FOREWORD:

Hi there! For those of you who have been reading my series "One Last Road Trip", this is where things finally begin to pay off!

If this is my first fic you're reading, may I suggest you first go back and read my first five fics in the series:

One More Best Friends Squad Road Trip
The Chair with a Hole in the Back
Old Wounds
When the Cat's Away
Technicalities

These serve as a prologue of sorts for this story, with some post-series world-building and showing us what many of our favorite characters have been up to since Horde Prime's defeat. As always, thanks for reading!

Now...on with the show!

VVVVV

CHAPTER 1: PRIORITY ONE

"The smoke ends there," Adora said, pointing to the smoke trail lingering in the sky above them. Riding atop Swift Wind, she had already changed into She-Ra. Behind her, clutching tightly onto Adora's waist with one hand and a pair of binoculars with the other, Catra was scanning the horizon in front of them.

"Hard to tell where the ship went," Catra said. "The trees are all moving everywhere I can see."

"Yeah, that's normal for the Whispering Woods," Adora said. "Hopefully that works out for us in the end, if that ship ended up landing somewhere inside."

For a day that had started out with Adora and Catra visiting Dryl to see the repairs Entrapta and Hordak had made to their First Ones spaceship, it had taken quite a turn. The sudden sight of a streak of fire overhead, streaming from the skies of Dryl toward the Whispering Woods and Bright Moon, had surprised them all, though none more than Adora. Seeing it, feeling what was in it, gave her an intense sense of dread. Not since her first confrontation with Horde Prime had she felt like this.

It was the first truly eventful thing that had happened since the end of the war, but as far as Adora was concerned, she'd have been happier if it had stayed away for a few more months. Or years. They all deserved a lot more time to enjoy the peace.

"I can still feel it ahead of us," Swift Wind said. "I should be able to home in on it."

Adora could feel it as well, though how Swift Wind was able to actually pinpoint its direction from this distance, she wasn't sure. Was she distracted, or was it just some kind of "horse sense" that her trusty pegacorn friend had?

"Got it!" Swift Wind said. "I think, anyway. Hold on!"

"No, wait!" Catra shouted. "No more dives!"

"What?" Swift Wind said. "I can't hear you!"

Catra growled, let the binoculars slip from her hand to sway by the strap around her neck, and clutched Adora's waist with both hands, claws instinctively digging into her armor. Just in time, too, as at that same moment Swift Wind drew his wings back and stretched his head forward, and the three of them shot forward and down in a steep arc.

Catra's teeth were clenched, her eyes wide, and her fur standing on end all about her body. "Is it too late to go with Entrapta and Hordak instead?" she shouted over the wind rushing past them.

Any other time, Adora would have smiled at the banter, or at least enjoyed the thrill of Swift Wind's "stunt" flying. This time, whatever they were chasing gave her a deep, dark stone in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling...like there was something important she was meant to have done, but had forgotten. It made no sense to her, but that was the closest she could explain it.

"I hate you, horse!" Catra cried.

The words snapped Adora's attention from her own trepidation, and she put a hand on top of Catra's. Her lover's tendons were tight as bowstrings. "It's okay, I've got you!"

"You're not the one I'm worried about!"

Swift Wing finally leveled out their flight just above the treeline, expertly dodging the occasional limb that stuck itself up and tried to disrupt his flight. He laughed out loud.

Catra gagged, paused, and then swallowed. "Don't you ever do that again!" she shouted.

Adora spotted something in the distance, off to the right. "There!" she said, pointing with her free hand. "There's something rising there, like steam or something. I think - whatever it is I'm feeling's coming from there."

"Hold on!" Swift Wind banked steeply. Catra cried out again and clutched Adora even more tightly, her claws digging painfully into Adora's sides. Only the increased tolerance for pain her powers afforded her let her endure it without yelping out.

Swift Wind returned to level flight shortly afterward and continued on a straight path, aside from dodging more trees that were attempting to knock them out of the air.

Catra finally loosened her death-grip on Adora, freed one hand to grab up the binoculars, and started scanning ahead. "I think I see a clearing," she said, her voice hoarse. She pointed just to the left of their heading. "Around that steam."

"That's our guy!" Swift Wind said. "I'm sure of it!"

"Set down just ahead of it," Adora said. "If we drop on top of them they'll see us for sure." Come on, Woods, Adora added in her thoughts. Give us a way in please.

"Right," Swift Wind said. As he said that, the tree limbs beneath them began to part, giving him a perfect corridor to descend toward the forest floor. He glided below the tree line, keeping a sharp eye out for any errant limbs, following this new path that the forest seemed to be making for them.

Once his hoofs were finally on the ground and he'd cantered to a halt, Catra jumped off him. "I...am NEVER...flying with him again!" she gasped, pointing an accusatory finger at Swift Wind while clutching her stomach. She was trying as hard as she could to keep her stomach's contents where they were.

"Oh please," Swift Wind said. "You're just afraid of riding in style!"

"That wasn't style, it-!"

"Quiet!" Adora interrupted, climbing off Swift Wind's back. "We don't want them hearing us!" She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "It was this way."

Catra took another moment to catch her breath and then started following Adora and Swift Wind through a narrow path between the tree trunks. Her stomach finally settled down, and as she glanced at Swift Wind she hurled several filthy mental curses his way. She would take a Horde skiff any day over a pegacorn with an apparent death wish.

Adora's eyes and ears, enhanced by her powers, were focused on the path ahead. Okay, Woods, where's that ship? She had gotten quite good at getting the forest to trust her these past couple years, and most of the time it led her right where she needed to go without protest. She often talked to it when trying to navigate, though she wasn't certain whether or not it actually helped.

It didn't seem to hurt things, at least. Just ahead, she could see the midday sunlight starting to peek through a break in the trees. Adora glanced back at Swift Wind and Catra, and then pointed two fingers toward the light. Both nodded, and continued creeping behind her.

A twig snapped. They all stopped dead in their tracks. Adora and Catra looked at each other, and then back to Swift Wind. The pegacorn was giving them a sheepish look. "Sorry," he whispered.

Adora pointed to Swift Wind, then to the ground, mouthing, "Stay there." Swift Wind nodded, a look of shame on his face. She then turned to Catra. She pointed toward the upper limbs of some trees to their left and gave a hand signal that she and Catra both knew from their old Horde days as "Watch my back".

Catra nodded and then leapt up into the trees, making her way gracefully and silently to the position Adora had specified. Once there, she kept her eyes glued to Adora.

Adora turned back to the break in the trees. She then looked down at herself, noticing the slight glow from her own body. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and her She-Ra form dissolved away. Now a smaller target and less likely to be spotted, she crept up to one of the smaller breaks in the trees, one just large enough for her to peer through without risking making herself too visible. She crouched down and got as comfortable as she could.

The sunlight was a bit glaring after having been in the shade of the dense forest canopy, but once her eyes adjusted she could see it. Entrapta was right, it did look like a First Ones ship. It was a bit larger than Darla and the shape was a bit less blocky, a bit sleeker, but the basic form was unmistakable. Steam was rising from some of its seams, and the grass around it was charred, rivulets of smoke still rising in places. She could see places where the ship was smeared with various types of plant matter. The Woods must have put up quite a fight to keep this thing from landing. She tried not taking that as a bad sign, given how hostile the Woods tended to be with outsiders in general, but this time she was sure that the Woods, Iike she and Swift Wind, could tell that this ship's occupants were bad news.

She saw a figure step out from behind the ship, and put a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping.

It was another She-Ra!

It wasn't an identical copy of Adora's She-Ra form. This one was much taller than her, with very bulky arms and legs, and short spiky blonde hair sticking up from above a wide golden headband. The headband was very similar to the tiara from Adora's older She-Ra form, though the wings at the temples were smaller, with fewer curves and sharper edges.

The boots were heavier as well, looking more like flat-heeled, heavy combat boots similar in style to the ones Horde soldiers used to wear. The leggings were skintight, showing off every curve of the highly-defined muscles, and did not include the skirt that was part of Adora and Mara's forms. It also lacked the white-and-red cape.

The golden emblem on the figure's chest, however, appeared identical to the one on Adora's own. It was a more utilitarian outfit than Adora's own, but like Adora's own, it did not appear to have been meant for stealth.

The other She-Ra seemed to be stalking the edges of the clearing. She watched as the figure stepped into the shadows between the trees in one area, but then a minute or so later, stepped out from a different one.

The other She-Ra tapped their ear. "Last Resort," they said in a deep, slightly echoing voice, "Analysis. What is preventing me from leaving this clearing?"

The response must have been coming to their earpiece, because she only heard the She-Ra reply, "Do you have last known telemetry for the objective based on our last known position?"

A few seconds later they shook their head. "Dammit." After a pause - "Understood. Out." They tapped the earpiece again. "'Unhelpful speech'," they said in a mocking tone. "Like you've been any help since we got to this backwater planet."

Adora glanced up to where Catra was perched. Catra was scanning the clearing back and forth. Adora whistled three times, imitating a bird as per her training. That caught Catra's attention. She raised her eyebrows.

Adora sent a hand signal. I'm going in.

Catra tilted her head, and then signaled back. Confirm last. In this context, Adora knew it to mean, "Are you sure?"

Adora re-signed I'm going in.

After a moment Catra nodded and pointed to her eyes. I have eyes on you.

Adora nodded. She stood, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the clearing.

The other She-Ra spotted her almost instantly. "Halt!" They rushed toward her. A sword materialized in their hand and they pointed it straight at her.

Adora raised her hands. "Uh, hi. My, um - my name is Adora. Who are you?"

The other She-Ra stood still, watching her but also glancing from side to side, as if expecting an ambush. "Leave here, local. My business doesn't concern you."

"W- I followed you in," Adora said. "Your ship looked like it was on fire. I'm willing to help if you'll let me."

The other She-Ra spent another moment assessing Adora, and then glancing left and right. They relaxed their stance ever so slightly, though the sword remained in their hand. "Very well. I am Prince Adam, She-Ra of Eternia and heir to the Throne of D'Vann."

"It's - nice to meet you, Adam."

"Prince Adam."

"Right, Prince Adam," Adora said. She slowly lowered her hands, though she made sure to keep them visible at her sides. "You said...you said you're from Eternia? Eternia's a place?"

Adam's eyes narrowed. "Eternia is a planet. The home planet of the Eternian Empire. The empire that rules the known galaxies. Including this one. This planet."

Eternia. She finally understood what it meant. And this person was from there. He was a First One. All the questions she had, all the disjointed fragments of her past, swirled about her mind.

She noticed Adam staring at her. "Eternian Empire, huh?" she said. "We, um, call them the First Ones."

"Quaint," Adam said. "I need to find a way out of this clearing. For some reason I keep trying to leave but it keeps bringing me right back here."

"Well, this place - the Whispering Woods - it's kind of...weird. They kind of shift around and only send you where they want you to go. If they don't want you going anywhere, they won't let you."

Adam shook his head. "Blasted magic planets," he muttered. He relaxed from his stance and stood straight. His sword vanished from his hand, which caught Adora's attention. "Listen, I need to get to a place called the Crystal Castle. It's an Eternian fortress somewhere in this forest. Can you help me get there or not?"

Adora paused, her face growing suddenly warm. There were three whistles from the trees behind her. She knew Catra was trying to get her attention, but she couldn't look away. She couldn't give away Catra's position. "I - I, um…yes, I could help you get there!"

"Adora, wait!" That was Swift Wind's voice coming from the forest behind her.

Adam's sword immediately reappeared in his hand and he charged past Adora, shoving her so hard she went flying. "Come out! Now!"

Adora hit the ground hard but used the momentum to roll into a crouching position. "Dammit Swift Wind," she muttered.

Adam rushed toward the clearing's edge, near where Adora had emerged, and swiped with his sword. He took out two smaller trees with one move, though instead of falling, the trees hung suspended, their upper limbs entangled with those of other adjacent trees. He pushed the two trees aside, examining the darkness beyond.

While he was distracted, a figure dropped out of the air and landed hard on Adam's head. As he reeled and reached up for her, Catra swiped at his arm, causing his grip on the sword to falter. She then leapt off, placing herself on the grass between Adam and Adora. She crouched, back arched, and hissed angrily with bared teeth.

Adam spun around, re-firmed his grip on his sword, and reared back to charge. Adora stood, and put her hands up again. "No, please!" she said.

"He attacked you!" Catra said.

"I'm okay," Adora said. She turned to Adam. "Please, this is my friend, Catra. We're not here to fight you!"

Adam launched himself at them, much faster than his bulk would seem to have allowed. Adora and Catra glanced at each other, and then leapt away in opposite directions. Adam swiped his sword in a large arc, but both women had managed to get just outside its reach.

"Stop!" Adora said. "Please listen!"

Adam did not answer. He only glanced her way, and then turned toward Catra, the more obvious threat of the two. As he began to pursue her she leaped and flipped away repeatedly. He'd managed to position himself between her and the trees, so she went for the next best cover nearby - his ship.

"Dammit!" Adora summoned her sword to her hand and raised it over her head. "For the honor of Grayskull!"

While Adora transformed, Catra continued backing off, doing her best to keep away from the razor-sharp blade being swung at her with seeming abandon. Part of her regretted having so quickly jumped in and going after this She-Ra impostor, but she couldn't sit by and do nothing after he'd thrown Adora like some kind of rag doll.

With one large leap she flipped through the air and landed on all fours on top of Adam's ship. It gave her some extra distance from the charging brute, but she knew better than to underestimate an opponent. Especially not one with a magical sword and a golden tiara.

She never had the opportunity to plan her next move. "Intruder detected," an electronic voice called out. She felt the surface of the ship grip her hands and feet, and her world exploded into pain as electricity arced across it and into her. She couldn't move, every muscle in her body tightening at once. It felt like she'd been hit with a Horde stun baton, but much more intense.

The electric arcing on the ship's hull stopped. Her muscles randomly seized, spasmed, and then went limp. She was unable to stop herself from tumbling to the ground, landing on her back just in front of Adam. Her body continued twitching uncontrollably.

Adam stood firm, pointing his sword directly at her, its tip inches away from piercing through her eye. Catra widened her eyes, her eyelids the only muscles she could move voluntarily, and stared at the point of the blade that was about to end her.

That end didn't happen. A flash of white, a clang of metal, and Adam was no longer in front of her. She saw the backs of Adora's boots, the winged wedge heels a very welcome sight.

Adora's strike had knocked the sword out of Adam's hand and sent it flying over the ship, and she had then kicked him hard in the jaw, knocking him a dozen feet away. While keeping her gaze firmly on Adam, Adora said, "Catra, are you okay?"

"Nnngh," was all Catra could manage, her jaw refusing to cooperate and her tongue completely numb. She tried to move her arms and legs, but they felt as if they were pinned by tremendous weights.

Adam recovered enough from Adora's strike to get back to his feet. He held his hand out, and his sword disappeared from where it had landed and then reappeared in his grip. "You," he said. "You're no local!"

"I am She-Ra," Adora said. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will protect my friends and my world. Don't make me fight you."

"Your world," Adam said. "You sound just like Mara, but you can't be her." He relaxed his stance, but only slightly. "You're the experiment."

Adora stared at him. "Experiment?"

"After Mara failed, there was another one sent. One who was supposed to finish the job. That one also failed. Or hasn't yet succeeded." He stood at attention. "Soldier, as a member of the royal family of Eternia, I order you to help me complete your mission. First priority is to contact the Light Hope OS in the Crystal Castle."

"Why should I help you?" Adora said, maintaining her defensive posture. "You tried to kill my friend!"

Adam looked down his nose at Catra. "You were sent here to fulfill your mission, not to befriend the locals."

"Keep talking like that," Adora said. "You're only making me angrier."

Adam's nostrils flared. He stared at Adora for a long moment, but finally said, "Why did you fail your mission?"

"Nope," Adora said. "You don't get to ask the questions. I do."

Adam's jaw twitched. He glanced toward the ship, then toward the trees nearby, and then back to Adora. "Very well. I will answer your questions. If you escort me to the Crystal Castle."

"Adora…" Catra said. Adora glanced back to see her standing up on unsteady legs. She offered her hand, which Catra accepted.

Once she was standing Adora placed an arm around her. "You okay?"

Catra was trembling. "Y-yeah," she said. "Just...one hell of a shock."

They touched foreheads briefly. Then Adora turned back to Adam, her eyes narrowed and jaw set. "Fine, I will help you get to the Crystal Castle, but not because you're ordering it. And if you hurt any of my friends again, I'll leave you to wander the Woods on your own. Forever."

"Adora, seriously?!" Catra croaked.

"It'll be okay," Adora said to her, gently. Then, to Adam, "I'll take you there because it belongs to the First Ones and you deserve to see it. And so you can bring word back to your people to stay away from Etheria."

"Adora!" Catra grabbed her arm.

Adora dismissed her sword and put a hand on Catra's shoulder. She then gave a quick hand signal before touching her cheek. "It's okay. It'll be all right. Just trust me, please." Catra stared at her for a long moment, but then finally released her. She gave a cold look to Adam, and then backed away toward the edge of the clearing where she and Adora had entered.

"Ok, Prince, let's go," Adora said. She strode toward the opposite edge of the clearing, gesturing for Adam to follow. He did, a few paces behind, his sword still in hand.

She stopped just before stepping through the trees. "Please let us go to the Crystal Castle," she said. "It will be all right."

The trees rustled, and then separated. Adora turned to Adam, now standing behind and to her right. "Come on." She stepped into the opening, and after a hesitation, Adam stepped in after her.

Catra, likewise, stepped back into the woods, to find Swift Wind waiting impatiently just past the veil of darkness. "What's going on?" Swift Wind said. "Where are they going?"

"That Crystal Castle place," Catra said. "You know where it is?"

"Uh, yeah," Swift Wind. "What's going on?"

Catra leapt onto Swift Wind's back. "She asked me to go get backup. We need to get to Bright Moon right now." She grabbed his mane tightly. "And no crazy flying this time!"

VVVVV

Adora led Adam through the forest for a few dozen minutes. It didn't have to take this long; she could simply have asked the forest to open up a shortcut. She was, instead, taking the long way, silently asking the forest to extend their path as long as possible. She needed to give Catra time to bring Glimmer, Bow, and whomever else she could rally. If this guy really had the power of She-Ra, and if he decided to attack, she'd need all the help she could get. She didn't like the idea of being alone with him, but it was better than leaving Catra at risk of him attacking her again.

Adam was keeping pace with her, but staying one step behind. A smart, tactical plan, and one Adora herself would have followed if the roles were reversed. It also told her she wouldn't be able to outwit this guy too easily if it came to that.

"So you came from Eternia?" Adora finally said, breaking the silence between them. "I was - I heard that the First Ones were wiped out. So they're still...around?"

"The Eternian Empire lives on," Adam said. To Adora, he sounded like he was chanting some kind of oath, rather than speaking his own belief. "The Empire will rise again."

"And you're here to make sure that happens," Adora said. "Right? Why else would they send the She-Ra?" She paused. "A She-Ra, I guess." After another moment, "Are there more of us out there? More She-Ras, I mean? I thought...Light Hope told me there's only ever one at a time." Wouldn't be the first thing she'd lied about, though, she thought.

"There's usually only one," Adam said. "But we serve the Empire. However many of us there are."

"So - are there more of us out there?"

"How much farther?" Adam said, ignoring her question. "I could see the castle while I was landing. It can't have been this far away."

"Not too much more," she said. Changing the subject, she started to ask, "You said I'm an experim-?"

"You're lying to me," Adam interrupted. He gestured to a large rock alongside the path. "We've crossed that rock twice already."

She glanced at it and had to chuckle. It had an "X" carved into it. She had carved that "X" with her sword the first time she tried to navigate these Woods alone. It was the first time she tried to find answers to her questions about who she was, and how to use her new powers. It seemed appropriate for her to run into it again now.

"I told you this forest is unusual," she said. "I made that mark there the first time I tried to find this place." She pointed to it. "It's a - navigation mark. After we've crossed it twice-"

"Stop stalling," Adam said. "You are violating your orders."

"My orders," Adora said. She stopped and faced him. "Listen, 'Prince Adam', I'm trying to be helpful. I don't know why you're here, but I don't follow your orders. I came to this planet as a baby. I was raised here. I am Etherian. Whatever you think I'm supposed to be doing-"

"You were sent here for specific reasons," Adam said, interrupting again. "Your Light Hope should have given these to you."

"And you're wanting to talk to her, right? That's why we're going to the Crystal Castle?"

"My orders are none of your concern," Adam said. "You will follow mine. Or I will start chopping this forest tree by tree until I find it."

She stared at him. With the power of She-Ra, she had no doubt he could do just that. "Whatever you say, Your Highness," she said, placing extra emphasis on the last 2 words. She turned and continued on the path. Guess time's up, she thought. Okay, Whispering Woods, I guess it's time. Help me out, please?

A light shone through a break in the trees just ahead. Adora and Adam both saw it. She pointed. "That should be it."

"Should be?"

"Yeah, should," she said. She was already losing her patience with this "Prince Adam".

They walked toward it, Adam maintaining his rear guard position, and the trees parted, bathing them in light. As Adora had hoped, the Crystal Castle was just beyond. Or, at least, what was left of it. It was overgrown with vines, even moreso now than the last time she had seen it. Pieces of it had crumbled away and had fallen off, leaving the spire a barely-intact relic of an ancient civilization.

"Oh my…" Adam said, slightly agape.

Adora had to smirk at Adam's surprise. Maybe his attitude was just a put-on, and maybe that meant she could find a way through it to get the answers she wanted. "Shall we go inside?"

Adam returned his face to its stern expression and nodded. "Lead the way."

Adora walked toward the door in the ground, Adam still a pace behind. The door was still intact, its First Ones script - which was apparently "Eternian" script - still legible. "Eternia," she said.

The door tilted downward, tearing at a mass of ivy that had grown across it. They both stepped down the ramp it formed, into the darkness beneath the ground. She summoned her sword and held it up, emitting a sphere of light. She saw more light appear behind her, and glanced back to see Adam had done the same thing.

They followed the corridor until it opened to the large antechamber, with worn crystal pillars, most crumbling and some collapsed, stretching from floor to ceiling. The path on the floor led to a dais in the center of the room. As she had done before, Adora walked up to the dais. Before she could speak, though, Adam said, "Gatekeeper, respond."

The holographic female form Adora knew only as "Not Light Hope" appeared. "Greetings, Administrator. What is your query?"

"Administrator access," Adam said.

"Administrator detected. Welcome, She-Ra."

Oh fine. Work for him the first time, Adora thought wryly.

"Launch Light Hope OS," Adam said.

"Light Hope OS is offline and unreachable."

Uh oh, Adora thought.

"Diagnostic," Adam said.

"Diagnostic failure. Light Hope OS has been deleted."

Adam turned to Adora. "What the hell is it talking about?"

"I...I uh…"

"Open the path to the Central Chamber," Adam said, turning back to the Gatekeeper.

"Central Chamber path opening."

The room around them dissolved, the walls disappearing into small cubes, and in their place materialized a large chamber Adora recognized very well. The walls were adorned with angular outcroppings, crystal circuitry, and First Ones script. The two She-Ras were standing on a wide bridge, which was cracked and had large chunks missing from it on either side. Not far ahead of them, Adora could see a diamond-shaped impression in the floor, with cracks spiderwebbing out from it. This was the place where she first took charge of her own destiny. The day she'd destroyed the Sword of Protection and, with it, the horrible weapon of mass destruction the First Ones - the Eternian Empire - had dubbed "Heart of Etheria".

It was that weapon that she now realized Adam might be seeking. He was about to be sorely disappointed...and she steeled herself to be able to handle his reaction to said disappointment.

"What is this?" Adam said. "What happened here?"

"It's the last place I ever saw Light Hope," Adora said. "A lot happened here."

"Light Hope, respond!"

No answer, only Adam's amplified voice echoing back at them.

"She can't answer," Adora said. "She's gone."

Adam turned to her. "Gone how? Where?"

"Just - gone." Adora said. "Forever," she added sadly.

"Dammit," Adam muttered. He tapped his earpiece. "Last Resort." Adora watched him for a moment. "Last Resort, come in." Another pause. He turned to Adora. "Why can't I get a signal?"

Adora shrugged. She'd never tried to use a communicator from inside here, and wasn't too concerned with Adam not being able to. She felt her heart begin beating harder in her chest, her fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. That feeling of dread became instantly more intense, as if she could feel his frustration somehow.

She was beginning to regret her decisions from today. She had intentionally led him here to get him away from her friends, a short-term solution that might now be coming back to bite her. Even though she knew this place was all but a lifeless ruin now, it hit her that he may well know secrets about it she didn't. Dangerous secrets, which she had just delivered right to him. Whatever he was after, though, she had to be ready to stop him from getting it. She tightened her grip on her sword.

Adam tapped his earpiece. "All right then." He turned to her, hand extended. "Give me your sword, soldier. Now."