Slowly, the two wildcats begin to circle each other, the tips of their katana raised, each waiting for the other to attack.

"You were foolish to ever stand against me," Corazon sneers. "You know how good I am. You have no chance."

"I won't stop until I'm dead," Carol retorts. "And I'm going to take you with me."

"You really don't expect to get out of this alive, do you?" Corazon asks.

"I don't expect to make it to twenty," Carol confirms. "Though I always thought I'd die saving Sash."

"You mean Lilac," Corazon corrects.

"I meant what I said," Carol asserts.

She's scared of dying, that much is obvious. "You're bluffing."

"Only one way to find out."

"You have no sword training."

"I'm a Tea."

Corazon chuckles darkly. "You're a Tea in name only. A pretender. A fraud."

"Says the one who's violated every core tenet of the Tea clan multiple times."

"You lack vision."

"You lack honour and discipline."

"Enough talk."

Corazon charges, swinging her katana down hard. But Carol is ready: she deflects the swipe to one side, dodging the attack and getting behind Corazon. However, the elder wildcat spins to defend before Carol can follow up with an attack of her own.

The two wildcats begin to circle again, each waiting for the other to attack.

"Good," Corazon compliments. "You're not totally useless. I can have some fun."

"This is all a game to you, isn't it?" Carol growls.

"A game rigged heavily in my favour," Corazon smirks.

"Let me redress the balance."

Carol charges, thrusting her katana towards Corazon's midriff. The elder wildcat parries the attack easily, but Carol is ready: she slides her sword off the end of Corazon's, spinning to swing in from the elder wildcat's opposite flank. The attack is blocked, and Carol spins the other way, only to find that attack blocked as well. Corazon counters with a thrust of her own, but Carol leaps backwards out of range.

The two wildcats begin to circle again, each waiting for the other to attack.

"You lack finesse," Corazon criticises. "And your attacks are too wild and slow."

"You're toying with me," Carol realises.

"You should know felines like to play with their prey before moving in for the kill," Corazon reminds.

"A real Tea doesn't toy with their victims," Carol argues.

"A real Tea doesn't enter a fight she cannot win," Corazon counters.

"A real Tea doesn't seek to subjugate a planet," Carol retorts.

Unable to think of a reply, Corazon charges again, swinging hard at Carol's flank. The younger wildcat blocks the attack, but Corazon isn't holding back: she maintains her pace, forcing Carol backwards as the younger wildcat is forced to block on instinct.

Moments later, Carol finds herself pinned against the wall of the chamber, doing her best to hold back Corazon's sword, which is just inches from her face.

"You want to know a secret?" Corazon growls. "I'm not even trying."

"It's not over yet," Carol growls back, hitting the button on her teleporter.

Half a second later, the younger wildcat vanishes, appearing several feet behind Corazon. Carol quickly switches to new crystals and charges, aiming to take Corazon by surprise. But the elder wildcat is too good to fall for that trick: she spins and blocks Carol's attack with ease.

"Predictable," Corazon sneers. "Don't think I didn't see you drop that disc."

Corazon's greater strength allows her to push her sister back and away from the wall. Knowing strength alone won't win this fight, Carol suddenly leaps back, aiming to force Corazon off‑balance. However, the elder wildcat is prepared, and she keeps her footing.

The two wildcats begin to circle again, each waiting for the other to attack.

"You're lasting a lot longer than Coraline did," Corazon compliments.

But Carol's not listening. This isn't going very well. I know she's toying with me: if she puts full effort into this, she'll kill me easily. But she doesn't know about my supercharged crystals.

"You're planning something," Corazon guesses.

"So are you," Carol replies.

Corazon smiles wickedly. "I was, but it seems my little pet has abandoned me. No matter: I no longer need his services."

"Even the insane are abandoning you," Carol snickers. "Get the hint?"

"He's simply protecting his own pelt," Corazon retorts. "Since I don't need him, why would I let him live?"

"Why did you let him live in the first place?" Carol asks.

"He was useful to me," Corazon answers simply.

"Something tells me it's more than that," Carol smirks.

"Are you suggesting I took pity on that disgusting runt‽" Corazon spits.

"How else would he have the chance to prove his usefulness?" Carol presses.

Angered, Corazon replies with another charge, this time taking Carol by surprise. The younger wildcat reacts as fast as she can, but she cannot block the attack in time: Corazon's blade carves a long but thankfully shallow gash down the length of her left thigh.

Carol leaps back to put a little distance between her and her sister, her injury causing her to stumble slightly as she lands, gritting her teeth as she tries to block out the pain.

"Surrender now, and I'll make your death quick and painless," Corazon promises.

"I'll only surrender when I'm dead!" Carol barks.

"That can be arranged," Corazon grins malevolently.

Corazon lunges at Carol, forcing the younger wildcat to dodge backwards and defend. Carol does all she can to repel her elder sister, but Corazon's pace is relentless, and the younger wildcat once again finds herself pinned against the wall. And again, Carol teleports behind her sister.

But this time, Corazon is ready: she spins as Carol vanishes, swiping the katana from the younger wildcat's hands when she rematerialises.

Corazon rests the tip of her sword half an inch from Carol's neck. "Did you really expect me to fall for that?"

"Worth a shot," Carol shrugs.

"No, it wasn't," Corazon corrects. "Hand over the teleporter."

Carol unclips the device from her belt and hands it to Corazon.

"And the disc," Corazon adds. "And the crystals."

Carol unclips the disc and crystal bags from her belt and hands them to Corazon with the teleporter.

"Thank you." Keeping her sword half an inch from Carol's neck, Corazon takes the items. "Impressive," she compliments as she analyses the teleporter and the disc. "Stolen Brevon tech, yes?"

"You have a good eye," Carol confirms. There must be a way out of this.

"Isn't all the Brevon tech in the Shang Tu labs?" Corazon asks.

"Pretty much." Think.

"You've got skills, breaking into those labs, and escaping with top‑line tech like this."

"I'm a Tea." Get her to use the teleporter. "Why not try it out?"

Corazon drops the teleporter to the deck and crushes it with her boot. "No."

Shit. "Shame: you would have enjoyed it. Make taking over the world easier."

Corazon extracts two crystals from one of the bags. "And it would have overloaded and exploded, thanks to these overcharged crystals."

Carol sighs in defeat. "You got me," she admits. "You're too good for me."

"Obviously."

"I take it this is the part where you kill me," Carol guesses.

"All in good time," Corazon remarks, the sword tip perfectly stationary half an inch from Carol's neck. "Before you die, you'll learn just how badly you fucked up."

"Trust me, I know how badly I've fucked up already," Carol replies. Is Pangu nearby?

"In that case, I won't waste any more time," Corazon decides. "Any last words?"

Here goes nothing. Carol places two fingers of each hand in her mouth, and whistles long and loud.

Nothing happens.

"What a waste," Corazon sighs. "Turn around and kneel."

With a weary sigh, Carol obeys, hanging her head in sadness and defeat, her eyes closed, awaiting the inevitable.

Corazon raises her sword to strike.

Carol weeps silently.