"The nature of the Verse is a pyramid. One life is always above all others," Seraphi told her son sternly.

Little Balem watched the Refinery's machines work across the bodies of their latest success. His eyes were wide, and he trembled in his place.

"Do they feel any pain?" his voice was a soft, high thing. Seraphi would look forward to the day that his voice was a creak and shift into maturity. The highness of his current voice was tedium, and she longed for an heir that would work with her, instead of cling. He was already the majority age, yet his voice had yet to start to change. Perhaps a medical thing she would have to pursue him to take...

Seraphi laughed her voice light and cool as his words registered. His sensitivity is ridiculous. How amusing.

"No, Balem, it is quite humane. They feel nothing. But remember, these creatures are not truly alive. Their pain is nothing to our own pain."

Balem nodded, his hair, red and ruby bright against the dark surfaces of the Refinery, was a pleasing thing. She would have to train her son to wear the right colors with such hair. If she could at least sway him to go away from white, she would be quite pleased.

"Their pain is nothing to our pain," he repeated. Dutiful thing, that he was.

Seraphi nodded, pleased.

"We are Entitled, Lord Balem," she made deliberate use of his title, was amused to see the twelve-year-old boy puff up in pride at the use of the title use. Such a simple child.

Jupiter heard the words of Seraphi Abrasax echo in her head. She had been hearing the whispers, the intent of them all her life. The repetition of those words, the validity of them, called to her now. The service corridor would take her days to navigate. But she would make it out. She would live.

One life is always above all others.

Grey had come to the same conclusion.

One life is always above all others. That can be a truth for me too. The sins of my past life can so easily be repeated again and again.

And as a new person, with that soul, it scared her. Scared her for the nature of thinking anything below her. Scared her to realize that Seraphi Abrasax was someone she could become again if she compromised even a little.

I AM NOT SERAPHI ABRASAX!

It didn't matter what her DNA called her. It didn't matter that her memories declared her superior.

Jupiter was better than that.

"GREY!"

Grey was smiling as they fell.

How can someone that is dying smile like that?

Jupiter knew what they were doing.

NO! NO! YOU DON'T GET TO GO BECAUSE YOU THINK I AM MORE NEEDED, MORE IMPORTANT!

Jupiter ignored her tears as she watched Grey fall on the remainder of the Lift, watched as their face grew smaller and smaller as the Lift charged downwards. She ignored the part of her that knew that attempting to save Grey could kill her. Because that didn't matter. I am not Seraphi Abrasax. She calculated. Twenty percent chance of survival. She didn't care. Jupiter reached for a control panel. Tore it out. Ripped her fingernails. Made her fingertips bleed. She didn't care. She took the multitool out, rushing, hysterical as she tore apart the wires and started moving things. Blood flew across the circuits, across the small holographic pad that gave her access to the partially working Lift System. She was crying so hard she could barely see. But Jupiter kept working.

It was just a chance.

And it was a chance she had to take.

"I AM NOT SERAPHI," she snarled, shrieked to herself.

The countdown began. Jupiter was clutching at the canvas tote bag, had the multitool in her teeth. She hobbled to the edge, back to were Grey had disappeared.

She could barely see them, they had gotten so far down.

I don't care.

Jupiter threw herself into the Emergency Lift's shaft.