During the walk to her apartment, Reed maintained an air of confidence and health, but the second they arrived inside her room, she slumped against Isaac’s shoulder with ragged breaths. He helped her into a wooden chair; Babs took up a seat on her bed; Isaac remained standing. For a moment, everything turned silent, a band of sunlight in an otherwise gray sky arcing through the window and down upon them. He looked upon the faces of his friends for what might’ve been the last time.

“Isaac, I appreciate you helping me get my magnum opus and all,” Reed said. “But I don’t know why we had to get it now. I could’ve waited until after the debriefing.” She then twiddled her thumbs. “And besides, I’ve sort of done some thinking about being being a movie star and all-”

“Reed,” he cut her off with a tense voice. She and Babs gazed up at him in confusion; Isaac resisted the urge to look away. “We only have five minutes. There’s something important we need to discuss right now.”

Reed tilted her head, then slumped in her seat, letting Isaac do the talking. After a long moment of silence, he gathered his strength and looked over at Babs. She just smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me this is a love confession. Reed’s still here. Get me alone first, you know?”

“Something’s been bothering me these past few days,” he began, ignoring her jokes. “After we defeated Jackson on the Melusine, you went to secure him while I investigated the atomic container. But then he blew himself up with a suicide vest, killing himself and destroying the container. That’s what happened, right?”

When Babs just gave a nod, he continued. “But that doesn’t really make any sense, does it? Jackson freely admitted that he was only in it for the money. Just a soldier of fortune. Why would he kill himself? Isn’t he the type of person who would accept being captured and then offer his services to us for a price? And I was out of sight when he apparently killed himself, too.” He gave her a long look with narrowed eyes. “You killed him, didn’t you? He must’ve had spare grenades. You blew him up while I was distracted with the container.”

There was a slight shift in the air of the room. A neutral expression dipped in confusion replaced the teasing smile on Babs’ face. Reed raised a hand. “Hold on, Isaac, what are you saying?”

There was more. “And then when we raided Machigonne - you killed those three civilians, remember? I always assumed it was just in self-defense, but…I was also out of sight when that happened as well. You deliberately killed them, didn’t you? Just like Jackson. To silence them. And then you killed the cultivator with the spear afterwards. After that, you tried to kill Sam on the rooftop. Every mission we’ve been on, you’ve always tried to kill your opponents.”

Babs didn’t say anything - she just continued to give Isaac that perplexed look. Reed voluntarily stepped in to take her defense. “Wait a minute. Lynn killed Harburg, didn’t she? And these are all life-and-death missions, Isaac. Of course people are gonna get killed.”

Isaac took a deep inhale. “The other night, after we got back from the bar, Lynn said she needed to tell me something. She said Babs told her to kill him. And once again, while he died, we were all distracted. While we focused on Kieran’s death, Babs persuaded Lynn to kill him. For all the damage he did to her. Babs knew she’d be unstable enough to do it and unstable enough for us to believe that she did it of her own accord. Babs knew Lynn felt like we weren’t her friends and wouldn’t tell us the truth for a long while. All along, she just wanted to silence Harburg, too.”

Reed glanced back between Isaac and Babs. “What the hell…”

Isaac and Babs made eye contact once again. She remained quiet, while daggers crept up into his. “Somebody told Machigonne ahead of time that the raid was coming. Only Stockham, the nine cultivators in Squads 1, 2, and 3, and the truck driver knew about the raid. But on the way to the truck, we passed by Officer Connor in the hall. You could’ve given him a sign, couldn’t you? Just a look or a slight hand signal. That something big was coming and smuggling facilities needed to be on the lookout.”

“Why would I tell Connor that?” Babs asked incredulously.

“Because he was working for you,” he answered with a hard stare. “After the raid on the Melusine, I told Reed and then you about my brother and his journal page. Connor then inspected my room, using a post-mission inspection of all of our rooms as a cover. But Squad 1 didn’t get an inspection after their mission. Just us. You sent him to look for the journal page, didn't you? And then when he couldn’t find it, you had Sam ambush me in the park for it.”

The air turned stale. Isaac’s tone and message had shifted from observations to accusations. While Babs ran a hand along the bed, Reed slipped off the chair and stepped in front of Isaac.

“This is all just circumstantial!” she protested. She glanced back at Babs with desperation in her eyes. “Tell him, Babs. That Isaac’s just some guy obsessed with putting together puzzle pieces even when there's no puzzle to begin with."

Before Babs could speak, Isaac had more evidence to share. “You knew Stockham suspected someone on the Machigonne mission was a traitor, so you had Connor silence Sam and then pinned all the blame on the truck driver. Henry Spinelli then silenced Connor. Whether or not it was on your orders, it worked out, since it tied up one last loose end. But you were sloppy. You left the civilians alive, and they told us about the Dederick twins in Four Eagles. That’s how we uncovered your plan to the activate the Polymetheus superweapon with the Heart as its power source.”

And now came the coup de grace. “Stockham and I made it seem obvious the trains were a cover to send the Heart out to receive the moonlight you thought it needed. We even supplied the story that Squad 3 was transporting a real superweapon while Squads 1, 2, and the others were carrying decoys. But Stockham told Squad 1 they were carrying the real weapon while everyone else had decoys. Same with Squad 2. In other words-”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Since every Squad’s train had a different destination, wherever the Restorationists attacked would indicate which squad had the traitor,” Reed concluded for him. She dropped her opposition and slumped back in her seat. She ran a hand along the bandaged half of her face.

With all the evidence laid bare, Isaac stepped towards Babs. “All along, you’ve been working for the conspiracy, haven’t you?”

The band of sunlight disappeared. Babs slowly rose from the bed. The two locked eyes for a moment, and then she looked off to the side. She had a sheepish look on her face, as if she were a child whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar. It all seemed so ridiculous and unbelievable to Isaac, but the facts were out there for all three of them to see.

When Babs looked at him again, there was a layer of serene clarity in her eyes. For the first time, the two were truly speaking on the same level of understanding. On the same wave-length. Nothing hidden.

She answered his accusations in a calm voice. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “I’ve told you a thousand times, Isaac. I fight for justice. I can’t just sit around when evil’s right in front of me. And you agree that this whole country’s evil, right?”

Babs spread her arms wide. “I could’ve waited for my Caesar’s plan. But the problem with Kallipolis is the ruling class. You need wise people in charge who truly understand the plight of the country. But my Caesar’s plan would involve multiple wars and the death of millions. I didn't see the need to wait for his plan to come to fruition. I thought we could avoid all that bloodshed by acting now. And a good, meaningful life is one built upon the unity of thought and action. Arcadia is dying, and I had the ability to change things now rather than wait, so I decided to begin my own plan. I will change this country, Isaac. I told you that when we first met.”

“Babs, stop this,” Reed pleaded. “You don’t have to keep saying things you don’t mean.”

“But I do mean them.” Babs took a single step towards Isaac. “There’s just one flaw with your theory. You think I work for the conspiracy, right? But there is no conspiracy. Wouldn’t that be nice? A simple story of good and evil? You against the monolithic entity pulling the strings from the background? But life doesn’t work like that. There are multiple conspiracies, multiple goals, multiple plans. Your path would be easier if you just had to fight against an organization controlling both the Restorationists and State Police at the same time. But did you ever stop to think that maybe those two factions have their own goals and found it convenient to temporarily work together to further them until the inevitable showdown occurred? I wanted your journal page because I don't know the full details of the State Police's plot, either. And furthermore…did you ever stop to consider that the Restorationists and the State Police aren’t so monolithic as you thought?”

She spoke clearly and concisely. “You ever think that there are factions within both of them? That upset junior officers, tired of the long-term schemes and lack of action by their superiors, might band together to get things done?”

This threw Isaac for a loop. His heart sank upon hearing her confirmation, but he had to keep a level-head and gain as much information as possible. “Are you a junior officer?”

She nodded. “I just ran some turf for the Restorationists in the Neponset ghetto. But I saw conditions on the ground, conditions my Caesar ignored while plotting in his School of Athens. It’s wrong to think one way and not act on it, so I got things moving. Zhanghai worked with my Caesar to use the Heart as an energy source for generating power. I worked with junior officers in Zhanghai like Zou Mei to secretly convert Polyphemus into a superweapon. I worked with junior Restorationist officers like Panama and Jackson to redirect smuggling funds for my own war chest. I worked with junior officers in the Naval Police and State Police to ensure my actions remained hidden. And then, I finally came here to further cover our tracks and ensure we captured the Heart.”

Babs clenched a fist. “I’m genuinely just a Circuit 2A cultivator. Not some ancient evil disguised as a young person. Not some bona-fide prodigy. Just somebody with the will to act.”

Isaac was still trying to figure things out. He could hear Osip’s presence through the walls of the apartment. He wanted to get as much information as possible from his friend…former squadmate, rather…before the Navy got to her. And besides - he wanted to hear Babs out on her own terms. As her squadmate, he had to confront her personally.

“Junior officers…like Henry Spinelli? And who is it for the State Police?”

She smirked. “You’ll meet her soon enough. But anyway, I’m explaining all of this to you because I’m offering you a choice. Why remain as dogs of the military? Why prolong this nation’s suffering? I’m warning you - if you continue to work with the military, both my Caesar and the State Police will advance their plans. You’ll be responsible for untold suffering if, right here and right now, you refuse to join forces with me.”

Babs placed a hand over her heart. “I will genuinely change this country for the better. I’ll become the Caesar of the Arcadian Kallipolis with you two as my lieutenants. We all know the problems Arcadia faces. And we all have the will to act. Join me.” When no answers greeted her, her face softened. “Please. Please join me.”

“And what?” Isaac asked, unconsciously raising his voice. “Replace one dictatorship for another? That’s not the world I want to create. No matter how good your intentions may be, I won’t support someone seeking absolute power.”

No answer immediately came from Reed. Instead, she stood up from her chair, red sparks racing up and down her arms. She held the Domino Sword so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her one eye not hidden by the bandages was wide with shock. “Babs…you were our squadmate. Our friend! We fought alongside each other so many times. Was it all just an act? How can you explain yourself so calmly right now? You betrayed us!”

Babs gave her a sympathetic look, showing no concern for the sparks emanating from her sword. “It wasn’t an act. You two want to change this country as well. That’s why, if you join me, it won’t be a betrayal. Both of you are merely using the military for your own purposes, too. Discard it. Join me. Please.”

Isaac raised his fists. “Not for dictatorship. Not for you.”

Reed wiped her good eye and raised her sword. “Not for a traitor.”

Upon seeing their refusal, Babs tilted her head back and let out a long sigh - one that mixed disappointment and relief.

“The second the Heart wasn’t in the train, I knew the jig was up,” she said. “You think I would've come back to the base without a backup plan?”

She punched her fist into an open palm. A tremendous wave of pressure and sorrow erupted in that room. With broken hearts, Isaac and Reed activated their Rddhi powers; their red lightning strikes mixed with Babs', all three of them tearing holes in the roof and walls. On cue, Osip stepped inside the door, his own activation sending a crimson surge into the sky. Behind him stood entire battalions of conventional and cultivator marines ready to subdue the traitor.

But the tremendous crashing of pressure and sound and light continued. Right as Isaac and Babs exchanged blows, there was one final burst of red light into the sky, one bright enough to blind Isaac, one large enough to make something clear - Babs had somebody immensely powerful fighting alongside her.

Isaac didn’t worry about that. All he was concerned with was subduing his former friend right here, right now.