“Put your weapon down,” Eden said, standing in the doorway like an angel of justice.

She took a step into the room, her own laser gun pointed over Rory’s head at Bianca. Where had she gotten that? Her eyes met Rory’s for a moment and traversed his face. He knew he looked worse than he felt and tried to give her a reassuring nod. In response, Bianca jabbed her laser gun, still warm from the warning shot she’d fired between his feet, harder into Rory’s skull. He tried not to shiver. Eden took another step into the room, her attention fully on Bianca now.

“Stay back, or I’ll figure this out without Dr. Lawrence,” Bianca shouted over the alarm. Into Rory’s ear, she hissed, “Keep working.”

“You know you can’t do that. You need him alive,” Eden said.

“I don’t need both of you. In fact, you have outlived your usefulness to me. Now, you’re just irritating me.”

“Bianca, look at what you’re doing!” Eden said. “You want to hurt Cardinal Enterprises? So do I! But this isn’t the way. Innocent people will suffer.”

“They’re all complicit in my eyes,” Bianca said coolly. “How much longer, Dr. Lawrence?”

“It’s impossible,” Rory said. He was braver in Eden’s presence, and for once, his voice didn’t waver. “I won’t help you.”

She struck him across the face with the gun, and his face exploded with pain again. Blood filled his mouth, salty and hot. Dark shapes danced in front of his eyes. Rory staggered back away from the control panels, holding his face,

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Bianca’s scream cut through his haze, as well as a burst of light that filled the control room and momentarily blinded him again. He could smell something burning, and Bianca was howling. Her gun had clattered to the floor and she fell back against the wall, cradling her singed arm.

Eden kept her smoking laser gun trained on Bianca. Her howls subsided into a low chuckle as she staggered upright. The wound on her arm had been cauterized by the laser, so there was no blood, but her left arm was smoking and the fabric of her shirt was singed and smoking. The look in her eyes could only be described as deranged.

“You think you’ve beaten me?” Bianca shouted. “You think you can?”

“Give up, Bianca,” Eden said over the wail of the alarm. Rory half expected to see Cards spill through the door at any second. Lucas, fidgeting beside him, clearly had the same idea.

“Can’t you make that stop?” he hissed at Rory.

“Afraid not,” Rory said. He wouldn’t approach the control panel again for anything.

“I’ll never give up,” Bianca spat. “Never. Not until the cancer of Cardinal Enterprises is wiped from the face of the planet.”

“At the expense of the city? Of all the innocents?”

“Martyrs,” Bianca said, relishing the word. “Martyrs for the greater good.”

“You’re mad.”

“Maybe,” Bianca admitted. She grinned cruelly at Eden and then dove across the floor, reaching for her gun with her left hand.

Just as her fingers closed around the gun, another blast of light filled the control room and Bianca was still.