"Hello?"

A sigh of relief. "Oh good, you're still answering. Not that you wouldn't – I just didn't know if comms were still working."

I adjusted the volume on the Focus so that I could hear her better. "So…what are you doing?"

Jenna laughed. "Really, Becks? There is literally an apocalypse going on outside and you're just acting like it's no big deal? Must be nice, getting to sleep and then wake up in a new perfect fucking world."

I winced at her harshness. "Jenna, you…you know I'm not supposed to talk about that. And I swear, if we could have built another one, I'm sure Dad would have had one made for you. He…he knows that you're important to me."

Another sigh – this one exasperated. "I know. Sorry, I don't mean to be a bitch. I just…I wasn't ready for this, you know? This morning, Mom stopped by my room to remind me about…later. The way she said it though, Becks – it's like she's making fucking dinner instead of getting syringes ready for us to all off ourselves with."

I felt nauseous. Hearing my best friend talk about something like suicide like this was heartbreaking and pissed me off at the same time. Why couldn't we all have cryo tanks? Because of money? Why the fuck did that even matter right now? The fucking world was ending.

Jenna continued. "And it's all so fucking stupid. I mean, I barely got to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And the worst part is that none of it matters! I never mattered!"

I tried not to cry, only because she knew me so well and would be able to tell immediately and I didn't want to make things worse than they already were. "It…it does matter. And so do you." I took a deep breath. I had to tell her. "Jenna, I-,"

Static. "One sec. Mom's c-c-c-calling m-," The call began to cut out.

"Jenna?"

Dennis' voice sounded from behind me. "Becks, hurry up! Dad said we gotta get downstairs, now!"

"Becks? Becks, wake up."

I stirred, forgetting where I was for a moment as I opened my eyes.

"Becks…we have to get going. The others are probably waiting for us." Aloy's voice was soft but still had that urgency in it.

I groaned and wrapped the furs around me tighter. I didn't want to get up yet. That meant not being warm anymore and I wasn't really onboard with that. "I don't want to."

She chuckled and kissed my temple. "You and me both." She worked her arm underneath the blanket and pulled me close to her, her armor cold against my bare skin.

"You're already dressed?" I rolled over to face her.

She nodded. "I needed to check my weapons."

"You could have woken me up."

A shrug. "I wanted to let you sleep as long as possible."

I smiled before leaning in. We kissed for a while – not the fierce, passionate kissing of the night before, but gentle and calming, her hand stroking my hair before moving downward to rest on my cheek. She stopped, pressed her forehead against mine.

"I love you. We can do this."

I bit my lip and nodded while trying to push back more of the tears that had continued to come in intervals throughout the night.

Aloy frowned. "Hey. Look at me. Becks, please look at me."

I complied, reluctant as I was as a tear rolled down my cheek. She brushed it away with her thumb and held my gaze – her tone steady and determined. "We're going to do this and we will succeed. We'll get your father's ring back and we will fix GAIA. Okay?"

I nodded again. "I-I should get dressed."

She released me and kissed the top of my head before getting off the bed. "I'll wait for you outside."

Reach. My arms ached as I stretched toward the next handhold. Then the next. We'd been fortunate the snowstorm had stopped but the Bitter Climb was still cold as fuck. Pacing myself and not falling behind had been one of the more challenging things I'd ever put my body through, but I knew I couldn't give up now – couldn't let everyone else down.

We couldn't give up.

"Almost there!" Aloy yelled from above. She'd tied a rope around me to make sure I didn't fall to my death, sometimes even pulling me up herself when I'd get tired. The others – Erend, Vanasha, Talanah, the hunters, Braves, and the Vanguard - all climbed around us, all of us working toward the same goal. We had no idea what we'd be walking into but we were as prepared as we could possibly be considering all the unknowns.

I struggled to keep my grip on the frozen rock as we reached the top of the cliff. Aloy used the rope to pull me until I was close enough that she grabbed my arm and hoisted me onto the ground.

"Finally," she panted as she helped me to my feet. We both turned to face the mountains ahead – an audible gasp of awe coming from both of us.

GAIA Prime lay before us – a massive metal structure that had been built into the side of the mountain. Around it, scattered in the snow, were the debris of whatever had made up its construction before it had self-destructed decades ago. Surrounding this were more machines than I'd ever seen before – Watchers, Sawtooths, Ravagers, and towering predators that could only be Thunderjaws. Flying above were several Stormbirds as well as a few others that I did not recognize. It was an army unlike any other.

And we were no match for it.

"He…he rebuilt it. H-How did he do it so fast?" Aloy asked, her eyes wide – though whether in fear or amazement I wasn't certain.

"Heph," was all I could offer. I pointed to her pack. "B-but it's useless without the subcores."

To the side of the GAIA construct was a cliffside that, if I looked closely, I could see led up to the top of the structure. "The control room," Aloy said, confirming my guess. "If these subcores go anywhere, it'll be there."

"That is where we need to go?" Varl asked.

Next to him, Sona narrowed her eyes at the sight before us. "We are outnumbered."

I heard Vanasha scoff behind us. "Understatement of the year. But we stick to the plan," she said. "I didn't come all this way for nothing."

"Get ready to move in," Aloy ordered. Whatever visible fear she had was gone. Determination had taken over. She reached for her bow. "This ends now."

I was about to grab my spear when she stopped me and handed me her pack. "Wait. Take this. Once we attack, you and Varl will run to that cliffside." Her fingers closed around my arm. "Get to the control room as fast as you can. I'll find Ted and get the ring."

"What if that dirtbag isn't here?" Erend asked. He gripped his heavy hammer in both hands, his Vanguard lining up behind him – their guns at the ready.

Aloy shook her head. "He's here. And if for some reason he's not well…" She turned back to me as I tightened the pack around my shoulders. "We'll override HEPHAESTUS and hold this position until he shows up with APOLLO."

"We're ready, Aloy," Talanah said, weapon in hand. "Tell me where you want us."

Aloy nodded. "Thank you. We move, now."

We marched on, our boots crunching into the snow out of sync, the sun high in the sky – the light reflecting off the snow nearly blinding – as we headed toward the hoard of machines. I looked back. We had a sizable group of allies but I worried that their spears, hammers, bows, and even the Oseram guns wouldn't be enough against what HEPHAESTUS could unleash under Ted's command.

As we approached the mountain, I could hear the metallic roaring of the machines, the scraping of metal on rock as they waited for us. For prey. Will we die here? Is this how it ends? We lose to machines once more?

Erend's voice tore me from my dark thoughts. "So, uh, that's quite a climb."

I nodded. The pack was already growing heavier. "I'll be all right."

"Sure, yeah, but just…you know. Be careful. Try not to die," he said. I looked at him, searching for a smile or a joke as was his way. But there was nothing. He really was scared.

Shit. I didn't really know what to tell him. "I'll do my best."

"Yeah. I mean, you do what you have to do," he continued. He gave a nod towards Aloy, who walked just a bit ahead next to Sona and Varl. "But ah…she really needs you, so if you could stick around a bit longer, I think it would really help."

I grinned. "I get it, Erend. And thanks."

A deafening roar sounded – it echoed throughout the valley of rock, the lights of all the machines up ahead fading to a harsh red in an instant.

"They've seen us!" Aloy yelled. "Erend! Now!"

Erend yelled orders at his Vanguard, who took formation and a moment to aim before the Oseram captain screamed the command to fire their weapons. The cannons went off with an explosion of sparks and ashes, bullets of fire raining down on the machines ahead.

Chaos erupted. Both Talanah and Sona ordered their fighters to charge the hoard – several of the machines immolated and thrashing in the snow in an effort to put out the flames. Blaze canisters exploded, one after the other, shaking the ground beneath us – the battle cries of the hunters and Braves overpowering the shrieks of agony from the burning, now angered, machines.

Aloy grabbed my arm. I turned to face her – terrified beyond belief.

"Becks. The control room – go!"

I hesitated.

Her voice cracked. "Becks! Go!" Our eyes met, hers mirroring the nauseating fear that was taking over me. I wanted to hold her, kiss her, tell her I loved her more than anything and that I wanted-

After. Tell her after. I nodded in response to her order and joined Varl as we raced to the final climb that would take us to the control room of GAIA Prime.

Almost there. I could see the climb – several paces away. Varl was running alongside me, spear in hand, looking around us constantly for anything that might get in our way.

"BECKS!" I fell to my knees. A Sawtooth pounced in front of me, ready to strike as it opened its mouth and prepared to attack. I tried to reach for my spear, but was too slow. A single swipe and it would take my head off.

The screech of tearing metal and a hollow roar. I blinked in surprise as Vanasha jumped in front of me – pulling the rope around the Sawtooth's neck with incredible strength as it redirected its attention to her.

"Go!" she yelled. Varl grabbed my hand and helped me up before we scrambled to close the distance to the cliffside.

Handhold. I grabbed the first one and began climbing as fast as I could. From here I could see out to the battlefield, where hunters, Oseram, and Nora clashed with machine. I shuddered as I watched three hunters take down a Thunderjaw but not before another one trampled one of the hunters, crushing him and sending a spray of blood onto his comrades. The distraction was fatal – the remaining Thunderjaw slammed its tail into the hunters, smashing their faces and killing them instantly.

I nearly threw up, my stomach lurching at the sight of human beings getting ripped apart by machines.

"Keep climbing, Becks!" Varl cried. "Come on!"

Another handhold. I can do this. I tried to stay focused, tried to ignore the screams of terror down below. I couldn't help it, though. I had to see her – make sure she was still alive.

I turned my head. Her fiery, red braids blurred as she sped across the blood-stained snow toward her target, bow in hand, tense and as ready to kill as the Thunderjaws that graced the same field. Even from this distance, I could see her face. Her intent was clear. She was stalking prey.

Him.

Handhold. Climb.

Ted waited for her. He was calm, way too calm. He was clad in winter gear from my time, not seeming to care that there was a slaughter going on all around him. I watched in horror as Aloy approached him.

He reached into his coat. Pulled out a handgun – the handgun.

I screamed – hoping she'd hear me. Hoping she'd get out of the way before it was too late. "Aloy!"

Climb!

But she didn't see fazed as she nocked two arrows in her bow, almost calmly, and drew back her bowstring.

He fired.

I tensed, waiting for the bullet to pierce her. Waited for the woman I loved to go down, just as I had seen the remains of those I loved killed the same way.

A low warble resonated as bits of shrapnel exploded in front of her and fell harmlessly on the snow.

Her armor! I thought my heart would never start beating again as the air rushed out of my lungs and I could breathe again.

Climb!

"Becks! Almost there!"

Aloy's expression relaxed – that smirk – and released the arrows. Ted barely had time to react as the arrows sunk into his shoulder with such force that he was knocked back onto the snow with a heavy thud.

The top. I grasped the final handhold.

Aloy strode over to Ted, who lay on the ground screaming in pain – I could hear his pleas even from where I was. I watched as Aloy dropped her bow and grabbed her spear. She pressed her boot down on his chest, drew her spear back and drove the blade end of it into Ted's throat, ending his life with a thrust and twist of the blade. His body fell limp – the snow around his head tinting with his blood.

The ring!

As though she had read my mind, Aloy got down on one knee to get Dad's ring from Ted's hand. But when she lifted up his hand, she stopped.

It's not there. Then…where is it? The realization hit me. But it was too late.

Aloy looked up at me. I could see the horror on her face. Too late.

A hand shot out – grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me up. Before I could react, I was thrown to the ground. Jenna's spear went into Varl, his cry of pain cut short as he was thrown off the cliff.

I grunted and pushed myself up. She stood in front of me, breathing heavily as we both looked at the tip of her spear, bloodied from the man she had just slain.

No more than a few feet away, a control panel built into the metal platform hung over the rock. There were multiple outlets on it – their purpose was obvious.

"J-Jenna?" I breathed in disbelief. The ring containing APOLLO hung on a thin cord around her neck.

She threatened me with her spear. "Don't even try it, Becks. Now…you-you're going to put those…those cores in there and then I'm going to put the ring in. Then you're going to issue the override command and reboot this thing. Are we clear?"

I shook my head. "Jenna, this isn't you."

She growled. "Stop saying that! You don't fucking know who I am. You got that?!"

I put my hands up. "Ted's dead, Jenna. This has to end and-,"

She shook her head. "No, Becks. You and that fucking clone ruined this for us. These people – they don't deserve this. This knowledge…this…everything?!" She grabbed the ring, squeezing it in her hand. "It was ours. This whole world was ours and these people should be worshipping the fucking ground we walk on that we even allowed them to happen."

I took a tentative step toward her. I was terrified – if she could kill a man in front of me, then she had truly lost it. I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible. "That's Ted Faro talking, not you, Jenna. I-this world isn't ours anymore. We have to let them have it."

"No," She dropped her spear – pacing for a moment before looking at me again. "You don't understand-,"

Now I was pissed. "I don't understand?! I went back, Jenna. To my house. My family didn't die in cryo sleep – they were shot in the head. With a gun, Jenna. He fucking murdered them. And for what? Some fantasy that he could control the world? He was a fucking psycho and you know it. If that is what you're holding onto so bad then I guess you're no better than he was!"

Jenna let out a cry of rage and charged at me, knocking me back down onto the metal platform before swinging her fist at my face. I rolled to the side with all my strength, barely dodging the blow. Her fist hit the platform and she yelled out in pain – her hand now scraped and bloodied as she came back at me for another shot. I grabbed her wrists and pushed her back. She was much stronger than me, I could tell as I felt my grip on her weakening as she fought me. Letting go, I ducked as she swung again. I grabbed her spear. A small window of time – I swung the spear as hard as I could and slammed it into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for air and stumbled backwards, giving me time to hit her again in the ribs and again in the face, sending her crashing to the ground. She lay on the ground, chest heaving as blood poured from her nose. Her hand clutched her side – she was immobile for now.

"Becks," she wheezed. I ignored her and grabbed the ring, yanking it and breaking the cord around her neck before going to work on the console. I opened my pack and began inserting the subcores into the console one by one.

"Your family, Becks. H-he…Ted didn't kill them."

HEPHAESTUS. ARTEMIS. "Stop trying to cover for that monster, Jenna," I snapped. DEMETER. POSEIDON.

She laughed – her voice so hollow and cold. "Y-you think I'm covering? H-he knew your dad betrayed him, Becks. Ted…his copy of APOLLO was corrupted. He knew I had a-access to your house. He sent me, Becks." She sniffed. MINERVA. AETHER.

I stopped. Stared at her. No.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I-I didn't know you'd be there. I thought…maybe he had arranged for you to go to a cryo facility like mine, but no. You were there. He g-gave me his gun."

No. "S-shut up!"

She winced in pain as she choked on her words. "I'm sorry, Becks! I didn't-he said you would have understood!"

"You fucking murdered my family! My family, Jenna! What the fuck is there to understand?!" I screamed.

"He said you'd understand…that innocents had to die in order for innocents to be saved!" She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes. I'd never seen her so defeated before. "I'm sorry, Becks – I'm so sorry!"

I walked over to her. I could have killed her. Her spear was still in reach and she was powerless to stop me.

No. I wouldn't become her. Or Ted. I was sick of this shit. It was time to get GAIA back online and be done with this.

"I'm rebooting this system and then…you're going to leave us alone," I told her. "I…I don't want to see you…ever again, Jenna."

She shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "I should have gone with them. My parents." She narrowed her eyes at me – those same eyes that at one point I thought I had fallen for. But that girl was dead. She'd been gone for a long time. This…this girl was lost, a clinging remnant of the failure of my civilization. "It would have been better. It…" She reached into her pouch. Pulled out her final solution.

"Jenna…" I froze.

She smiled…for a second, it was her. The Jenna I knew. The one I had grown up with.

It dropped – its impact on platform almost nothing. A slight roll. A few clicks.

I stepped back with all the speed I could muster. Not enough.

Not enough.

White light – the world exploded around me in a hail of metal shards, rock, and blood. The impact hurled me through the air – my body slammed, crumpling against the console. There was a rattle followed by numbness – a strange sensation in my spine that built up and ended as quickly as it had begun. A warmth spread around my head, dripped down my face. I couldn't see – everything was a blur. My ears were ringing. I tried to get away, tried to move to get out of there. But I wasn't moving.

Arm. Legs. I couldn't move them.

Dizzy. Too much. I barely clung to consciousness.

One more thing.

The metal beneath me was real. My hand…I could move one of them. There. It was so small, but the weight of it spoke the volumes that it represented.

Finish it.

I think I was screaming the entire time. I forgot what pain was because it never stopped. I reached for the last outlet. Dropped it into the console.

"Accessing. Warning: main system core missing subordinate functions. Initialization still possible. Proceed?"

Yes. I think I spoke the word but wasn't sure.

"Alert: APOLLO protocol reintegration starting. Identification required."

It took all the remaining strength I had to whisper the words. "R-rebecca Johnson – Zeta Override. Lock…lock out Omega access."

"Override accepted. Proceeding with GAIA initialization."

I exhaled and rolled off the console, my body hitting the platform with a solid thud.

Breathe. Keep breathing.

A cry from far away. My name. Aloy?

"Reintegrating subordinate functions. HEPHAESTUS functionality – online."

"No, no, no! Becks!"

Cold. Is this where I'm supposed to be?

"ARTEMIS functionality – online. DEMETER functionality – online."

A hand on my chest. My side. Pressing down.

"You first, Rebecca."

Arms under me. Holding me. Screaming. So much screaming. Just as when the Horus had come down – when it had dissolved that man into nothing. The stone-faced expressions on the reporter's face when-

"POSEIDON functionality – online."

"She's called GAIA. She created this. Made life possible again."

"MINERVA functionality – online."

The pain was actually fading. I forgot where I had to be, though. Does it really matter?

A blast of cold air. The hatch was closing.

"AETHER functionality – online."

"It'll be okay, you'll see. We love you so much."

"STATE FUNCTION REQUEST."

"They've stopped! The machines have stopped!"

Shutdown. Shutting down everything.

"I-I need you."

"APOLLO subordinate function reintegration complete. Prime core setup complete. GAIA system status: online."

"P-please…I love you."

A final, piercing wail, and then…nothing.