CHAPTER 12: HEART AND MIND

Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Scorpia, and Glimmer screamed as they fell through the floor and briefly into open space, before smashing into another hard surface.

"Ouch," Bow said.

"Whew!" Entrapta shouted as she pushed herself up from the floor. "I wasn't sure that'd work!"

"Wh…what?" Catra said, already back on her feet and helping Scorpia up. "What wouldn't work?"

Entrapta shrugged "Tracing a portal through your guys' legs. Honestly it was fifty-fifty I'd end up cutting all your legs off by accident!"

Catra opened her mouth to shout at her, but then shut it again. Remember, Entrapta isn't like us, Scorpia had told her.

"Thank you, Entrapta," Glimmer said, mustering all the calm she could.

"You're welcome!" Entrapta replied, with a grin.

Bow winced as he stood, rubbing his hip where it had struck the ground. "So was it just me, or did anyone else feel like those clones had plenty of opportunities to finish us, but didn't?"

"Huh," Scorpia said. "Now that you mention it…yeah."

"Are they trying to toy with us or something?" Catra said.

"You all heard what Adora said," Glimmer said. "She told them to eliminate us."

"And called us 'savages'," Catra added. "Like she doesn't recognize us."

"Huh," Entrapta said, her face buried in her tablet.

Bow turned to her. "What's up?"

"Well, maybe Adora really doesn't want to hurt us." She gestured to her left ear. "We figured that chip was made to control She-Ra, but maybe it doesn't really control her. Like her subconscious mind is still fighting." She turned her pad toward them. "THese are the signals I picked up from her and the clones. They're all tethered to each other in kind of a web pattern, but see this huge trunk? That goes straight to Adora."

"So what does that tell us?" Catra said.

"That if I had to guess, Adora is controlling them all, and getting feedback from all of them. But then there's this one I picked up." She switched the screen to show a different pattern, this one showing threads all attached to Adora, connecting her directly to each and every clone. "This one I thought might be some other kind of control channel, but I messed around with the filters and…" She tapped a button.

"Wait a second," Bow said. "That looks like Adora's She-Ra energy pattern!"

"Precisely!" Entrapta said.

"So - wait," Bow said. "Remember what Adam said about how splitting the universe's energy just between two She-Ras would be dangerous?"

Scorpia nodded, and then said, "Nope."

"They're not getting the She-Ra energy from the universe," Glimmer said. "They're getting it straight from Adora."

Catra stepped up to Entrapta and seized the tablet. "That bitch Last Resort is using her as a power source for them!"

"Man," Bow said, "I can only imagine how much strain that's putting on her."

"And it makes sense why harming one of the clones would directly affect her, and the others," Glimmer said.

Catra growled. "I really, really hate the fucking First Ones."

"We're gonna get her out of here," Glimmer said.

"Please tell me the plan is not for us to kill another clone," Catra said.

"Nobody has to kill anybody," Entrapta said. "I downloaded the data from one of the cloning chambers. I'm pretty sure I can find a way to disrupt it. Confuse them all for a bit and then you guys can take out Adora's chip!"

"And once that's done, she won't be sending her power to the clones and they'll revert to their normal forms!" Bow said. "Right?"

"Uh…yeah," Entrapta said. "Probably.

Glimmer drew in a breath, and then let it out. "I think that's the best idea we've got. We can't fight them. Even with Adam's help. We need to find a way to get through to Adora, or get that chip out of her." She turned to Entrapta. "Can you locate Adam's communicator?"

"I've been trying," Entrapta said, "but the signal isn't clear here. It could be getting jammed, maybe?"

"Or maybe Adora's already beaten him and smashed it," Bow said.

There was a long, silent pause. Finally, Entrapta said, "If we go back to that cloning room, I might be able to trace remnants of the portal Adora opened. If I can trace it, I should be able to get you to Adora and Adam. The rest of us'll have to get to the cloning tanks so I can tap into their signal and disrupt it."

Glimmer, Bow, and Catra glanced at each other. "That'll be dangerous," Bow said.

"No more dangerous than the dozen other things we've done this year," Catra said.

Glimmer nodded, and then turned to Entrapta. "Let's do it."

Adora's eyes were glowing red, staring into Adam's even as his own vision started to fade. The pain was excruciating. He could barely breathe.

He then saw a glimmer of something. A flash in her eyes. A flash of blue. She stumbled backward, and the sword vanished from his chest. He tried breathing. It burned, and he felt like it wasn't doing anything for him. He tried to stay on his feet, but fell to his knees.

"N-no…" Adora said, her voice weak. "No…no…"

Adam placed a hand over the hole in his chest, blood draining out between his fingers. He could feel the wound already beginning to close, and it felt like a scraper was being torn across his lungs. He coughed, and blood spurted out onto the ground.

"I…was wrong," he gasped. "You…she made…you a killer." He chuckled, triggering another coughing fit that sprayed more blood. "All your talk…about destiny, and…and doing what you wanted…you're just a mindless weapon too."

"No!" Adora screamed. She put her hands to either side of her head and screamed, so loudly and shrill that it shook the walls and floor.

Adam felt the wounds inside his chest finally seal, but he was still woozy. He knew he'd lost a lot of blood between being impaled through the lung and having his thigh muscle sliced. He needed to keep her distracted, delay her next attack until he could respond to it.

"Are you a soldier?" he asked.

Adora didn't answer.

"I asked you a question, experiment!" Adam barked. "Are you a soldier?"

"No!" Adora cried out.

"Bullshit! You're following orders and doing what a stupid machine wants you to do!"

Adora staggered. "I'm n-not…"

"Adora, what are you?"

Adora's shrieks suddenly stopped. Her arms fell to her sides and she stood up straight, glaring down at him. Her countenance was now one of complete dispassion.

"I am the last hero of Eternia," she said in a voice that wasn't quite hers. Her sword appeared in her hand. "And it is time to end this."

A portal opened in the massive cloning chamber, and Entrapta, Emily, Bow, Glimmer, Catra, and finally Scorpia jumped through.

Entrapta had intended for it to drop them inside the tank farm. Instead it put them in the opposite end of the chamber.

The room was still filled with She-Ra clones, all of whom turned to see the new arrivals.

"Oh crap, run!" Bow said. He started drawing and firing arrows, providing his best cover file while they fled. Glimmer, Scorpia, and Emily assisted with their ranged attacks, trying to keep a path open between them and the tanks.

"Found the trace!" Entrapta said. "I should be able to use this telemetry to pinpoint within a margin of error the exact location Adora and Adam ended up."

The She-Ras charged, rapidly closing the distance. Nearly every shot they fired at the clones missed the targets, though, thanks to the clones' incredible agility. But at least they were slowing the clones down.

"Almost…there!" Glimmer shouted. She erected a shield between Catra and a Mara clone that was about to tackle her from behind. The clone bounced off the shield and both Bow and Glimmer hopped over her.

Entrapta and Bow made it to the tanks first. Entrapta disappeared into the farm while Bow stopped at the threshold and continued sending his rapidly depleting stock of arrows at the clones chasing the others.

Catra slid in past him. Just then Bow saw an Adam clone leap into the air and, with a cry, swing his sword hard toward Glimmer. He reached back for an arrow, but found his quiver empty. "Glimmer!" he shouted. "Above you!"

Glimmer and Scorpia both looked upward and saw the Adam clone about to fall on her. "Glimmer, dodge!" Scorpia shouted. Glimmer weaved to the side and Scorpia took her place. Once the Adam clone was within reach she threw an uppercut, punching him hard in the face and sending him flying in another direction.

Glimmer, Emily, and Scorpia finally reached the stacks, and Bow ducked in with them.

As before, the clones did not pursue them. At least for the moment. He hoped it would stay that way long enough for Entrapta to do her thing.

They regrouped near the middle of the stacks, Scorpia breathing heavily. "Seriously," she said, "how…much…running…are we gonna…have to keep doing?"

Entrapta traced the last vertical line in the portal and it opened. "C'mon Scorpia!" Catra said as she jumped through.

Scorpia, still panting, said, "C-coming!" She jogged up to the portal, her head bobbing side to side, and entered it. It popped shut immediately.

"Okay," Entrapta said, wiring her pad to one of the cloning cylinders. "Gonna need a few minutes."

Glimmer charged her magic, and Bow without arrows, could only stand watch and be ready to take whatever action he could take. Emily took her spot over Entrapta, her metal body covering Entrapta's as completely as possible.

"I hope this works," Bow muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure it will," Entrapta said. "I mean, if it doesn't, we're probably all gonna die here."

Adora marched toward Adam. Adam tried to re-summon on his sword, but the blood loss was still robbing him of focus. "Now it is time to end this," she said. She raised her sword overhead. "For the crime of treason against the Eternian Empire, you are hereby sentenced to death." Her fiery eyes narrowed. "By impalement."

She drew back her sword and charged at Adam with an echoing cry…

…and was deflected at the last moment as a bolt of lightning struck her, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She turned in the direction from which the attack came and saw the tall red savage, pointing one of its appendages at her.

Still feeling the effects of the shock, she pushed herself to her feet and charged her sword for an energy strike.

Suddenly another of the savages was on her back. This one was armed with claws, and it slashed her across the bicep of her sword arm. Adora cried out as she felt the muscle tear almost completely in two, and her arm went limp, her sword sliding out of her grip and to the floor.

"Please don't be mad at me for that later," Catra said quickly as she leaped off Adora. The instant after she was out of the way, another electric bolt flew across the room, this one hitting Adora square-on.

Adora screamed again as the lightning danced over her body. "I'm really sorry, Adora," Scorpia said as she did her best to keep the power flowing. "But this is for your own good."

As Scorpia continued to keep Adora incapacitated, Catra leaped toward Adam. She immediately noticed the gaping wound in his chest that was still trying to close. "Holy shit," she said. Then she looked up at his face, his expression one of both pain and frustration. "You…gonna be able to fight?" she said.

Adam was trying to keep his breathing steady while his body worked overtime to replenish the lost blood. "I…I will…in a minute…"

"We'll cover you," Catra said, flipping around back toward Adora. What she saw astonished her.

Scorpia had pinned Adora with a constant stream of lightning, but Adora was actually starting to stand up. She was resisting it.

"I can't keep this up much longer!" Scorpia said. "Gonna lose it!"

Catra skulked around Adora, doing her best to keep out of her line of sight. Adora seemed to be entirely focused on Scorpia for the moment, though Catra knew not to take chances with her. She remained behind Adora, staying close enough that Scorpia's lightning made her hairs all stand out.

Scorpia started gritting her teeth, and then started shouting. And then her lightning blast stopped and she fell to her knees, panting heavily.

Adora also fell back onto her knees, electricity still dancing around her. Catra could see that her arm didn't appear to have started healing. Despite that, Adora pushed herself back up and took a step toward Scorpia. And then another.

Another.

"Oh, boy," Scorpia said, still panting. She got to her feet. "Adora, if you're…if you're in there…please snap out of this. Seriously, we just…want to take you home."

Adora continued her slow march toward Scorpia, the dancing electricity fading from her. Catra stalked behind her, waiting for the first opportunity to strike without getting electrocuted.

Adora raised her off-hand, and her sword started to appear. It glitched a few times, before finally became solid and she could grab it. She turned it downward and struck the floor with a shout. The blow discharged the remaining electricity from her body into the floor.

Catra pounced just as Adora yanked her sword from the ground, sending a wave of energy that cut through the crystal floor and raced toward Scorpia. Scorpia yelped and dodged out of the way at the last second.

Catra started clawing at Adora as quickly and as deeply as she could. She was leaving gashes all over her back, abdomen, and arms, and as she continued swiping, she let out cries of anguish with tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't care that Adora was trying to kill them, nor that she would heal these wounds very quickly; attacking the woman she loved with all her heart, and so viciously, was the most painful thing she'd had to endure since Horde Prime's "salvation".

Adora roared and tried to reach back to grab her, but Catra was small and nimble enough to stay just out of reach on the giant woman's back. But then Adora started running backward. Catra had just barely enough time to leap away before Adora smashed into the wall, the entire room shaking with the force of it.

Adora, her sword arm now healed, brought her elbows back hard and extracted herself from the hole she'd made in the wall. She glanced at Catra and summoned her sword, but then turned and again ran toward Scorpia.

"Oh, I'm not ready yet!" Scorpia said as she rolled to one side. Adora quickly changed her trajectory and brought her sword around in a swipe. Scorpia was able to deflect it with a pincer, but just barely. She heard something clatter to the floor. She glanced down, and saw it was one of the spikes from her arm, sliced cleanly off. She barely had time to dodge and scramble away before Adora swung at her again.

"Scorpia!" Catra leaped onto Adora's back again, and this time grabbed her chin. "I know you're in there Adora! Fight this!"

Adora reached up, grabbed a handful of Catra's hair, and flung her hard against the wall. As soon as she'd done that, An energy blast struck her from behind. She turned in time to see Adam charging at her, catching his blade as he made a swipe across her chest and deflecting his blow. He used the momentum to spin around and deliver a hard elbow to her ribs, which was as high as he could reach. Her chest felt harder than stone, and there was no give.

He'd expected that, and kept spinning around her. He wrapped his arms around her midsection, heaved her up, and fell backwards, smashing her head and upper back into the ground behind them. The crystal flooring shattered, throwing shards all around.

Yet Adora did not miss a beat. She brought her heel down hard on Adam's shin, and a sickening wet *crack* filled the chamber. Adam cried out in pain.

"Adora, stop this!" Scorpia pleaded as she rushed their way and brought a claw crashing down toward Adora's head. Adora spun, just barely moving her head out of the way, kicking her legs across. Adam was ejected from underneath her, and then her legs smashed into Scorpia's. Scorpia toppled over, landing hard on the ground.

Adora then brought her legs around in an arc and then down hard toward Scorpia's chest. Scorpia just barely had time to bring her pincers up to catch Adora's leg and stop her heel from smashing into her ribcage. The force of the blow pushed Scorpia hard into the floor, shattering it in the two spots where her pauldrons were driven into it.

And then a red and black figure flashed overhead with a hiss and landed on Adora's face. Catra started slashing wildly, but not deeply, at Adora's face as tears streamed from her eyes. "Stop it, Adora! I love you, but I'm not going to let you kill Scorpia!"

Adora grabbed Catra's waist in one giant hand, but then froze.

I love you, she thought. I love you. She'd heard those words before, shouted out in that same voice. The words replayed in her head again and again.

Catra was able to break free from Adora's grip and land on her chest. She did not resume slashing Adora's face, but she kept her claws raised and ready to resume if needed. She was breathing heavily, her eyes and nose running as she choked back sobs. "I love you," she said, more quietly. "You remember that, don't you? You remember me?"

"L-love…" Adora said, staring into Catra's eyes. She stammered for a moment, and then whispered, "You…love me?"

This was their moment, Catra thought, replaying itself. Their moment at the Heart, when they finally revealed their love for each other. Maybe if she continued playing along, she could finally get through to Adora. "You're such an idiot," Catra said, trying to smile.

"I…I love you too…" Adora whispered.

I really hope this works, Catra thought. She leaned down and kissed Adora fully on the lips. She kept her eyes open, though, watching and listening for any subtle reaction.

The reaction was not subtle. Adora screamed out in pain, forcing air hard into Catra's lungs. The power behind it threw her off Adora and sent her sliding across the floor, gasping for breath.

Adora brought her hands up to her face as she continued screaming.

Scorpia rushed to Catra's side. "Wildcat, are you okay?"

Catra was breathing hard, her chest heaving with each breath. She felt a kind of murmuring or rumbling in her chest with each breath, which hurt tremendously. She felt like she just couldn't get enough air into her lungs. "I…I can't…" she panted. "I…can't…breathe…"

Glimmer and Bow noticed the She-Ra clones suddenly jerk, some lowering their weapons, and others starting to look all around themselves. Glimmer said, "Entrapta, did you do it?"

"No, I'm still getting into the transmitter! Stop interrupting me!"

"Then what's happening?" Glimmer said.

Bow said, "Maybe Catra and Scorpia got through to Adora!"

"I hope so!" Glimmer said. "It'd make this a lot easier!" She then heard a clank and a whirr from above. She saw a dome-like object was descending from the ceiling. "What the-"

"It seems I must stop you myself," said a robotic voice from everywhere around them. It was Last Resort's voice, and it echoed menacingly.

"Ummm, Bow?" Glimmer said, bringing up a shield between her and the object almost immediately. "What's that thing?"

"I don't-" Bow started, but then the object started firing out streams of tiny projectiles at each of their positions. As Glimmer saw them bounce off her shield, she could see they appeared to be tiny needles, or shards of glass.

Bow yelped out as the projectiles struck him, and immediately sprinted toward Entrapta. Emily raised an arm and allowed him to duck underneath her with Entrapta.

Glimmer saw as these projectiles struck and then shattered against the cloning tanks, leaving no apparent marks on the equipment. She then looked over to where Entrapta was, and saw Bow and Emily huddled over her.

"Bow! Entrapta!" Glimmer ran toward them, maintaining the shield, but having to keep from slipping on the shards that were beginning to pile up on the floor. Once she reached the others she said, "Bow? Entrapta? Did you guys get hit?"

No answer from either of them.

"Bow?" she said again, this time in desperation. He still didn't respond, though Emily did give what sounded like a worried whine.

She could see that Bow had quite a few of the shards sticking in his back, arms, and head. "Hold on," she said. "Don't move." She started pulling them out one by one, tossing each to the ground and adding to the piles that were now getting close to ankle-deep. The turret continued firing them at her shield, and she had to make sure she continued concentrating on keeping that active while she tried to help Bow.

Once she'd pulled out as many of the shards as she could see, she said, "Emily, pick him up." When Emily whined at her again, Glimmer said, "Please! My shield will hold!" Emily finally complied, rolling Bow onto his back and holding him up for her to see.

His eyes were closed, and his breathing ragged. There were still more of the shards sticking in him in a few spots; she pulled those out as well. "Bow? Bow? Talk to me. Please!"

When she got no response she touched his face. It felt warm - very warm. "No…" she said, tears starting to fill her eyes. She squeezed them shut, and then opened them again, her expression changing to one of pure determination.

She could see a few of the shards sticking in Entrapta's skin as well. However, despite the constant clinking of the shards into her shield and onto the area around them, she could just barely hear Entrapta's voice. It sounded weak, and Glimmer couldn't understand what she was saying.

She pulled out the few shards she could find, and then grabbed her shoulder. "Entrapta! Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Entrapta said. She glanced up at Glimmer, and Glimmer could see that her eyelids were hanging half open. "Oh, hi Glimmer. What's all that noise? I'm trying to concentrate here." Her words were badly slurred.

"We're under attack!" Glimmer said. "You need to hurry!"

"Calm down, calm down," Entrapta said. "You know what they say: A watched boil never pots."

"Oh no…" Glimmer said. She then turned her gaze upward and stared at the overhead turret. "Emily, can you shoot that thing out?"

Emily gave a whistle and a couple beeps, and then turned her head down toward Bow.

"You need to put him down?"

Emily beeped, which Glimmer hoped was a "yes".

She raised her right hand to maintain the shield, to give her left arm a moment's rest. "Just a sec." She chose a spot close enough to Entrapta that she could maintain the shield comfortably over both of them, and then started sweeping the shards away with her foot. It wasn't easy; the shards were now almost knee-high just outside her shield.

Finally, when she'd gotten rid of most of them and could actually see the floor, she said, "Okay, lay him down." Emily did as instructed, and then marched out from under Glimmer's shield, trudging through the deepening pile. The shards clinked and shattered against her.

She then turned upward, raised her arm, opened her cannon, and fired at the turret. The blast tore a hole in the turret, but it continued firing. "More!" Glimmer said. "Blast it to bits if you have to!"

Emily fired again, and again. Each blast tore away more of the turret, the pieces falling onto Glimmer's shield and bouncing off, clanging against the adjacent cloning tanks. Finally, after several shots, Emily must have knocked out whatever was making it hover, and it fell out of the air and directly toward Glimmer.

"Oh!" Glimmer exclaimed, wincing just before the turret hit the shield. It struck and bounced off, crashing into an empty cloning cylinder and flattening it. Glimmer let out a breath, and after the final shards fell, she allowed her shield to vanish. She turned to Emily, nodded, and then returned to Entrapta.

She could see that Entrapta was still working on the tablet, on what she hoped was the jamming signal, but her hands were moving far slower than Glimmer had ever seen her work. "How much longer?"

Entrapta said, "It'll take longer if you keep…" She trailed off. "Wait, what was the question?"

"Nothing, just…keep going!"

As she watched Entrapta continue plodding away, she thought about Catra and Scorpia, fighting an overpowered Adora, waiting for the jamming signal to hopefully incapacitate her. She had to do something. She might be able to use a healing glyph on Entrapta…but if she was wrong, she could end up making the situation much, much worse..

She did not have the time to second-guess herself. I'm doing it, she thought. She traced her healing glyph in the air, double- and triple-checked it for accuracy, and then pushed it toward Entrapta.

As soon as it touched Entrapta she slumped forward, hands sliding off the tablet. Glimmer put a hand to her mouth. "Oh no…"

Then suddenly Entrapta snapped her head up. "Whoa, what happened there?" Her voice sounded normal again, with no slurring.

"Entrapta, are you okay?" Glimmer asked.

"Yeah, I'm great," she said. Then she looked down at her tablet. "Uh…what was I doing?" Before Glimmer could open her mouth to answer, Entrapta continued, "Oh, right! The jamming signal! Give me just one more minute…"

Glimmer then turned to Bow. She could see reddish dots where the shards had stuck into his skin. She traced another healing glyph, and just as she was about to touch it, Entrapta shouted, "Got it! Jamming signal…on!"

Almost instantaneously there was a reverberating roar in the chamber, as dozens of She-Ra clones all cried out. From between the cylinders Glimmer could see them dropping their swords, throwing their hands to their heads, or falling to the floor. In some cases, all three.

"I think it's working!" Entrapta said.

She turned back to her glyph and pushed it toward Bow. After it touched him there was a delay, but then he started to stir. He seemed to be trying to open his eyes, but wasn't successful.

"G…Glim…wha…where…" He could barely make a sound.

Glimmer knelt down, her knees crunching the shards on the floor next to him, and pulled him up into her lap. She grasped his hand, before noticing it had a shard stuck in it. She removed and tossed it away. "Bow! Are you okay?"

Bow murmured a few nonsensical syllables, and then sighed.

"Just hold on tight," Glimmer said. "You're gonna be okay." She looked up at the clones, still groaning and incapacitated, some of whom seemed to be losing the ability to maintain their She-Ra forms. "It's up to Catra and Scorpia now," she continued.

"And Adam!" Entrapta said.

"Yeah," Glimmer said, absently, as she stroked Bow's hand with her thumb. "And Adam too."

"What's wrong, Catra?" Scorpia said, grabbing Catra's shoulders and lifting her from the floor. "Tell me!"

"H-help…" Catra managed, her voice barely a whisper. Scorpia noticed that her lips were taking on a bluish tint.

"Uh, Adam?" she said. "Help!"

Adam couldn't pay attention to her. He was circling Adora on his freshly-healed legs, with his sword at the ready. She was still lying prone, still screaming. And then she stopped suddenly, drawing in a sharp breath, and flung her arms to her sides. The red glow in her eyes started to fade.

Adam wasted no time and jumped to Adora's left side, and pushed her head to the right. He could see the tiny dome shield on the chip faltering. He quickly punched, but again felt his hand bounce away.

"C'mon, dammit!" He grabbed her head tightly in one hand, putting as much pressure as he could on the chip using his thumb. He felt the tiny shield give way, just a little. He kept pressing as hard as he could, hoping he didn't accidentally crush her skull before getting to the chip.

Finally, the shield seemed to pop, and his thumb drove into the chip, crushing it. He immediately let go as Adora started screaming again. The broken chip began smoking. Adora's She-Ra form faded in and out, before finally dissolving altogether. Her head was now a few feet away from him, rolling side to side as she continued to cry out.

"Adam, help me!" He turned to see Scorpia, cradling Catra in her arms. Catra was convulsing, her breaths high and reedy, and her eyes rolled up in their sockets.

"What happened?" Adam said as he rushed to her.

"I don't know!" Scorpia said, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "S-she said…she said she couldn't breathe!"

Adam put an ear to her chest, and then to her mouth. He'd heard the sounds before, and seen the blue lips and convulsions, when a squad he was leading was hit with a concussion blast. "Hold her," he said.

Scorpia held Catra more tightly while Adam knelt down. It had been a very long time since he'd tried using his powers to heal someone. He hoped he remembered how to do it.

He placed his hands on either side of Catra's ribcage and closed his eyes. He envisioned the injuries inside Catra's chest, pictured what her lungs probably looked like, and how they were supposed to look. Heal, he thought.

At first, nothing happened. Come on, heal! And then he had a sudden vision. He could see through his eyelids, through her chest, down to the fleshy, torn sacks inside. He remembered this part from before, and knew he was on the right track. He let himself release his energy in a gentle wave, seeping into Catra through his hands. He could see the white energy crawl across her lungs, and where they met the tears, the tissue around the lungs pulled taut, frayed ends meeting again, and then sealing together as if they were never damaged.

Catra drew in a heavy breath, and he opened his eyes. Catra's likewise went wide, and she blinked rapidly a few times. She took a few more heavy breaths, and then her breathing started to normalize. She looked up at Scorpia, and then at Adam. After a few moments of breathing, with no hint of the rattling from earlier, she said, "You…healed me."

Adam nodded silently.

"Get your hands off my chest."

Adam realized he was indeed still holding onto her chest, and withdrew his hands. "You're welcome," he quipped.

"Thank you," Catra said. She looked up at Scorpia. "I'm…I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" Scorpia said. As Catra started to wiggle out of Scorpia's grip, she continued, "Hey, don't push yourself! I've got you."

"And who's got Adora?" She turned her head left and right, looking all about. "Where's Adora?"

She finally caught glimpse of a pair of black boots on the ground behind Adam, and a figure attached to them clad in a nondescript green jumpsuit. "Adora!" she cried, tearing herself from Scorpia's grip and rushing to Adora's side. "Adora!" she said again, putting fingers to Adora's throat.

She couldn't feel a pulse. "No, Adora!" She immediately straddled Adora and placed the back of a hand over her nose and mouth. The fur on the back of her hand didn't move at all. "She's not breathing!" She immediately started chest compressions, breathing heavily and counting them off as she went.

After a few moments of that, she knelt over Adora's face, pinched her nose, tilted her head back, and then pressed her lips to Adora's. She exhaled several breaths into Adora, and then pulled away and felt for breath.

Nothing.

She returned to doing chest compressions."No, Adora! You're not allowed to leave me again!"

Scorpia and Adam both watched this. Adam seemed awed at the work Catra was putting into trying to revive Adora. He knew from experience that the techniques Catra was using rarely ever worked, but Catra seemed to be pressing on just the same.

"That's…what love looks like, isn't it?" Adam said.

Scorpia turned to him, brows furrowed in confusion. "Can't you go heal Adora, too?"

Adam blinked. Right, of course. He'd been so shocked at the affection and devotion between the feline girl and the experiment, a kind of affection he'd only heard of but never really seen before, that he had been momentarily entranced.

He walked over to where Catra was still bouncing up and down, hands interlaced on the center of Adora's chest. "Let me," Adam said to Catra.

"No…" Catra said.

"Wildcat!" Scorpia said. "He can heal her!"

It took Catra a few more compressions before the words got through to her. She turned to Adam. "If she dies, I swear-"

"She won't if you get the hell out of the way!" Adam said, finally pushing her off, accidentally sending Catra sliding across the floor. He then knelt down and placed his hands on either side of Adora's head. He closed his eyes, and as before, tried to envision where the damage was inside Adora's body.

Catra got up, but then fell to all fours, watching Adam as his aura glowed more brightly. She barely noticed Scorpia coming up and kneeling at her side. "She's gonna be okay," Scorpia said, placing a pincer on her shoulder. "He's gonna fix her."

Catra nodded her head in quick jerks, but then said, "But will she be…her?"

Scorpia didn't have an answer for that, so she only stayed there with Catra while they both watched, for several agonizing moments. Catra wondered if Adam was actually succeeding, if he even could succeed, before finally seeing his aura extend from his hands to cover Adora's head, and then her entire body.

Once the light faded, Adam had reverted to his normal form. He fell to the side, head bobbing up and down as he breathed. Catra rushed to Adora, and was relieved to see Adora's chest moving up and down of its own accord. Her eyes fluttered open.

"H-hey Adora," Catra said, trying to choke back sobs of joy.

She and Adora locked eyes for a long moment, before Adora finally said, "What? W-who?"

"Adora, it's me." She placed a hand on Adora's cheek. "It's me, Catra."

"C-cat?" Adora said, her words slightly slurred. "Who?"

Catra turned to Adam and scowled. "What did you do to her?"

"I saved her life," Adam said, "but I don't know what Last Resort did to her. She could be brain damaged for all we know."

Catra turned back to Adora. "Do you know who I am?"

"I-I," Adora started. "I…w-wasn't…on that."

Catra closed her eyes. Through clenched teeth, she growled, "Last Resort is gonna pay."

No sooner had she said that than their communicators all chirped. "Catra, Scorpia, do you guys hear us?" It was Glimmer's voice.

Catra was in no condition to answer. She was starting to quiver with rage, even as she lifted Adora and cradled her in her lap.

Scorpia watched this, a lump growing in her chest but raised a pincer to her own ear. "Yeah, we…we can hear you."

"What's happening? Are you all right?"

"Umm, yeah," Scorpia said. "Adora's…she's not…"

"She's been neutralized," Adam said

"What? What do you mean 'neutralized'?"

"She's…the chip is broke," Scorpia said. "And she's…alive. So I - I think it might be over."

"What about the clones?" Adam said. "Are they still active?"

"Not…really," Glimmer answered.

Glimmer, Entrapta, and Emily had emerged from the stacks, Emily carrying the semiconscious Bow.

"They're…um…" Glimmer hesitated.

"They're not She-Ras anymore," Entrapta said, waving her sensor wand at them. "And they're all naked."

There was a long pause before Adam's reply: "Copy."

Many of the clones had gotten back to their feet and were milling about, looking around in confusion. Some were looking at each other, examining each other's bodies with a childlike curiosity, while others simply ambled about, making unintelligible noises to themselves.

"It looks like my hypothesis was correct," Entrapta said. "They were getting their powers from Adora, and without her feeding them they all reverted back to their…natal forms."

Glimmer sighed and keyed her communicator. "Is Adora okay? Is she…back to normal?"

"Um…not really," came Scorpia's voice. "I mean, she's not giant She-Ra anymore, but…I don't think she's in good shape."

"Then we need to get her back to the ship before Last Resort throws anything else at us," Glimmer said. "Adam?"

"I'm here," Adam answered.

"Open up a portal straight to the ship, if you can." She turned to Entrapta. "Entrapta will do the same. We need to get off this planet while we can."

"Acknowledged," Adam said.

As Glimmer stood there, processing what she'd just heard, Entrapta cracked her knuckles and said, "All right! One portal to Darla coming right up!"

There was a clunk from overhead. Glimmer looked up and saw two more of the domed turrets descending. She immediately raised a shield over herself, Bow, and Entrapta, and said, "Entrapta, hurry!"

"Patience…" Entrapta said as she continued tracing the portal in the limited space between the cloning cylinders. She then screeched when shards started raining down on them, the sheer volume of them making a deafening roar as they struck the metal cylinders.

Many of the clones were caught in the line of fire, causing them to shriek and fall to the floor.

"There!" Entrapta said, and the portal opened. Glimmer could see Darla's landing ramp. through it. "C'mon!" she said as she jumped through.

Glimmer looked down at Bow, and then at Emily. "Emily, could you-"

Emily was already scooping Bow off the floor. "Ok, go!" she said. Emily hopped through the portal, and Glimmer followed, her shield popping out of existence the moment she crossed through.

She had to re-create it the instant she made it to the other side. More spiders were clambering toward the ship from dozens of openings in the walls of the massive antechamber, firing their webbing and acid at them. She saw Emily disappear with Bow at the top of the ramp, and hoped Entrapta had made it up there too.

"Where's the others?"

"Onboard," Adam said. "Now you get aboard! I'll cover you!"

"We'll cover each other!" Glimmer said, firing magical blasts through her shield at the spiders.

"No!" Adam said. "You get on the ship and leave!"

"Wait - you're staying?"

"I've got unfinished business here. Get your ass on the ship!"

"Wait a minute-" Glimmer started.

"I'm not asking!" Adam said. He slashed in the air, opening a portal, and jumped through.

Glimmer was still stuck in surprise when her shield started getting pummeled by the spiders' webbing. "Dammit!" she shouted as she backed up the ramp.

As soon as the ramp closed she mashed the intercom button and shouted, "Lift off! Get us out of here!"

"Okay!" said Entrapta's voice over the speaker. Glimmer felt the ship jerk underneath her feet and she tried not to stumble as she made her way to the cockpit. There she saw Catra leading Adora into their dorm, and Scorpia carrying Bow into the medical bay as Emily followed. She knew she needed to check on them, but she had to ensure their escape first.

Only Entrapta was in the cockpit, and she was working the flight controls deftly as Glimmer watched the antechamber back away from their forward view. She could see multiple spiders, attached to the ship with their webbing, being dragged along as the ship backed out of the cavern. When the ship turned she saw several of them tear away, and as Entrapta gunned the throttle the rest of them were torn off by the incredible wind shear.

Once they finally reached the edge of the atmosphere she said, "Can you hold us here for a bit?"

"Sure," Entrapta said. "Uh, why?"

Glimmer closed her eyes. "Adam didn't get on the ship. He said he had some unfinished business so he portaled somewhere into the facility." She sighed. "I want to make sure he gets out of there safely."

As soon as Adam emerged from the portal he was on guard, watching raptly for any sign of anti-intruder countermeasures. After a few minutes, and no spiders or turrets appearing, he lowered his guard. Slightly.

He knew he could have just left with the Etherians. Get a new life on a remote planet like they'd agreed. But he couldn't ignore what Last Resort was doing here, what she was trying to do. He would never be able to live in peace if he left a place like this in existence.

At the center of the small room was a tall red crystal. He started to approach it, but stopped when Last Resort appeared beside him, hands clasped in front of her.

"So, traitor, you are victorious after all." Her voice, while mechanical, carried a distinct note of disappointment.

"Yes I am," Adam said. He paused. "And you didn't bother bringing your defenses to bear until I was. I'm guessing this whole thing was a test for Adora and your clones. And they failed."

"Your betrayal certainly gave us a unique opportunity. It would seem, though, my test proved that the experiment was too far gone, even after conditioning and implantation, to be the hero that the Empire needs." The hologram slid across the floor toward Adam. "However, we still have you."

"Unhelpful speech," Adam said in a tone mocking Last Resort's. "They showed me I could break away from the 'destiny' you and everyone else set for me. And I'm doing that."

"You are a soldier," Last Resort said. "You have already established you are willing and able to do what must be done when fulfilling orders. You are a - 'killer', as you put it."

"I'm what my trainers made me. What my parents made me."

"You are," Last Resort replied. "Since the experiment failed, this army could be yours."

"No," Adam said. He paced around Last Resort. "I'm tired of being a weapon. Tired of being a killer." He stabbed a finger to his left ear. "Tired of you being in my brain!"

"What then will you do?"

"I don't know," Adam replied, "and I don't care right now. I am done with you, with my parents, with this whole fucking shadow of an empire that's been dead for hundreds of years!"

"Then why did you return to me?"

"To say it to your face. I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."

There was a long pause, before Last Resort said, "Your mother was…quite proud of you, at times. Other times, disappointed. You had a great potential, and yet you only reached it partway. Until this moment."

"My mother was cold-hearted and taught me I was expendable, even if I was her son. the She-Ra. I don't give a damn what a stupid computer thinks she would or wouldn't have thought about me."

"You have shown that you can surpass overwhelming odds and do what needs to be done. In this moment, you have proven, finally, that you are a worthy successor to your father."

"What the hell do you know?"

"I know, because she said it is so."

Adam stared at her. "Wait - are you telling me she's alive? What, was she in stasis like I was?"

"Not quite." He watched as Last Resort's form faded from view, morphed and twisted, until its silhouette settled into a more human shape…and very familiar one at that.

Once the image had brightened enough, Adam realized he was looking at a projection of his mother. He swiped his sword at the hologram, the blow of course having no effect on it. "Stop with that bullshit," he said.

The image of his mother smiled. It was that smile that was not reflected in her eyes The one he'd so often seen on her face. "So bold you are. You always have been…when you thought your father and I weren't watching."

"Enough tricks!" Adam said. "You can't use my mother's image to manipulate me!"

The image of his mother signed, and said, "I am not surprised it has been this long, and you still have not realized it." She scowled. "You kept your hidden stash of dolls under a loose floor panel in the castle's water pumping room. You knew where the surveillance cameras were, and how to avoid them. You would sneak in there, usually at night, and play with your dolls. You did this well into your late teens, up until the day you were shipped to the front."

By the time she'd finished that observation, Last Resort's voice was no longer robotic and precise. It had taken on the higher pitch of his mother's voice, even down to the sickly sweet cadence she always used when punishing or threatening him.

Adam could only stare and listen, in shock. For a brief instant, his She-Ra form flickered in and out. "No…no, you can't be her."

The image of his mother slid across the floor toward him, until it was within inches of his face. The cold blue eyes, the tiny lips that twitched ever so slightly…if this was a ploy, it was a very intricate one. "I confronted you the moment before you boarded the jumpship from the castle's rooftop platform. I placed a hand to your cheek and told you that I had found your stash, and was impressed that you had kept it and your nocturnal activities hidden away for so long. I told you it showed you were more intelligent than I and your father had given you credit for, and that it was now time to use that intelligence for the good of the Empire, rather than your own worthless fantasies."

Adam stumbled backward. His She-Ra form flickered again, before failing him altogether. He shook his head. "No…How? Why?"

"Because no other commanding officer in the empire would stand up to you. You always managed to negotiate your way out of duties. After all, who would be foolish enough to punish the She-Ra?"

"You," Adam said, his voice low.

His mother cocked an eyebrow. "I will let that pass."

"I think - some things you did, some things you've said…make sense now. I never met an AI as cruel as you. Cold, yes. But you - you took pleasure in torturing me."

"It was for your own good, and for the good of Eternia," his mother said. "And you stand here now, proof that we raised you, conditioned you, into the warrior we need for our rise back to glory."

The word "conditioned" made his hairs stand on end. "What you raised me as was a tool for you," Adam said. "Not a child. A weapon."

"A weapon honed by years of conflict, even now, after our empire has become little more than a skeleton." She walked away from him and waved a hand. Multiple holographic displays appeared before her, and in each one there was devastation. Signs of ancient battles. Skeletons long since picked clean. "I had to watch it from here, as the empire was slowly devoured by Horde Prime and his army of clones. Watched everything that had existed for millennia be wiped out in only a few centuries, by one single being." She turned back toward him. "It was maddening. I had to slumber then, if only to preserve my sanity long enough for me to fulfill my duty as your guide."

"But why you?" Adam said. "What was the point of putting you into an AI?"

His mother smiled. "Your father. Of all the riches he had, of all the worlds under his watchful eye, he had one thing he cherished above all else." Her grin widened. "Me. He was forced to accept that, thanks to your and Mara's failures, the empire would fall. He chose me to outlive it."

"That son of a bitch," Adam said.

Her smile fell. "You are fortunate you don't have my compliance chip anymore, or else you would pay dearly for that."

"I paid every second of my life," Adam said, placing a hand to his chest. "For everything. Every time you and Father argued, every time the empire suffered a defeat. Every time I failed to perfectly replicate my trainers' stances, you punished me." He dropped his hands to his sides, and clenched his fists tightly. "You always hated me. And if not for my being the She-Ra, you would have cast me out as an infant."

His mother tilted her head and raised her eyebrows."True, we would have, and we would have tried again. And again, and again, until we got it right."

"What are you talking about?"

His mother laughed, that evil laugh that always drained any sense of merriment from a room. "You were not our first child, nor our last. But you were the closest we had to a successful child.

Adam gaped. "I-I heard rumors that you'd had children before me, but I never found evidence of them." His voice was shaking now. "What did you do with them?"

His mother's hologram rose again, now towering over him. "We harvested whatever we could from them, and discarded the remains. There were hundreds before you, and then hundreds after you. Destroying them all was…a foolish lack of foresight on your father's part, it pains me to say."

Adam's eyes widened. "Hundreds? No, that's not possible. No human could birth so many in a lifetime."

"Birth?" his mother said. She laughed harder this time. "No, my son. My womb remained unspoiled by child until the day your father had my soul put into this machine. You, and your hundreds of siblings, were engineered. Designed. Our scientists studied the genetic signatures of hundreds of She-Ras before you, and after many trials and failures, accomplished your father's greatest goal: for the first time in over a thousand years, a She-Ra of the royal bloodline."

Adam felt his head spinning. Engineered. He was engineered. He was one of hundreds. Just like the experiment - like Adora.

"But you proved to be such a disappointment," his mother continued, with a sigh. "So weak of mind, so unhappy with your body and your destiny. Our efforts to correct that weakness repeatedly failed. Our only saving grace occurred purely by chance. Mara, the first "natural" She-Ra in a generation, came to be. She was all that you were not. Proud of who she was, able to follow orders, able to perform her duties even despite her weakness of self-doubt. If only she hadn't thrown her lot in with the savages, as you now have, she would have been the herald of our dominion across all the known galaxies."

Adam's She-Ra form finally gave way. He fell to the ground, seated with his legs underneath him. "I'm a clone," he said. "Like those…things you created here."

"Yes dear, do try to keep up," his mother said.

"I had siblings," Adam said. "And you murdered them all."

"Hardly," she said. "They were objects. As you are. Our creations to do with and dispose of as we please."

"And…and Adora…?"

"The experiment," she said, "is the same. As are all the clones who depended on her, whom you've doomed to wander aimlessly within these walls without the source of their power, and their intelligence."

Her eyes started to glow brightly red. "The difference is that the experiment was the perfect blending of your DNA and Mara's. All the power, all the potential. None of the pampering that apparently ruined you. If only there had been more time to cultivate her here, before that portal to Despondos opened. Sending her as a barely-viable infant creature was a risk, and now it seems that risk has led to the end of us." She tilted her head. "Unless you wish to recapture her from those savages. We could recondition her, together. With time she would become the ultimate She-Ra, unburdened by conscience or free will. And you, my son, the only other survivor of our royal lineage, would be the Emperor. No more of the fighting you seem to deplore. You could even embark in the 'self-exploration' you so desired as a child. There would be no reason to stop you." She laid a hand on Adam's head, the hologram passing slightly into his skull. "You can still be redeemed."

Adam looked up at her, and then he stood. He reached out his hand and his sword appeared in it. "By the power of-" He cut himself off. "No. No, I'm done pledging myself to our rotten dynasty. It ends with me." He paused as he tried to remember what it was Adora would say. "For the honor of Grayskull!"

Her eyes went wide at those words, but he didn't care. He stood before her, tall and proud, and unafraid. And for the first time he could remember, he felt resolve.

"What do you plan to do, traitor?" his mother said, an eyebrow raised. "End your life? You've already proven that a She-Ra isn't able to take their own life."

"Well you know what?" Adam said. "How about I give it one more try?" He leaped toward the pillar and thrust his sword at it. His blade was stopped by a force field just short of the giant crystal.

"So your intention is to…what?" his mother said. "Do you really believe that destroying my primary emitter will harm me in any way?"

"No," Adam said through clenched teeth, pushing on his sword with all his forcefield grew brighter as it strained against him. "Just scramble your circuits long enough for the next part."

He looked at her one more time. "Go to hell, mother." With a cry of rage, Adam finally overpowered the shield, pierced it, and embedded his sword into the crystal pillar. He charged the sword with energy and released it, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the pillar. With a twist of his sword, it shattered.

"Stop! I command-" the hologram of his mother disappeared, her voice crackling and stuttering before it also vanished.

Adam took a moment, closed his eyes, and breathed. That had felt good. Until this moment, he hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to do this. Finally, he had gotten some restitution for the years of misery. It was cathartic.

"Okay," he said, opening his eyes. He swiped his sword in the air and a portal opened. Beyond it was a room with shimmering, scintillating colors. Finally, the chamber he wanted. He stepped through and observed his surroundings. There was an egg-shaped crystal in the center of the room, surrounded by metal arches and its surface dancing with an array of colors. Cables and piping attached to the arches ran into the floor, walls, and ceiling.

The facility's main power reactor.

"Adam! What are you doing?" It was his mother's voice, crackling, echoing through the chamber.

Adam stepped forward until the reactor was in front of him. He smirked, and said, "Goodbye, mother." He then raised his sword and said, "Eternia falls!"

"What the heck is that?!"

Glimmer, who had just entered the cockpit after checking on Bow, looked up from the holographic star chart. "Entrapta, what's wrong?"

"There was just a huge energy spike from the surface," Entrapta said. She tapped a button and the display changed from their orbital flight path to a downward view of the planet. There was a bright blue light on the surface.

"What was that?" Glimmer said. "Where was it?"

"That…was from a First Ones power generator letting out all its energy at once," Entrapta said.

"What does that mean?" Glimmer said.

"Well, runaway reaction would be the proper term, but - I guess you could call it an explosion."

Glimmer took a moment to process that news. "Wait…was that the facility we just left?"

"Yeah," Entrapta said. "I wonder what happened."

Adam, Glimmer thought. "Could that explosion have destroyed the whole facility?"

"Are you kidding? There was enough energy in that to vaporize a mountain!"

"Oh," Glimmer said. She lowered her head. "Oh."

Entrapta turned to her. "You…said Adam went back in."

"Yeah," Glimmer said. "I guess…I guess that was his unfinished business." She made her way back to the command chair and sat down.

"All those poor She-Ra clones," Entrapta said. "They never even got a chance to…" she trailed off.

Glimmer took a deep breath and stood. "I guess…that's it then. Bring us home."

"Yeah, sure," Entrapta said, her voice devoid of any enthusiasm.

Glimmer waited until the ship had pulled out of orbit and jumped to hyperwarp before leaving the cockpit. In the corridor she leaned back against a wall and squeezed her eyes shut. I hope you found some peace, she thought to Adam. I…I really did want to help you.

She pushed off from the wall and headed toward the medical bay. Inside she saw Scorpia, standing over Bow, examining the medical equipment and muttering to herself. "Hey, Scorpia," Glimmer said.

"Oh, hey Glimmer," Scorpia said, straightening up suddenly and banging her head on a surgical lamp. "Um…I was going to try to get Bow hooked up to this thing, but…yeah, I don't know how."

"I'll get Entrapta to come in and take care of it. How is he?"

"Still out of it," Scorpia said. Glimmer sighed, and Scorpia continued, "Hey, so where's Adam? I didn't see him get back on the ship."

"Adam's…gone," Glimmer said.

"Gone?" Scorpia said. "Wait, I thought we were going to find him a new planet to live on. It was our deal."

"He refused to get on the ship, told us to leave, and portaled back into the facility. And…the facility just exploded."

Scorpia gasped and brought a pincer to her mouth. "Oh no. You don't think…was he still in there?"

"I don't see how he wasn't," Glimmer said. "I'm sorry, Scorpia, I know you…seemed to get along with him. Near the end."

"Yeah, well," Scorpia said. "I think he just really needed a friend, you know. I don't think he ever had a friend before. Maybe…maybe it was too late for him."

"Maybe," Glimmer said.

They stood there in silence for a while, until Glimmer said, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I guess," Scorpia said. "Are we… on the way back to Etheria?"

Glimmer nodded.

"Good," Scorpia said. After a pause she added, "I'm sorry couldn't figure out this…stuff. I'm gonna go call Perfuma."

Glimmer nodded again, and Scorpia left the room. Glimmer then walked over to Bow, bent down, and kissed his forehead.

"Huh, hi," he said, his words barely intelligible.

"I'm so sorry for this," she said. "For everything."

Bow gave a reply, but as far as Glimmer could tell it did not seem to actually include any words.

Glimmer then took his hand and placed it to her face. "I love you so much." She then fell to her knees beside the cot, and let herself cry.

Catra absently rubbed gentle circles on Adora's cheek as she held her lover's hand. Adora's skin felt clammy, and was even paler than usual. But she was breathing. Snoring, in fact. Just a little. For now, Catra figured that was enough.

They'd just survived another war, or whatever it was one would call this excursion. A crazy, harebrained plan to fight against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy…and they had all survived it. She glanced over at Hordak, and squeezed Adora's hand. It was a victory, but not one that came without its cost.

There was a knock at the door. Before Catra could tell them to come in, the door opened and Entrapta stepped in. "Hey, Catra," she said. Catra looked up at her. "Glimmer and Scorpia are busy, so I just wanted to let you know. We're on the way home now."

"Thanks," Catra said.

"Also I thought you'd want to know that the facility on Crelus blew up just before we went to hyperwarp. We're pretty sure Adam was inside."

Catra's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Yeah, we saw it," Entrapta said. "Anyway, thought you should know." She left the room, and the door slid shut behind her before Catra could ask any questions.

Catra drew in a breath and released it. She lowered her head, and then turned to Adora. Adam was dead. She found it a bit surprising that…hearing that didn't fill her with the relief she'd thought it would. Yes, he'd planned on destroying Etheria and he'd almost killed a lot of people, including most of the people on this ship, but near the end, when they were fighting Adora's giant, controlled form…

She shook her head. No, he was still an enemy. A very dangerous enemy, and his helping them one time didn't make him less a threat to them.

And she'd gotten her Adora back. It was more than a fair trade as far as she was concerned.

She leaned forward and kissed Adora's forehead. "It's okay, we're safe now."

Adora's eyes snapped open and she suddenly raised her head, her forehead smashing Catra in the mouth. Catra reeled backward, putting a hand to her mouth.

Adora was breathing heavily, furtively looking all around her. Then her eyes fell on Catra and she squirmed away on the cot, nearly tumbling off the other side and onto the floor.

"Adora?" Catra said through her hand. Her lips had been smashed into her teeth and she could already feel them swelling. She tasted blood. "Adora? Are you okay?" She started moving toward Adora, but Adora only cowered further and whimpered.

"Hey, Adora," Catra said, in her least forceful tone. "It's me. Catra. You're safe. We're going home."

Adora glanced furtively from Catra to Entrapta, and back to Catra. "C-Catra…" she said. She raised a hand, and Catra leaned forward. Adora touched her face, her hand cold against Catra's warm facial fur. Catra purred, and at the sound of it, Adora gasped and flung herself at Catra, arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Catra…" she said, burying her face in the crook of Catra's neck, Catra's purring making her face vibrate. "I…I'm so sorry…"

Catra held her, with one hand behind her head. "It's okay," Catra said.

"No…no," Adora said, sobbing. "It's not. I almost…I almost…killed you and I couldn't stop myself…s-she made…made me want to kill you…"

"That wasn't you," Catra said. "That was Last Resort. But she's gone now, and you're safe with me." She gently stroked a hand up and down Adora's back. "I promise."

Adora squeezed her more tightly, and then buried her face in the crook of Catra's neck. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…"

Catra thought about saying again that Adora had nothing to be sorry for, but she knew from experience that Adora would carry that guilt with her. That is, unless maybe…

"I forgive you," Catra said. "And I love you."

Through her sobs, Adora said, "Thank you. Thank you thank you."

Catra let her take all the time she needed to be held, and to cry. Adora had more than earned those.

She let Adora cry, and she gave Adora her love.