Errn. Crash. Splash.

A piece of jagged metal crashed into the water and ripped away from the wall. A salty spray slapped Wen in the side as she ran with Erin, holding them both up with one shoulder to keep them going. They hadn't waited around to see if Grayson would escape from his icy tomb. All she needed to do was get them over to one of the water-docked ships, as the dry docks were already down.

Well, except for the shuttles, all the soldiers were heading right for those. Wen didn't like her chances if Grayson caught her and Erin in that situation. That would just be jumping out of the pan and into the fire. Finding a ship in the water was their best option, even if it couldn't fly. They just needed to get through the gates.

"This is the opposite of how this was supposed to go, jerk." She grunted at Alex, though she knew he couldn't hear her.

"Are we there yet?" Erin slurred, her head lolling to the side as Wen walked hurried down the docks.

"No, again." Wen sighed, looking at the available ships latched to the docks ahead.

More than one was turned on its side, one set of lodestones keeping it afloat even as water seeped below the decks. Only two remained upright, cruisers by their shape with the cabin in front and the light sails down on the back. She only needed one to work, so having two was already a steal.

"Come on," she said, adjusting Erin on her shoulder. She stumbled forward toward the nearest ship.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

As she approached the ship, she heard the sound of boots rapidly approaching. She turned to see an old man in a black jacket running after her, his hat practically falling off his head, along with ice shards and broken green vines.

Wen's stomach dropped at the sight. Captain Grayson had escaped their trap and wasted no time coming after them. She dropped Erin, her hand going for her pocket and her revolver. They wouldn't be able to run. She had to fight.

"Step."

Click.

She pulled her revolver out from her pocket, pulling back the hammer as she lined up the shot. However, it was too late. Grayson disappeared in a blur, and a solid hit connected with her shoulder, sending her falling to the side.

Thump.

Wen rolled, coming up in a crouch and bringing up her gun. A hand knocked it aside. Grayson was too close, and she couldn't bring up her gun. She began to open her gate, but then she stopped.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Her heart beat inside her head like a drum. She knew she shouldn't open her gate. Since the last island, she hadn't opened it except to recharge her ammunition. Pushing it in a fight and using it to harm the captain wasn't impossible.

Ba-bump.

Both times she had used her curse outside of her weapon recently, it had nearly killed her. It had also been the only thing that kept her alive. She clenched her teeth tight as she made her choice.

She opened her gate.

Ba—

An ice-cold wind blew through her heart, chilling her body immediately as she called on the power trapped inside. A foggy cloud sprouted from her mouth as Grayson came for her. Ice formed around her hands and arms as the cold embraced her like a cold sleep.

It was like her entire world slowed around her.

She saw Grayson coming for her, his mouth upturned in a scowl and his face red. Wen blinked once, her head shaking slowly left and right as she started to stand. Wen tried to move out of the way, but her muscles screamed at her in response. They couldn't move as fast as she saw the world around her.

Bump.

Grayson's fist came for her face, but she couldn't move out of the way fast enough. It was like she was watching a video in slow motion but was trapped at the same speed as that video. Wen closed her gate, pulling herself out of that limbo and back into the world around her.

Ba-bump. Crack.

The blow hit her across the cheek, the fading cold lessening the strength of the impact as Grayson raised his fist again. She threw up her arms, but the blow never came.

"Sir, this isn't the time for this."

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Wen opened her eyes, and a strong hand held Grayson's arm tight. Erick stood over her, partially between her and Grayson. His hand shook as he held back Grayson's fist. It was obvious to Wen he couldn't hold the captain back for long. There was just too much physical difference between a grunt and an officer.

"Mind your hand private," Grayson said, eyeing Erick. "Or I'll need to break it. These are two outlaws, and I'm going to capture them."

"Is this really the time, sir?" Erick asked, motioning around him. "The entire base is falling apart. We need to get out of here."

"You'll let go of my arm, private," Grayson said, his voice steady and cold. "I'll have those outlaws in chains, and then I'll worry about getting out of the base."

Crack. Splash. Tap. Tap. Tap.

From above, a large slab of metal crashed into the water, sending a wave crashing over all of them. Neither of the soldiers moved in response to the wave. Wen's clothes sagged around her as she watched the two standoff. She didn't dare reach for her gun again, mainly because she wasn't sure it would stop Grayson. It might just make the situation worse.

"Look around you," Erick said. "We've got soldiers who are trying to escape, and our officers are nowhere to be seen. We need someone to help guide people to the shuttles. We need someone in charge."

"Maybe ask Milton for that," Grayson snapped back, pulling back his other hand. "Now let me go before I break you. I will have these outlaws."

Skrrt.

Erick adjusted his stance, holding onto the fist as he lowered his hand. However, he didn't back down. Wen winced. She knew how hard the punch was going to hurt firsthand. She had already taken two of them from the captain.

"When I signed on, I made an oath," Erick said. "I promised I would protect the weak, keep my comrades safe, and serve the Empyrean in the best way I could."

He paused, looking around him.

"I just saw what we keep hidden here in Tartarus," Erick said, staring Grayson in the eyes. "I saw the tortured woman we keep in the cell below the island—the one Milton has to know about. You're raising your hand against them, but what did they do? What crime did they commit?"

Grayson didn't throw the punch, not yet, at least.

"They stole my ship," Grayson whispered. "I've chased them across the nightsea to get her back and only found her burnt remains."

Crack.

Grayson's fist snapped forward, cutting through the air so fast that Wen's ears popped. His fist went through Erick's face and came out from the other side. Wen gaped, too horrified to reach for her gun. Grayson had caved in Erick's face without a second thought. She expected to see blood and viscera pop out the other side, but it didn't.

Instead, Erick just stood there, an arm through his skull, like nothing happened.

"That's nothing," Erick said, stepping through Grayson's arm and to the side. "Look at the blood on our own hands. You have to know what we do; you're a captain. You know the suffering we cause."

Wen noticed the small form by Erick's leg then. Klaus had his arms wrapped around Erick. Wen didn't know how Klaus got there or why he was wrapped around Erick.

It was all a little too surreal. It could have been a concussion due to how hard Grayson had hit her. It could also have been the stress of the fight and inflation catching up with her. However, those rationalizations didn't change what she saw.

"What's wrong with you?" Grayson stepped back. "You know what we are. We're dogs of the Scions to keep people in line!"

"Is that what you were?" Erick asked. "What job did you do? Did you go around putting down insurrections? Were you there to round up outlaws?"

Grayson deflated at the question, his shoulders drooping.

"Deliveries," he said. "Mostly just delivering mail. I needed to be of the captain's rank because we went from island to island."

"And you were just a dog of the Scions in all that?" Erick stepped forward. "Delivering the mail was some clever way to keep people under the Scion's boots?"

"No," Grayson said. "We do serve the people, too."

"That's why I signed on," Erick said. "I joined so that I could protect people. Then, I lost my best friend in training. Then I saw Cragg Hollow burned to ash to hide one of our experiments. Despite the good I want to do, I see the bad at every turn."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Grayson spat. "I have my orders, and I have my job. I need to bring these two in."

Crack.

Above them, the walls of Tartarus cracked and crumbled. Along the docks, soldiers yelled as they tried to evacuate. To Wen, it was all just background noises. All that mattered at that moment was the talk between Grayson and Erick. It was faster than when she had activated her curse, but it felt like a slowed moment of time. They were in a bubble until the conversation was done.

"And you'll let the entire base crash down on all my friends, all my comrades, to do that?" Erick asked. "There's good to do up on the towers. Someone needs to coordinate them. They need a captain!"

Grayson looked out over the docks and up the towers that led to the shuttles. He grunted, shaking his head. Then, he laughed, smiling at Erick.

"I guess it can wait," he said, looking down at Wen. "She isn't Ortega, and I actually want to talk with him."

Grayson turned, looking up the docks before walking away. Wen watched, her jaw dropping open with a sore creak through her face. All of that fight and anger had fled the captain. It was like he was en entirely different person. She couldn't believe that the captain was walking away.

"Tell Ortega that he'll pay for my ship when we meet again," Grayson said. "Step."

He disappeared in a blur of motion that Wen couldn't track, leaving them alone on the docks. A quiet steadiness took over Wen as she lay there, supported by her arms and looking out over the lake. The yelling soldiers faded into the background, and the churning water hushed.

She took a deep breath and let it go. Then, putting a little of her mind back together, she grabbed her fallen revolver and pocketed it. Her mind may have been frazzled by the punch to the face, but even it could remember that keeping her gun was important. Her weapons were custom-made—priceless.

"We need to go." Erick was beside her a moment after, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet. "I can't believe that worked."

"How?" Wen staggered to her feet, throwing out her arms for balance.

"I have no idea," Erick said. "I didn't think he would listen to me."

"No." Wen steadied herself, holding up one hand. "How did you survive that punch? I saw it go through your skull."

"Oh." Erick looked down at Klaus. "I had a little help. But we'll worry about it later. We need to get you two to a ship."

Wen shook her head, trying to clear away some of the remaining fuzziness. She helped Erick pick up Erin, and they both walked her down the docks, with Klaus following behind.

The entire base rocked and shook around them. Wen focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Nothing mattered except getting to a ship and getting out of the dome.

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