every second. There's lightning everywhere! Not sure you could make it here in one piece."

Rayna thought hard. She thought that no-one unnecessary should die anymore. Even as a Captain, she did not want to order anyone else to their death. Rather, if there was something to be done, if someone had to risk themselves still, she wanted to do it herself.

She thought back to everything that had happened on the planet. The subterranean complex. The pit with the biomass-creature. The container which had healed Bren. And she thought –

"Bren? What actually happened when those machines healed you? How did you get to know of the weakness in the tower?"

"I was in their virtual world. A replica of the planet."

And it clicked inside Rayna's mind. It was only a hunch, yet still likely the only option they had. She remembered the octagonal high ceiling. Maybe it was a hole all the way to the surface? Possibly they could get inside with the Katakis –

"What if I get inside? Could I get access to something that would help you? Could I talk to you?"

"Rayna, no! This whole place is breaking apart! If you go in there's no telling if we'll ever get you out. Remember, it spat me out when they were done repairing me. But now –"

"I'm willing to take that chance!"

"They spoke to me even after I was out. So it's a possibility that we could communicate."

Rayna closed her eyes and considered her decision once more. She did not want to think it was due to just Kris dying. Because that would be somewhat – overdramatic. Like a teenage girl or something. Just that it made the most tactical sense, and it was her duty.

The landing was hairy, but Ardon managed it. As soon as the Katakis was still and the engines were off, Rayna sprinted out from the rear bay doors into the chamber. There was still Bren's container, with its lid open.

Here too, it was shaking heavily, dust falling down in the dim light. They certainly could not waste any time.

But how would Rayna be sure the container would grant her access to the virtual world? If it was made for healing the mutants –

Then she would need to be wounded.

It felt contrary to all of her training in the UPFF. Self-harm was never an approved tactic.

Rayna remembered Kris teaching her the Turrican suit release control. She felt for the switch, and hit it, and the suit dismantled itself around her.

Almost immediately she began to feel that everything was not alright. Not enough oxygen. She began to feel dizzy. Was that already hurt enough? But she could not take that chance. She ran back into the Katakis, aware that every second wasted was potentially too much.

"Ardon? Do we have any spare guns here?"

They all looked at her with puzzlement.

"What are you planning? There's a phaser gun right here. Thought I'd defend myself against the mutants if it came to that," Ardon said.

Rayna reached into the front, and Ardon handed her the gun.

"Excellent."

This was insanity, Rayna reminded herself. What was she trying to prove? Possibly, nothing. But she thought she was ready for what would come next.

Back at Bren's open container. She still wanted to cause the least harmful wound possible. Though there were no really good options. Anything could cause either limited mobility, or outright loss of life.

She made the choice, positioned herself so that she would fall right into the container if she lost consciousness. Ramming the phaser pistol against her left shoulder, away from bone, she pressed the trigger.

The place was still coming down, the seconds being wasted, Bren thought. Rayna was trying to get inside the machines' virtual reality. He had no idea how long that would take.

It was already taking too long. Bren retreated as far from the sphere as possible, but still, once in a while a stray bolt of lighting – its very tip – hit him, and the shield meter went down a notch. He could not survive here forever. Red was not that far away.

All of a sudden, he became aware of a foreign thought.

Bren?

That did not sound like the Chillur Empire.

"Rayna? Are you in there?"

Think I am. It's a bit weird in here.

"Head below the tower! I think you can walk very fast. Or possibly even fly. How did you even get in there?"

I – shot myself. Don't worry, it's not fatal. I got out of the suit first. So that the machines can't merge me with it.

Fuck. This was certainly not what she should have done. But it was still admirable forward thinking.

OK. Think I see something. I'm going through the hallway beyond the pit. It's a large open space. There's some shapes in here – very vague. Are they our people?

"I believe they are. Their minds got stolen by the machines. It was all agreed upon by the UPFF."

That was what Bren had forgotten to tell until now. And he felt suddenly cold. Was it a fatal mistake, that would demoralize Rayna at this crucial moment, make her just stop on her tracks in that false reality, unable to continue?

I see.

That was not the worst response Bren could have imagined. Of course, she was Intelligence, and she certainly had witnessed treachery and power games before. But not likely to this degree.

I'm seeing … someone who wants to talk to me?

Rayna stood there in the middle of the blinding whiteness. Before her was a petite young woman she did not know, with long green hair.

"You're with the military, right?" she asked.

Rayna was unsure now. Had to be a victim of the machine attacks, somehow transported and re-enacted here. She had every right to be angry at the UPFF, and no obligation to help.

Yet Rayna was aware that on the real machine planet, the seconds were ticking away. She just had to take the chance.

Her voice wavered. "Yes. I've come to shut down the core. Or more precisely, to help Lieutenant Bren McGuire do it."

The woman's eyes lit up. There was a faint smile.

"Follow me."

Bren still waited. The shield level was in the red now. He could not take many more seconds of this. Would he just have to try and touch the control terminal display at random, hoping it would have some effect?

Bren? Still there? We're hovering above the sphere now. That's the core, right?

"Yes. But we? Who do you mean?"

She's from the Starport. Luna. She had a – Katakis waiting, so that we could get here faster. And she's helping me decipher this system.

Bren could not believe what he was hearing. Luna was still there, helping him even now. This too, was more than he could possibly take.

It's like the Machine is still plugged in. Even if it's dead. Don't think we can sever the connection. There's no other option but to shut down the whole network!

"But if we do that, can you get out anymore?"

I don't think it's relevant. If we do that, the core should cool down, and the planet will not be destroyed. The UPFF scientists can examine what's left of it, if it can be restarted safely.

"Rayna? I don't want you –"

There's no time for this! You need to press the control terminal screen in a sequence. I'm seeing the glyphs here. I will recite them to you. At the top left, do you see, an inverted A letter –

Fuck. This was not like Bren wanted it to go. But he also knew there was no other way. He could not have much of the shield left at this point, and if they failed to stop the core, they all would die.

"Inverted A confirmed."

Press it first.

His Turrican hand went onto the display, and it beeped and flashed in response.

Finally the sequence was complete. The ambient hum began to lower in pitch, the streaks of lightning appeared no more, and even the sphere began to shrink. Just in time, as Bren saw he had something like one percent of the shield left. One more hit from the electricity, and he would have been toast.

The shaking had subsided completely, and the lights in the chamber began to fade. Not just the network, but the whole machine installation was shutting down.

Bren collected his breath for just one second and looked at the Machine's glove he still had on. It was just inert, gray, oddly flexible alloy now. It could not be of use any more, and Bren let it fall down.

There was still one more reason to not waste time. To get Rayna out of the machines' system. If she was in there without a suit, and it had been shut down, she would eventually suffocate.

Bren launched himself into a shaky run. There was a corridor leading away from the core, but he was not sure where it was leading. Hopefully right back into the octagonal chamber.

Rayna's thoughts came back.

We did it, right? It's kind of weird here now. Everything appears to be slowing down. But that's OK. Because I know this isn't real. But out there, life will go on. For you too.

It sounded like she was giving up. And that did not feel right. For you too, Rayna. That was how it was supposed to go.

Bren ran forward in silence. No more thoughts came, so he was left with his own. The overriding one was that if he was to fail this last objective, he would certainly become the cruel, bitter Iron Savior, dealing in just fire and death from within the suit.

"Now, do you understand what I need to do?" Vadim almost shouted. Juko thought it to be irritating again.

"You'll kill her."

"No. It's a controlled detonation. A precision calculated amount of explosives."

"This is not about collapsing some building! It's an alien construct! Or machine-made. You don't know the material, so you can't know how much is needed!"

Juko knew she was still in a degree of shock from hanging on to the tower outer wall, and Vadim hanging on to his suit. But still she thought her words made sense, and Vadim was displaying unnecessary, potentially fatal bravado. In the worst case they all would be blown up.

Though, she had scanned the container. All the electronic signals had shut down. Through the lid, that was fogged now, she could not even tell if Rayna was breathing any more.

"Fine then. Go ahead."

Juko thought if she had made a serious mistake, trusting the demolitionist's judgment. She saw him take out the bit of plastic explosive, begin cutting and molding it into shape.

Then Juko became aware of heavy footsteps. Bren rushed into the chamber.

"What are you doing?" he shouted.

Bren understood that this was the true meaning of Luna's dream, the sarcophagus on the empty planet. He thought it was like time stopping still, except it was still ticking for Rayna, each second closer to death.

Vadim was relying on what he knew best, again. He had the remote detonator already in his hand.

Yet it could be a horribly wrong answer.

Bren examined the closed lid of the transparent container, but there was no obvious mechanism to open it. He also tried prying it open with the Turrican hands, but it did not budge. And he was too empty, too tired and exhausted to come up with anything else. Resigned, he backed away and turned to Vadim.

"Do what you do. I will take responsibility."

Then Bren took cover, and Vadim pressed down the red button.

A bang and a flash of light, and the container was covered in smoke. Without waiting for it to clear, Bren rushed back to it. The lid had been dislodged partially, and Bren twisted it open further, until it came loose with force and he fell to the ground with it.

He had to scramble back for the second time, afraid of what he was going to see.

It could have looked worse. It looked like Rayna was just sleeping, though with odd machine-needles going into her skin all over, perhaps most worryingly also in the back of her neck.

Bren scanned for life signs. There was a slow pulse.

"Get the Katakis open!" he shouted, and turned at Vadim briefly. "And thanks!"

"Just doing my job. The only thing I properly know."

Bren was already pulling the needles out one by one. He was potentially doing more damage now, but he could not really afford to hesitate. Hopefully they were only for the VR connection.

"Hang in there. Just a second more," he muttered and lifted Rayna out of the container. The rear door of the Katakis was open, and Bren carried her inside.

Ardon hit the close switch as soon as they were inside. Bren took another look at the pulse monitor. The heart rate was going up. Then he no longer saw clearly, as the tears of joy prevented that. For you too, Rayna.

Bren sat down on the floor of the Katakis, holding her with minimum strength of the Turrican arms, listening to the rhythmic beeping. He could of course not be completely sure, but wanted to think that she would be OK. That they could lift off now, and he would just hold onto her until she woke up. There was a nagging thought at the back of his head that this was potentially excessive, or inappropriate. But at least he was following Kris's request to the full.

"You sure you want to sit like that when we lift off?" Ardon asked from the front. "Never mind. I try to be gentle with the controls."

Just as the engine whine of the Katakis increased, Rayna coughed and began to open her eyes.

"Bren?" she asked.

"It's me. Are you OK?"

Bren really thought he should have had the helmet off. But it was too late now. Actually, he was not sure what would happen without it. Would he drop dead? Were his brains attached? Hopefully not.

"I – didn't know you cared that much for me," Rayna said, both puzzled and a bit detached, and Bren was lost for words.

"Sorry. Just glad that I didn't lose you too," he got out at last.

It was true he had gone overboard. And it was just a very short time since Kris dying. Not that Bren was thinking in that sense, of literally taking his place. He was well aware of his limits. But he had once thought that despite all of her military strength Rayna needed to be hugged, and that was accomplished now. Now he could get back just to the business of being a Turrican.

"Hey. I could think of much worse ways to wake up from a machine-generated world."

Juko crouched next to them.

"Bren's being a little like the Commander in the game he played."

Shut up, Bren thought. But to be honest, it was a welcome distraction from his predicament.

Naturally they did not have enough fuel for prolonged space travel in the Katakis. Bren's suit power level was also dropping, soon to reach just one third remaining. Therefore Ardon had hailed for any UPFF vessels in the vicinity.

Valhalla was the first to answer.

"I don't like this," Rayna said to Bren and Ardon. "It's General Hummell's flagship. And at this meeting with the Tech division –"

"He and Kurzweil exchanged some very odd glances. That stuck in my mind," Ardon said.

"When they take us in, we should be prepared. They're possible enemies. If we're wrong, no harm done," Rayna said.

"What do you propose?" Bren asked.

Rayna smiled at him a bit. It did not exactly fit the seriousness of the matter, Bren thought.

"Do you know Sun Tzu? The Art of War?"

Bren knew it only roughly. Age-old military tactics, like the basics of leadership. Something that people nowadays would take for granted, but which had been something revolutionary when originally written.

"Not well."

"Never mind. But I suggest we do an attack by stratagem. We still have that phaser gun? It's only for use as a last resort, if we need to relieve Hummell of duty at gunpoint."

Bren thought that seeing Rayna in her element, so full of initiative, made him feel better too. And was that evidence, that he was not a complete machine then, even inside this suit?

After the Katakis had left the planet, they had also talked a bit.

"The last thing I said to him in person, it was probably about the shield level. Just pure combat. And before that, I said something to him that I shouldn't have. And then – he just had to die," Rayna said.

Bren could well relate.

"It's possibly a horrible thing to say, but without those sacrifices – I don't think we'd have beaten the Machine at all. And before Kris went down, he wanted to make sure you'd be in good hands."

"Yeah," Rayna said quietly.

Their crew of five exited the Katakis and crossed the large hangar bay of the flagship Valhalla, to meet Colonel Kurzweil Hess and Lieutenant-General Theodore Hummell. They stood side by side, in their impeccable Tech division uniforms, while several guards, technicians and medics stood back.

Bren hoped it was a strange enough sight to give them an edge in decision-making and reaction time, if it came to that. There was Ardon with his chest bare and the bandages still wrapped around, Juko and Vadim in their battered Turrican suits walking in the rear, and Bren carrying the unmoving Rayna in her bloodied Intelligence uniform.

Finally everyone came to a halt, and there was only the ambient hum of the hangar machinery.

Theodore spoke. "You have done well. The Machine is no more, and we believe it will not be a terrible inconvenience to get the core started up again. Or alternatively, dismantled and studied and re-engineered. Nothing should be an impossibility. But –"

He looked to Kurzweil, then back at Bren.

"I'm sure you have also – unfortunately – seen or heard things that may never be repeated in the wider UPFF circles. Or, god forbid, to the population at large. There would be a wide-scale collapse of society. A complete loss of trust. Therefore, you are to be detained and subjected to corrective memory manipulation. I hope it doesn't have to come to more – excessive – force than that."

Bren had the helmet on again, just for safety, so he knew his voice would be amplified and distorted, turning into a low inhuman growl if he wanted.

"Or you could have avoided making a deal with the machines in the first place. To provide them with fresh sacrifices. Especially as it was of no use in the end."

Strictly speaking, that was not completely true. At least one sacrifice had been necessary, and it twisted Bren's heart to omit it now. But better not complicate things too much. Bren scanned through the personnel, hoping to see some kind of reaction. Nothing. Would they all stand by Hummell to the end, or was it just too outlandish to believe?

"Maybe you are too encumbered to think clearly," Theodore spoke calmly. "For how long have you been carrying that Intelligence officer? Crew, please see that she gets proper treatment. And that Lieutenant McGuire is – if need be – subdued without an incident."

Bren saw one of the guards approach with a remote control in his hand.

Damn. He had forgotten. They would have the means to shut down a Turrican suit. And in this case, it could mean his death. Theodore also seemed to be going for his sidearm.

The stratagem needed to go into high gear right now.

Bren gave a slight nudge to Rayna, and she took the phaser gun she had been hiding between Bren's suit and her uniform, opened her eyes, and aimed the gun at Theodore before he could get his out.

"Personnel! Do not listen to the Lieutenant-General! He is acting with an unsound mind and is to be relieved of duty!" she shouted.

"Disable them!" Theodore barked, his voice rising.

Bren felt a buzz of electricity, and his legs gave way. Rayna fell with him, but Bren could see the gun was still pointed at Theodore. Then the visor display faded to complete black.

Bren could still hear Rayna's next words, but only barely, as they came muffled and from far away.

"Look at what you're doing! Think of what kind of commands you are willing to obey! This is the Turrican who defeated the Machine. Before that he was wounded and is practically dependent on the suit. He could be dying now, because you disabled him! I agree that possibly, just possibly, everyone does not need to know of what has been going on. But this charade needs to end right now! Those responsible need to stand trial for their crimes against the UPFF! Against all humanity!"

Bren heard weapons being readied. He wanted to shield Rayna with the suit, in the case she would be fired upon, but there was no motion in his metal limbs at all.

She was not finished.

"Do also note that all of us are transmitting live audio through the Link to Major Nova Krieger. Remember, everyone will be judged according to their own actions! Or lack of action!"

This was the part of the stratagem they had been unsure of. But Rayna had vouched for her being clean.

Finally there was another voice. As it was also from close by, it had to be the Tech division Colonel.

"She's right. This has to end, Theodore. The UPFF cannot go on harming its own, compromising itself. Otherwise everything will fall into chaos."

There were more sounds. Possibly that of a struggle. Theodore's voice was angrier and short of breath now.

"All communications within this bay are blocked! Do not believe a word she says! Everyone disobeying will be sentenced to the harshest possible extent! If you ever get out, there will be nothing left of your minds when you've done your time! And Kurzweil, I expected better from you! You were certain it was the choice we needed to make! If I go down, you will go down with me!"

But finally he fell silent, and Bren heard boots scratching on the hangar floor.

"Reactivate Bren's suit right now!" Rayna shouted.

Bren felt another electric jolt, as power came back on. The helmet display returned, and Bren saw Rayna's face hovering close, showing concern.

"I'm OK now," Bren said. "We did it?"

"Theodore's being taken to detention. Kurzweil will be placed under guard too. There needs to be a complete investigation. But yes, you could say we did it."

"Where was it from? That stratagem?"

"Just improvisation … I think. To be honest, it didn't work too well. By the point I got the gun out I thought it would fail totally. I was sure I would be shot."

At those last words, Bren found himself to be hugging Rayna again. He had not even intended that at first, but it just happened.

"You already did that, didn't you?"

Of course. And the stratagem was over already. But Rayna had not meant it in a bad way, actually her voice sounded almost playful.

Then it turned more serious.

"We need to get you to the doctors. The Valhalla is certain to have the best. They'll check on you properly. What the machines did to you, and what can be done to get you out of that suit."

Bren thought. Could he even trust the medical crew? If they stayed loyal to the Lieutenant-General, he might go under the knife to never wake up again. But what choice there was? He would need frequent recharges to keep going until home.

If the answer was potentially so close, that would be a step back. He would just have to take the chance.

The debriefing sessions were excessive. Even if the UPFF investigators tried to understand the ordeal the five of them had gone through, and kept their tone reasonably friendly.

Rayna was glad that as part of the Avalon 1 mission, she was disqualified from an investigative role herself. All of the work could take months, if not a full year. It was now determined the treachery reached all the way to the Alterra incident, possibly even earlier.

It was a well-deserved break now. Rayna sat with Juko inside a crew room that was almost luxurious, a far cry from anything aboard the Avalon. Bren had been taken to the medical and surgical operations bay; so far there were no news.

"How do you pass the time now?" Juko asked.

"There's not that much spare time. I try to read a bit. Good that the Link works here. At least the restricted library."

"I like to dig up old video games. From the Earth era. Though I always seem to make the worst choices. Like, in this one there's a war between robots on an apocalyptic Earth, and you're one of the androids –"

"It hits too close to home?"

"No, not that. But you have to play it multiple times to reach the true victory. Which, by the way, is just the two androids trying to have their happy ending. And this is the goddamn frustrating bit, that the final enemy is the creators' names! Like credits in a movie, but shooting at you! There's this thing where another player could sacrifice their progress to help you, but of course, a thousand years from release, none of that works. So I've been trying to get through it without any help for the hundredth time or so! Like I said, I always pick the worst ones!"

"That one which you referred to in the Katakis, is it one of the worst too?"

"Yes, if you don't stop early enough."

Rayna could not exactly understand. Why keep doing something frustrating? But she could clearly see how Juko was an extremely valuable member to have on a team, if for not anything else than the moral support. And of course, now she would certainly deserve full Turrican status if she just wanted that.

Juko quieted her voice a bit.

"I think the point I'm trying to make is that sometimes, just sometimes, reality is simpler. I mean, we don't have to go back to the machine-planet multiple times to win."