Too little, too late. Story of my life. Whether it was her own fault or not, Lamp would once again be left to suffer the consequences of just being… herself. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on outside, but there wasn’t much she’d be able to escape the chaos by herself. She was sat cross-legged on the sofa, leaning over her laptop screen and anxiously flicking through the security camera display that she definitely should not have had access to, not that that mattered much now. The surrounding corridors, the cafeteria, the hanger-bay, the restrooms, private rooms and bedchambers... they all showed the same scene, thousands of… things had boarded the freighter and were assaulting, capturing and… raping the passengers! The lower levels had already been taken over, and the remaining guards were locking security bulkheads down and preparing defences. It’s useless, Lamp thought to herself, we’re stranded, the ship can’t take off while the hanger’s down, and unless we can reclaim it, that’s how it’s gonna stay…

She flicked back to the camera view of the corridor outside her quarters, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. There was a group of them, maybe twenty or thirty, kicking the doors in and checking the private rooms! They were only three doors away from her own, thirty seconds max before they reached her - Lamp’s heart leapt into her throat as she stumbled for her cane and hobbled back to her private quarters with all the speed she could muster, bolting it shut behind her as various thoughts moved through her panic stricken mind.

Okay, okay, I need to escape, ummm, door’s not an option, I can’t break the windows, there’s the vent hatch above my bed, but I’d need time to unscrew it - do I have time? Shit, this is my only shot…

Lamp scrambled through her bedside drawer for her tool kit, limbs shaking in fear and shuddering with fright as a loud thump came from the front door. There was nowhere near enough time to get the vent cover off.

BANG!

The door gave way and the assailants stepped into the living room.

Lamp collapsed to the floor and desperately reached under her bed, fumbling about for the only thing she had that might make the difference here, her last chance. She hadn’t gone unheard however, and her bedroom door flew open. Two large female assailants burst into her room and grabbed her by the legs, dragging her into the living room. They flipped her over, onto her back, and both assailants immediately took a step back.

Clutched tightly against her chest, with trembling hands, was a pulveriser grenade, a little thing Lamp had “borrowed” from the guard detail on the ship. It was easily powerful enough to kill her and her two attackers. They quickly held up their hands and backed away from the terrified girl, who was slowly making her way onto her feet.

“S-Stay back! Or I'll k-kill us all!” Lamp struggled to stand without her cane, but she managed to prop herself up on the furniture, eyes wide open as she tried to understand what was happening.

The Nodes merely nodded and retreated further back, fear in their own eyes as the terrified Lamp kept her fingers on the pin. For just a moment, as the intruders retreated back out the breached front door, a flicker of a smile teased the corner of Lamp’s lips.

“You actually looking for a way out, or just to do some damage in your last moments?”

Any confidence Lamp had felt was quickly destroyed. In their place, a much larger creature strolled into the room, with confidence and an air of superiority about her.

Strong and intimidating, Leech thudded into the room, ducking under the door frame and hunching over to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. Fear surged through Lamp at the sight of this massive, venomous looking creature. She held onto the grenade even tighter, watching Leech's every move...

To Lamp’s surprise, the Controller stopped in the middle of the room, and casually looked around for a few seconds, before turning back to Lamp.

“Oak's disease, right?” Leech asked, her eyes scanning Lamp's figure.

“Wha-What?” Lamp stuttered, taken off guard.

“Oak's disease. You were born with it, right? Ankles are bowing inwards, I can see you're struggling to stand without support, although it's hard to tell if your hyperventilating is due to fear or due to the reduced effectiveness of your bronchi. Go, get your mobility aid; it’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

Lamp craned her neck as she took in what the huge creature had just said. She didn’t know where this was going, but thought it would be a good idea to get her cane anyway. Carefully she followed the walls using her arms to support her, and went back to her room, fetched her cane and hobbled back out. The intruder had not moved, and was still presenting herself calmly.

“I was born with Oak's disease too, but the DA cured me with gene therapy. Were you not born in the Draconic Alliance?” Leech questioned, still taking in the room.

“N-No. I’m a nomad. Why do you even care? What does it matter? I saw your horde on the cameras! You're taking people, and… changing them… I watched you do it on the cameras! I don't understand what’s happening.”

“What's your name?” Asked Leech, dismissing Lamp’s questions.

“It doesn't matter... no one calls me by my name anyway, everyone just calls me Lamp.” She sighed, feeling defeated.

“I… can see why, you do kind of look like a lamp, no offence. It's the eyes.” Leech grinned, appearing unphased as Lamp clutched the grenade tighter in response.

“Yeah.. well... what happened to your face?” Lamp snapped, trying to take the subject of their conversation away from her. It hadn’t escaped her notice that the intruder had several nasty looking wounds, including a split lip and badly bruised cheeks.

“Oh. Me and an old friend had a… disagreement. She betrayed me... after all this time, it turns out she had no respect for me, apparently. Is that something you find happens to you, Lamp? Do people respect you?” Leech could see her words cutting the czarite deep, the hurt of many, many memories painfully reminding her that, no, people did not respect her. “Look. Lamp, I’ll cut to the chase. You know that there's no way in hell you're escaping that grenade’s detonation radius with that hobble of yours. This is your last stand. If you have any last words, a grand monologue to cite perhaps, then let it out. I'll listen.”

Leech’s words struck a chord, and just like that, the dam broke.

“I am so-so-SO SICK of being treated like crap by everyone around me! I hate it so much! I try and I try and I try and all I ever get is shot down and kicked around by everyone else! I'm ugly! I'm slow! I'm diseased! I have so much to give but people never give me the chance because of my appearance! People shun me, and then because I’m always on my own, people think I’m strange, and then I go and do strange things which makes people shun me more! And it's been going on so long that I don't know which was the cause and which was the effect! Is it my fault that people don't like me?! Or is everyone just awful?! I don't know, and I don't care anymore! I've had enough!

I got fired from my job for reasons beyond my control, I've got no money AGAIN, I'm starving hungry and I’m tired, the only reason I have a place on this goddamn freighter to stay was because my roommate thought I was gonna be pretty like the other czarites on board, but when he saw me, he laughed in my face! In front of everyone! The guards all bully me, the other passengers say mean things all the time, I've got nothing, and no-one to help me! That's the way it's always been! So fuck everything and fuck everyone!” Lamp was shaking all over, gritting her teeth, cane quaking in one hand and the grenade clutched in the other.

“That... was pretty good.” Leech smiled again, watching the little ball of anger frothing as her feelings spilled over.

“W-Why am I telling you this anyway! Who the hell are you?!” Lamp growled, her bright yellow eyes staring at her with fury.

“My name is Leech. Now, to answer your questions, there isn't a simple way to explain what's going on here, and we don’t really have the time. Put simply, I'm building an empire. That change you saw on the security cameras, you can decide for yourself if it’s a blessing or a curse, but that infection is at the very root of our cause. That's not important for now, though. What is important is what you were just talking about, Lamp.”

The two’s eyes met as Leech began to pace back and forth slowly.

“You're not the only one who's been the victim of the universe's cruel tendencies. People are shit, Lamp. Through and through.” The smaller girl's eyes lit up upon hearing the words. “How familiar does this sound? People only respect you if you can command their respect. Until the boot is big enough to stamp their lights out, they will always tread on you instead. Your only crime was being born, Lamp. The cosmic dice that rolled for you decreed that you would be a victim your whole life. A nomad czarite with Oak’s disease? You never had a chance to be anything more than a punching bag. It’s stunted your growth, robbed you of your physical prowess, and made you easy pickings for anyone who wasn't the embodiment of good itself. Which happens to be most people.” Leech's eyes narrowed as she watched Lamp fiddle with the grenade. “I'm not taunting you. I'm not here to bully you, or make you feel weak. I'm here to offer you something. An opportunity to be the boot for once.”

Lamp’s fingers relaxed slightly around the grenade. She stared at Leech with deep curiosity.

“Tell me if this is correct. Your whole life, you've just wanted someone to take a chance on you. To let you prove what you've got to offer and look past your flaws, to build something incredible.”

Lamp nodded slowly, her eyes turning glassy. Those many nights she'd spent hoping someone would appear and rescue her from her hell-hole of a life, and it never happened.

“I need that, too. I thought I already had it, and I didn't. I need someone I can trust, someone that isn't going to stab me in the back and assault me in my own laboratory.” She scowled as she spoke. “I need someone who is willing to get their hands dirty with me, to exact some much needed revenge. I will give you what you've always wanted, Lamp. Plus, as a little extra incentive, I even have a gift for you! I present to you, the scummy fuck head who you shared this room with.”

A terrified human was dragged into the room by two large Nodes, held firmly by his arms and shoved onto his knees in front of Lamp, who was watching speechless, trying to comprehend the situation as it presented yet another twist.

“This is him, right? Don't worry about how I know. But this is the man himself? The one who laughed in your face when he saw you? You said he only let you stay because he wanted to fuck you, right?”

Anger curdled inside Lamp and she limped up to him, her face scrunching up as all those words, all the things she’d wanted to scream at him… finally she would be able to say them!

“Go on Lamp, let it out. You can do whatever you want to him. I won't judge. I'd never judge you.” Leech urged.

“Y-you... scumbag... you laughed at me! You and your friends called me names! You stole my food and let me go hungry! You locked me in my room for hours!”

The human was wounded and desperate, he thrashed around and tried to break free, but the Nodes beside him were holding him down firmly, and there was no chance of escape.

“Look at that, Lamp. He'd rather run than just apologise to you. Disgusting.” Leech tutted, shaking her head and moving closer.

“Please! I'm scared! I'm sorry! My son is missing! You have to let me find him!” He pleaded, desperate to find a way out.

“Do you even care at all?! How much you made me suffer?! I cried every night for a week whilst you and your friends imitated me at your stupid card games! I was watching you through the cameras! You pretended to limp around the room, and you all laughed!”

The man stared at her in disbelief, a mixture of regret and fear echoed through his stress-wrecked mind as he realised she’d been spying on him the whole time.

Seeing his reaction, Lamp’s anger finally boiled over and she began to hit him with her cane, thumping it against his face and chest. Truth be told, it wasn't a particularly damaging assault but she put all her heart into it, limply pounding the wooden stick against him again and again, the Nodes holding him still as he tried to get away. After several long seconds, she backed off, panting heavily and staring at him with anguish; despite her attack, he wasn't much worse for wear.

“I-I'm sorry... please... I beg you... L-Lamp-”

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“He doesn't even know your real name, even when he's begging for his life, he can't recall your name. C'mon man, show a little respect here.” Leech crouched down to Lamp's level, staring her in the eyes. “He's scum. He's not sorry he hurt you, he's sorry that someone bigger and stronger than him has a problem with it. He's only apologising now because he's being forced to. Do you think he'd be apologising if the tables were turned? We all know the answer to that.... So, I want you to decide what we do with him.”

“Kill him.” Lamp stated blankly, turning to face the human once more. She didn't even hesitate.

“No… please, my son -”

Leech reached out with her hand, grasped the man’s head in her fist, and squeezed. There was a crack, crunch, and a sickening pop as the man’s head was quickly reduced to a fleshy, bone riddled mush. Blood dribbled between her jade fingers and onto the carpet. His body was quickly whisked away by the Nodes that held him down. Just like that, a life snuffed out with such little effort.

Lamp wobbled on the spot and dropped the grenade, leaning on her cane heavily with both hands and taking a very long, deep breath. Her eyes wide and unblinking, skin tingling as what she just did sunk in, her eyes darted from the floor, to the spot where he had knelt just moments ago, and back to Leech. She took a few more seconds to grasp the gravity of the situation and let the ringing in her head subside. This was real. He was dead. All those weeks she’d had to put up with him… this was real.

“I'll level with you, Lamp. I don't think someone steals a grenade from the guard quarters for self defence. I think you had a plan with that grenade. I think you had a plan to exact your revenge on this godless shit-hole for all the crap that everyone on board had put you through. Deservedly so, by the way. But I can give you something far, FAR more powerful than a grenade.”

Leech held out both her hands to Lamp, one was empty and the other held her grenade.

“Your choice. You can take this grenade back, I'll let you escape back into the rest of the ship and you can try and escape with the other passengers, or blow them up or whatever your plan was… Or you can take my hand, and I'll share my gift with you, and together, we can have our turn at being the ones at the top of the universe.”

“What's your gift...? What will it do to me?” Lamp was well aware that Leech was far, FAR bigger than she should have been, and it hadn't passed by her either that Leech, even in her battered state, was attractive, shapely and highly desirable, even amongst the most enticing and glamorous czarites.

“It will transform you. I will make you strong and beautiful. It’ll cure your Oak's disease too, I can promise you that. All I ask is that you are loyal to me, that you remember what I've given to you and how I've treated you. I'm hurting, Lamp, and you are too, but we can put that right together. All you’ve ever wanted is a chance- I will give you that chance, not just to be the one in charge, but to be loved and desired. To be wanted.”

Lamps bright yellow eyes darted back and forth between the grenade and Leech's empty hand. Slowly but surely, she reached up and placed her hand softly within Leech's. Leech smiled down at her gently.

“You have made the right choice, Lamp. Together, we will be the ink and quill that rewrites the ledger, no longer will we be a victim to cosmic chance. It's time for some payback.”

“What happens now...?”

Leech placed the grenade down gently on the floor, and scooped Lamp into her arms, slowly taking her back into Lamp’s bedroom.

“I will make you feel incredible, and then you'll be reborn into something powerful and beautiful. And finally, together, we will tear this place apart.”

*

Each step burnt Diego’s muscles to their very core, his joints ached under the tremendous weight, but he pressed on, slowly, one foot forward at a time. His warcry had long since faded now, and the extra strength and dexterity it granted him had left him, at the worst possible moment. He knew that needed to preserve what little psyonic strength he had left, and on the plus side, at least the wounded and deeply humbled alien draped over his shoulders was keeping the Slaves and Nodes away.

The corridors of the dungeon had never felt so long and endless as they did now, for both of them.

Seeth wanted to ask him everything, she had questions bubbling in her brain, feelings boiling over, things she needed to say to him, but the poor guy was using every ounce of strength in his body to shift them down the acrid stone-work, and there was no way in hell he could hold a conversation. So, instead, she remained silent and held on tightly, grasping onto his smaller frame to steady herself and keep her weight centred.

There was still a massive part of her that believed this whole endeavour would fail, but amongst the ruins of her psyche, there was a hope that her lizard could pull through once again, that he'd have another amazing trick up his sleeve. Seeth’s eyes never left his figure as they made their way through the dungeon, he was absolutely determined to get her out, focused and absolute, sweat dripping down his brow, muscles shaking, breathing controlled but heavily laboured.

They'd just passed by Seeth’s quarters, her home no longer. Her thoughts went back to their first night, bringing him down here, the passion they shared together. She’d wanted to stay in those memories forever, but now, now maybe she’d be able to forge new ones with this incredible man. Why he'd given her a chance she didn't understand, couldn’t even comprehend, but despite her own self doubt, her skin tingled and her heart fluttered at the thought of being with him.

Progress was slow but steady, each painstaking step brought them closer to freedom and out of this crumbling, half-melted prison. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, eventually leading them to the staircase out, just forty floors of concrete stairs laid ahead... if anything, what he'd done so far had just been the warm-up. Diego gently placed Seeth down on the bottom step to regain his breath; he needed to prepare for the next stage of this. He placed his hands together and searched through his own being to find how much psyonic power he had left, but something pulled him out abruptly.

“Diego... I feel weak...”

Seeth's body slumped, her face was turning grey, and blood was quickly pooling beneath her. Their journey had ruptured something in her leg and Diego immediately knew what the remainder of his strength had to be used for.

“Awh fuck, stay with me Seeth, I can stop the bleeding!” He rolled her over carefully and saw one of the wounds on the back of her leg was bleeding profusely. “I am not losing you now after all this.” He pressed his hands together again and slowly drew them apart; orange web-like strings formed between his fingers and he quickly pressed them onto the wound. They seemed to knit the flesh together akin to a needle and stitches, and Seeth felt a flood of warmth through her lower body. The psyonic aid halted the bleeding immediately and the warmth within her spread into her chest and through the rest of her body, even clearing some of the fog in her head. One by one, Diego repeated the process across her most urgent wounds.

“I'd have done that earlier if I knew you were gonna start bleeding like that!” Diego wiped his brow, thick with sweat and let out a sigh of relief as she stabilised. He took her hand and gently eased her into a sitting position, upright against the wall.

Her skin tone was returning to its usual purple shade, but she looked rough. The sooner they were out of here, the better.

“You... saved me in the middle of saving me. That's twice I owe you now.”

“You can thank me later, you're not safe yet. I still got like, forty floors of pain to go!” Diego glanced over to the stairs, deeply concerned about the mountainous task ahead of him. He sat down beside her, and felt her reach over to grasp his hand shyly. He turned his head to face her; Seeth looked like she was about to burst into tears, and was battling with all her might to keep them back.

“Was it something I said?” He grabbed her hand back and stroked over the top of it with his other one, her skin still silky soft, despite it being covered in dust and blood.

“Diego…” Seeth whispered. “I'm so sorry... about Moltezz, and the table incident... You were right, you were trapped and we used you... You trusted me and I led you into a situation that you couldn't get out of.”

“Seeth, It’s okay, I understand -”

“-No, Diego, it wasn't right! I need you to understand that I will never, EVER do that to you again. Never. I need to be better than that. I feel awful that I even tried to justify it.”

He put his arm around her, squeezing her close.

“Thank you.” He whispered gently. “I accept your apology.”

Seeth wiped away her tears with her thumb, sobbing quietly. A small, heartfelt silence filled the acrid corridor. Seeth felt some of the guilt lift from her shoulders and with it, a small smile broke over her face.

“I have so many feelings right now... Diego... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I met you... You looked like such a twat when we first saw you, as well...”

The lizard let out an exhausted but hearty belly laugh.

“Oh, I did?! That’s not where I thought you were going with that sentence! Can’t say I blame you for thinking that though, to be honest.”

“I mean, come on. You were standing there, wearing this armour that shows your abs off, a sword as long as your entire body strapped to your back, those slicked back locks... I'm not being funny but you look like you do shampoo adverts for a living. Don’t get me wrong, I love your hair, it's gorgeous, but I couldn't piece together what you were. A dainty pretty boy? A show-off? An overconfident fuck-boy maybe?”

“Little of this, little of that. What did I turn out to be, then?” He smiled warmly at her, still softly stroking her hand.

“Not what I expected. But everything I think I needed. I mean... you're great at taking dick -”

“SEETH! You can't just blurt that out!” He laughed heartily again. “Oh, what's your good qualities, Diego? Anal depth and durability? Oh sure, that's great!”

“I'm only joking, pretty boy! Well I'm not, you are good at that, but more importantly, you're my little lizard hero right now, and I think you always were, right from the moment I saw you. You told me right in this stairwell that you'd help me and... you keep your promises.”

“They're important... I want my words to mean something, so I make them matter.”

Seeth inched closer to him, their eyes meeting as she tried to find the words to match the feelings in her chest.

“Jeez, Seeth, you keep looking at me like that and I'm gonna melt! Pfft, I should not be flirting with someone who was nearly bleeding out a few minutes ago... feels like I’m taking advantage a bit.”

“The only person who's taking advantage here is me... Every time I look at you I get tingles all over...” She reached out with her other hand and caressed his cheek, taking a deep breath to steady herself. He gazed back at her, his heart thumping against his chest for multiple reasons now.

“Diego... I think... I think I lo-”

A bloody roar rattled down the corridor and made them both jump out of their skin.

“SEEEEEETH?! DIEGO?! WHERE ARE YOU?!?” Moltezz's voice boomed through the facility, and she sounded like she was on a warpath.

“We gotta go, now!” Diego leapt to his feet and began to pull Seeth up onto his shoulders once more, grunting loudly from the effort. Once she was settled and up as comfortably as possible, he tread slowly over to the staircase and mentally prepared himself for the ascent; his legs were aching already, but the entire facility suddenly shaking prompted him to make his move.

Leg up and foot down onto the first step, pain shot down his back and legs, he drew breath in time with the motion and started to ascend, dust shook free from the walls and floated about the air as the staircase rattled violently again and another gut twisting roar echoed up past them.

“I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING SOMEWHERE! I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU, DIEGO!”

His body quivered from the physical effort, but now, his psyche was shaking too; he was completely defenceless, disarmed, physically drained and exhausted. If Moltezz found them, he had no way to defend himself or Seeth.

“I WILL FIND YOU!”

More crashes echoed out as Moltezz furiously rampaged through the dungeon, searching room after room and tearing the place apart as she did so.

“YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE STARS AGAIN, EITHER OF YOU!”

Moltezz's threats boomed through the stairwell and etched into his brain. Fear began to build in him as he managed to reach the top of the first stairwell… leaving thirty nine still to go. Moltezz was beyond furious, and the sound of tearing the place to pieces was gradually getting closer...

The stairwell shook again and nearly knocked him over as a tremendous explosion rang out, followed by a near deafening roar from Moltezz, bleaching his ears and replacing everything with a painful white noise. His legs felt like they were made from stone, it was agony to move, but just as everything started to feel overwhelming, he felt a warm, loving whisper in his ear, piercing through the white noise with perfect clarity.

“I believe in you. You can do this.”

Diego grit his teeth, his breath felt like fire on his tongue and yet, he pushed on, faster this time, towards their freedom.

“YOU WILL FAIL!”

“You will beat this...”

“WEAK, PATHETIC CREATURES!”

“Strongest man I know...”

“WORTHLESS SCUM!”

“My little lizard hero...”

Without fail, for every harrowing shriek or insult Moltezz would bellow, Seeth would whisper something back in his ear, something to keep him going and he pushed on, ascending a step at a time and clinging onto her with all his strength.

“TIME IS TICKING AWAY! I KNOW I'M GETTING CLOSER, I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR, DIEGO!”

Her voice was even closer now...

“SEETH'S CHAMBER PERHAPS?! AHAHAH!”

“You're doing amazing Diego... just a little further, my precious man...”

His legs felt like they were turning inside out, but nevertheless, his will was absolute and his pace continued.

Suddenly and suspiciously, Moltezz went quiet, and the two of them felt a sudden danger. At the next level, Diego stopped for a second and waited, pressed up against the wall, ensuring they couldn't be seen from below.

A fireball sailed straight up the central column of the staircase and exploded at the top, but both Seeth and Diego remained silent and still.

“There's no way that disrespectful little liar made it up there with Seeth in her condition... maybe they're in Plasia's quarters...?” Moltezz was thinking out loud at the bottom of the staircase, watching it closely for any sign of movement or noises. She huffed loudly and stormed off, her footsteps getting distant and the terrified couple had a brief moment of respite to rejoice at their luck, before the lizard pressed on again.

After what felt like an eternity, of counting every single gruelling step, they were almost there. Just one more flight to go. He was so close, and yet, at the most critical moment, Diego could feel his strength fading fast. Moltezz’s power, on the other hand, had only gotten stronger it seemed, and the dungeon, and perhaps even the very earth itself, continued to crumble and melt away. Diego was panting furiously, body covered in a thick sweat, his every limb quivering and just one final set of stairs to go...

“Come on, Diego... you can do this...” Seeth whispered in his ear. He lifted his leg up, slowly, shakily, but he couldn’t do it, couldn’t lift it high enough. His toes bumped against the next stair and he staggered, almost falling backwards. After a wobbly, agonising second, he managed to right himself.

“Diego... you're so close!” Seeth’s voice became louder and desperate as she began to panic.

Diego tried again, lifting the same leg, higher, higher… and managed to plant it on the first stair. But no matter how much he strained, he couldn't find the energy to push off, and bring his other leg up.

“Diego! Y-you can do this! Come on!” The stairwell shook violently as Moltezz's rage poured into the dungeon’s foundations below them.

“I-I... I can't do it...”

“Yes you can! You've come this far! It's just a little further!”

“I - I...”

“Then drop me and leave me behind! You get out of here!”

“Seeth... I won't -”

“No! I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself for me! You drop me now, and save yourself!”

“I am NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!” Diego yelled with fury, pushing up another step. Seeing this sudden burst of energy, Seeth changed tactics, praying that Moltezz wouldn't hear them below.

“COME ON DIEGO! YOU CAN DO IT!!!” She screamed, matching the lizard's fury. He roared and took another step, and another, and another! The factory door was slowly fading into view. Diego howled as he pushed through the wall of pain that was seizing up his legs, and Seeth howled with him. Another two steps, and then a few more after that, and then there was just one more... one more step and they were at the factory level... But he feared there were no more words that could encourage him now, Diego tried with every ounce of strength that he had, but there was so little left to give...

“VERY IMPRESSIVE - BUT YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING ME, DIEGO! YOU WILL DROWN IN MY PASSION, MY FURY!!!”

Moltezz’s bellow echoed all the way along the spiral staircase and deep into their cores. Seeth’s blood ran cold. She’d heard them, had made her way back to the stairwell, and was now charging up the stairs at an absurd pace, gaining on them with every second... Even if Diego made it to the factory floor now, there was nothing they could do.

“Diego… If this is the end... then... I love you! I love you! I'm so glad I got the chance to meet you and-and-” Tears poured down Seeth's face as she squeezed her eyes shut and clutched onto the lizard's chest tightly. “I'm so sorry Diego... I love you... please, leave me here! You have to get out of here!”

She felt her body shift as Diego pushed, one final time...

There was a heart-wrenching crunch within the stairwell.

The walls cracked and shifted.

The concrete parted and crumbled.

The steps under Moltezz suddenly gave away, too damaged from her furious assaults to support her weight. A hoarse and surprised scream rang out as she hurtled to the ground below and landed with a muffled thump, followed by a shrill silence.

At the top of the staircase, Seeth still upon his shoulders, stood Diego.