Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I think it's a territorial thing.”

Adora looks up from the slowly filling paper cup. The brew the break room coffee machine dispenses tastes awful, both too bitter and too watery. But they've got a long weekend ahead of them and she is going to need the boost. Of course, glancing up at her coworker, leaning in the doorway in a government regulation black and white suit with her tail swaying lazily behind her, gives her a different kind of jolt. “A territorial thing?”

Catra smirks, which is not helping Adora ignore how impossibly attractive she manages to look even in the terrible florescent lighting. “I know humans think they're above those kinds of instincts, but she's clearly trying to stake her claim.”

“By child-proofing your place?” Adora asks as she exits the den of terrible coffee and joins her second in command on the factory floor.

“Dude, she did the drawers,” Catra continues to complain. “Melog can't even fit in there! But she's screwed in these little jobbies where you can't even open them.”

“Really?” Adora presses, her lips quirked in amusement. “You can't open them at all?”

“No, they open an inch, but you've gotta dig your finger in—it's a nightmare!” Catra insists.

“Maybe she just feels protective of her snacks,” Adora says.

“Like Melog cares about her tubs of gross protein powder or whatever. It was their house first, and if they want to skulk in the cabinets, that's their right!”

They reach one of the commercial skiffs parked around the sprawling underground facility of Zone Five and climb aboard. Adora is briefly reminded of the time she and Catra stole one as teenagers and went joyriding through the woods above, dodging trees as the wind whipped through their hair. It feels like a lifetime ago now.

Before they start moving, they're interrupted with a shout.

“Guys. Guys!” Kyle appears, pale and sweating in his lab coat. “A new princess has come into her powers...” Adora feels her veins turn to ice. “...in the Kingdom of Snows.”

Adora feels a mix of queasiness and relief at the news.

“We knew that was coming,” Catra says, projecting nonchalance.

“But—what if the others change their plans?” Kyle asks, looking between the two of them desperately.

“They won't,” Catra says, rolling her eyes. “This isn't the 1800s where they greet every new princess with a ball.”

“But if we fail—”

“We're not going to fail,” Adora says firmly, glaring at the wide-eyed chemist.

“We haven't had a glitch since '98,” Catra says smoothly. “And that was chem department's fault, right? Where do you work again? Wait...it's coming back to me now.”

Without waiting for a response, Catra leans over Adora and pumps the accelerator on the skiff, leaving Kyle behind.

“That was low, even for you,” Adora tells her.

“Oh, Adora, you know nothing's too low for me,” she purrs, almost brushing against her when she pulls back and relinquishes the controls. “It's going to be a long weekend if everyone is that puckered up. Anyway, I'm planning to pick up some power tools and liberate my cabinets...”

Adora knows what Catra's doing, trying to distract her from her anxiety. It's even working a little, despite the fact that her domestic disputes with her girlfriend are the second most dangerous topic they could be discussing at work. Then again, what else are they supposed to talk about? They have been living and breathing the preparation for this mission for months.

The ice princess chose a frustrating moment to reincarnate, but all the more reason they need to make sure this weekend goes off without a hitch. With any luck, in a few days time the Snows rune stone will be the only one still online—

“Are you even listening to me?” Catra demands.

Adora shoots her a sheepish smile, returning her attention to their conversation. She can't let the news panic her. They've planned for every contingency, and they won't fail.

Nothing really bad can happen as long as she has Catra by her side.

Perfuma dances along to the radio in her sleep shirt and underwear, trying to get herself psyched up for the weekend as she packs her suitcase. Some time with her friends out in nature, away from all modern distractions—like a cell phone heavy with unanswered texts—is just what she needs to get herself back on track.

Once she's done with her clothes and toiletries, she adds some field guides and textbooks. She glances around her room for anything else she might want to bring and spots her sketchbook. She hasn't been using it lately, not feeling much creative spark. Maybe this vacation can change that. She takes a moment to flip through it.

She comes to a sudden stop when she reaches a sketch of a handsome woman with short hair, her hands unconsciously reaching up to trace over her the rendering of high cheekbones.

A shadow falls on the page. “Why haven't you stuck that asshole's picture on the dart board yet?”

“It's not the simple—” Perfuma says, looking up at her roommate and instantly becoming distracted. “Oh my stars! Your hair!”

Glimmer flips her newly bright pink locks. “Fabulous, no?”

“I can't believe you did it,” Perfuma says, looking at the vibrant color in shock.

“But very fabulous, right?” Glimmer says expectantly. “Hurry up with the 'very fabulous.' I'm getting insecure about it now.”

“It looks great,” Perfuma says. Honestly, she's never seen someone pull off pink hair so well that it looks natural before now. “Bow's going to lose his mind.”

“Bow's going thank me. And so will you...” she plucks the sketchbook out of Perfuma's hands. “When we burn this picture.”

Perfuma snatches the book back, holding it protectively against her chest. “I'm not ready to—this isn't her fault.”

“What's not her fault?” Glimmer says. “She lead you on and then completely ghosted you!”

Perfuma appreciates how protective her friend is, but her negative energy isn't helping. “She was moving soon for her job and not looking for anything serious. I knew what I was getting into.”

“Oh, please,” Glimmer says, rolling her eyes and then spotting something across the room. “You know what you're getting into this weekend?” She holds up a bikini out from one of the open drawers. “This. And once you see how hot Mermista is in person? Possibly getting out of it.”

She wags her eyebrows suggestively and Perfuma sighs.

“That's the last thing I want,” Perfuma says firmly. “If you treat this weekend like a set up, I'm not going to have any fun at all.”

“I'm not pushing,” Glimmer says. “But we're packing this suit. Which means we definitely won't have room for...” she holds up one of the heavier textbooks Perfuma added to the pile, pretending to struggle under its weight when Perfuma knows very well that Glimmer can out bench press her before tossing it aside. “Seriously, we have a lake and a keg. No more learning!”

Bow appears in the doorway, looking excited. “Mermista's out front!”

Despite herself, Perfuma takes a peek out her second story window at the street below. The woman she half-recognizes from billboards and social media is standing there with her signature braid, looking every bit like a bored supermodel. When they make eye contact, she raises an eyebrow. Perfuma pulls back quickly, embarrassed to be caught.

“She acts tough, but she's a very sweet person,” Bow says, grinning very unsubtly at Perfuma's blush.

“And if we get into trouble with the water, she's certified to provide mouth-to-mouth,” Glimmer adds with a wink, before sauntering over to her boyfriend and wrapping her arms around his waist.

His eyes roam over her head in awe. “You know, I'm kind-of seeing this girl. But your hair is way brighter than hers...”

“Oh yeah? I bet I can show you a better time, handsome,” she says with a wicked grin. Bow blushes and Glimmer glances back at Perfuma. “Don't you dare put that textbook back! Just zip up the bag and meet us downstairs! We don't want to keep Mermista waiting.”

She squeezes Bow and teleports away completely unnecessarily. Maybe she just didn't want to give up being pressed against him for even a moment to travel between floors. They finally got together a couple of months ago, and they are definitely still in the honeymoon phase. Perfuma finds it sweet, even if it makes something inside her pang.

She closes her suitcase and is saying a quick goodbye to her plants when her phone buzzes.

Her heart skips as she rushes to grab it. She swallows her disappointment when she sees the message is from Bow.

>Glimmer tried to stop me from texting this, but maybe put pants on before you head downstairs.

>Or not! No judgment.

Perfuma looks down at herself again and blushes.

Oh. Right.

“Glimmer, it's a weekend, not an evacuation,” Bow says, hauling the last of the luggage into the RV.

“Trust me, there is nothing in those suitcases you won't be glad I brought,” she says, her voice low.

She's gotten a lot bolder with her flirting now that they're starting to settle into their new relationship, and Bow still feels like a blushing schoolboy every time. “I'm shutting right up.”

Perfuma catches sight of something approaching on the street. “Sweet celestial goddesses...”

Bow and Glimmer turn to see a familiar sleek and silver car approaching, the custom plate reading EMILY. It executes a smooth and perfect parallel park across the street from the RV. The windows are completely obscured in a thick cloud of smoke. The driver's side door opens and Entrapta takes one more hit from the gigantic gleaming bong in her hands before exiting, one of her ponytails shooting out to steady her as she stumbles. “People in this town drive in a very counter-intuitive manner.”

“You can't drive stoned!” Bow cries, his voice cracking.

Entrapta blinks at him in confusion. “Emily drives herself.”

“And if a cop sees you smoking in the driver's seat?” Glimmer says. “Do you want to spend the night in jail?”

“Emily also monitors police radio and automatically reroutes to avoid cops,” Entrapta says, still seeming confused that her friends would have any objections to how she arrived. She squints at Glimmer. “Is your hair sunburned?”

“You're not bringing that thing in the RV,” Bow says, trying to sound firm.

Bow has turned down Entrapta's many bids to 'improve' his dads' camper on past trips, and it definitely doesn't know how to monitor for police. He is not getting arrested for transporting drug paraphernalia.

Entrapta blinks again then grins, removing the tube at the bottom of the metallic bong and spinning and locking its various parts until she's able to easily telescope it down into the size and approximate shape of a travel coffee mug. She replaces the tube on the side, forming the mug's handle. “Ta-da!”

Bow sighs. “Fine.” This trip is clearly already off the rails. The sooner they get to the cabin and far away from potential witnesses and law enforcement, the better.

Glimmer pats his arm soothingly, as Entrapta heads happily towards the RV. “Darla! I've miss you!”

Mermista raises an eyebrow as Entrapta lovingly strokes the side of the camper, before turning back to the group. “Do you have any tiny snacks?”

As the camper drives away, a man in all black observing from the rooftop speaks into a communication device in his ear. “Nest is empty. We're right on time.”

He turns to the crew behind him wearing cleanroom suits and gestures. The team takes the rooftop stairwell down into the recently vacated apartment, sweeping through it quickly and efficiently. In the bathroom, they carefully place a jar of partially used bright pink hair dye into a biohazard disposal bag.

There haven't been any signs of civilization for miles, which means they're probably getting close now, but they still haven't seen their exit. Bow keeps driving while Glimmer sits in the passenger seat, looking back and forth between the fold out map in her hands and the screen in front of her. “This road doesn't even show on GPS. It's unworthy of global positioning.”

“That's the whole point,” Perfuma says, sitting at the table behind her next to the cracked open window and smoking a joint as Entrapta rolls another beside her. “Get off the grid. No traffic cameras, no cellphone reception...no way to know if someone isn't texting you...Just one weekend where they can't globally position my ass.”

Entrapta looks up from the paper she's rolling momentarily. “I can always globally position your ass.”

Glimmer cracks up and Mermista smirks as she reemerges with three cups from the keg they've set up in the RV bathroom. “What's a little ass positioning between friends?”

The heavy militarized door of the command center hisses open and Adora and Catra enter.

“Identification?” requests the new guard. She's short and muscled with tight black braids, her bearing making her background as a soldier obvious.

They hand their badges over to be scanned.

“Ms. Gray and Ms. D'riluth—thank you,” the guard says.

Adora surveys the command center as she enters. The upper level contains only two rolling chairs in front of the largest array of screens, switches, and dials. If she steps off to the side of the display, she can look out over the entire lower level, where various desks and tables containing their own monitors are manned by different specialized teams.

“What's your name?” Adora asks the guard.

“Lonnie Davis, ma'am,” Lonnie says.

“This isn't the military, you can drop the 'ma'am,'” Adora says.

Catra smirks in a way that Adora knows will spell trouble. “Welcome to the Fright Zone, Lonnie. You can call me 'sir.'”

Adora is not going to reduced to a blushing mess within moments of taking her command post. Clearing her throat, she focuses on the guard. “You clear on what's gonna be happening here?”

“I've been prepped,” Lonnie says. “Extensively.”

“Did they tell you that being prepped is not the same as being prepared?” Adora asks.

“They told me,” Lonnie says. “I'll hold my post, Ms. Gray.”

“Good woman,” Adora says.

She settles in next to Catra, who is already firing up the screens. “Okay. System's online.”

“Acquiring targets,” Adora says. “Let's see what we got.”

The gas station they pull into looks completely abandoned. The old fashion pumps are squat and rusted.

“I don't think this thing takes credit cards,” Bow says uncertainly.

“I don't think it knows about money,” Perfuma says, gazing at the pump as if trying to see into it's soul. “I think it's barter gas.”

Mermista was hoping for snacks—the stoned pair had done a number on their supply—but the grime-covered windows of the gas station do not instill her with confidence that this is a place that still sells wares. She knocks and doesn't receive an answer, but the door is open. As the others try to troubleshoot the pump, she investigates the strange, dimly lit building. As she walks farther back through the rows of dusty shelves she notices several unlabeled jars filled with mysterious contents.

“Ooh,” comes a voice way too close behind her.

Mermista jumps and whirls around, seeing Entrapta examining one of the jars closely. It looks like it contains...body parts? Mermista backs up and nearly runs straight into an animal hide hanging from the ceiling, and decides this whole place is officially way too creepy.

She stumbles back toward the door she entered, and a pale man appears in front of her like a freaking vampire emerging from the shadows.

“Fuck!” Mermista says, stumbling past him and back into the lot.

“You dare come in here uninvited?” the man says, pointing at the wooden sign that reads 'Closed.'

“Are you experimenting with cloning?” Entrapta asks brightly, getting way too close to the man currently threatening them.

Bow pulls Entrapta back like it's second nature, raising his hands in a pacifying gesture. “We were just hoping to buy some gas. Does this pump work?”

The man surveys him with bloodshot eyes. “If you know how to work it.”

He doesn't elaborate or make any move to show them. The group exchanges nervous glances, with the exception of Entrapta who just seems put out that her cloning question wasn't answered.

“We also wanted to get directions,” Perfuma pipes up. “We're looking for...what was it?”

“Tillerman Road,” Glimmer says, stepping forward authoritatively. “Do you know if this is the way?”

The man makes a grunt of disgust and ambles over to the pump, unlocking the latch. “Tillerman Road takes you up into the hills, deep into the Whispering Woods. Dead ends at the old Buckner place.”

He sticks the nozzle into the RV's gas tank. The numbers on the pump start ticking up manually.

“My brother bought a house up there,” Bow says, painting on a friendly smile over his discomfort. “You go through a mountain tunnel, there's a lake. Would that be...?”

“The Buckner place,” the attendant answers. “Always someone looking to sell that place.”

“You knew the original owners?” Glimmer asks.

“I've seen plenty come and go,” he says. “Been here since the war.”

“What war?” Glimmer asks.

The man takes a step toward her, practically growling. “You know damn well what war!”

Glimmer takes a startled step back, and Perfuma catches her, wrapping a protective arm around her roommate. “Hey! Don't be rude to my friend.”

The man steps back, shaking his head. “Damn princesses.”

Oh great, a bigot. Mermista steps forward, and she probably wasn't going to punch him, but Bow reaches out to stop her just in case.

“I think we've got enough gas,” he says with a tight smile.

“Enough to get you there. Getting back...that's your concern,” the man says ominously.

Mermista throws some crumpled bills at him while Bow returns the gas nozzle.

“Fucker,” she mutters as she joins the others in climbing back into the RV.

As expected, Tillerman Road takes them through a dark, narrow tunnel. As the RV disappears into the mountain, a bird flies overhead. Before it can reach the other side, it slams into an invisible barrier and explodes in a shower of sparks. An electric force field is made briefly visible by the impact before disappearing again.

The camper emerges from the tunnel, its inhabitants none the wiser.

They continue to drive along the winding road for a few more miles, the forest growing thicker and wilder around them. The paved road gives way to dirt and eventually dead ends at a single story cabin. Despite the sunny afternoon letting dappled light stream through the canopy around most of the property, the house itself seems shrouded in shadow. The windows on either side of the front door almost resemble eyes staring back at the group as they take in their vacation home.

“It's...beautiful,” Glimmer says, like she's trying to convince herself. In a lower voice she tells Bow, “One spider, and I'm sleeping in the RV.”

They start heading into the house, Bow taking up the lead since he has the keys. Glimmer notices Perfuma hanging back, taking in their surroundings with a troubled look on her face.

Glimmer walks over to her. “Are you zoning out because you're high, or is something wrong?”

“The trees...” Perfuma says, her voice almost a whisper like she's talking to herself. “They feel...sad. Like something terrible has happened here.”

Glimmer rolls her eyes. Her friend is definitely high. “Are you sure you're not projecting? Stop moping! We're on vacation! And Mermista has totally been vibing you. Honestly, Entrapta might be too, I've never known what her deal is...But you're young, hot, and single, so maybe you should find out. Now, come on!”

She takes Perfuma's arm and tugs her into the house with the others, immediately barking orders at the group once inside. “Everyone grab a room and get your suits on!”

Perfuma throws her bag onto the bed of her room for the weekend, causing the old frame to squeak. She casts a look around the space, taking in the rustic furniture. Her eyes catch on a large painting on the wall beside the bed. On closer inspection, she realizes it depicts a hunting party with machetes, and a dog tearing a lamb to pieces in disturbing detail.

A shiver goes through her body. “Yeah, I don't think so.”

Perfuma lifts the giant painting off the wall and places it aside. When she looks up again, she jumps.

The painting had been obscuring a window looking into the next room, and through it Mermista is staring right at her.

Or, not at her, since it becomes clear within seconds that Mermista isn't seeing her at all. She leans into the window and bares her teeth, then musses with her hair, like she's looking a mirror. Perfuma feel momentarily frozen at the sight of the other woman’s face, bronze and smooth and so close despite the thin barrier between them.

Mermista turns away and walks over to her open suitcase. She begins unbuttoning her shirt.

“Oh shit,” Perfuma mutters, reaching toward the painting and then pausing. That thing has bad vibes, even if hanging it back up is basic decency in this moment.

She glances back through the window and then immediately away again, briefly paralyzed by indecision. Mermista is halfway through unbuttoning her shirt now.

Perfuma bangs on the wall. “Wait!”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Glimmer says, as the group gathers around Perfuma’s discovery.

“That's just creepy,” Mermista says.

“It was pioneer days, people had to make their own interrogation rooms...?” Bow says, trailing off nervously.

“We should check the rest of the bedrooms, make sure this is the only one,” Glimmer says, tugging her boyfriend's arm as they head back out into the hall. “Cause you know Entrapta wants to watch us pounding away.”

“Glimmer!” Bow squeaks.

“Pounding away at what?” Entrapta says, following the couple as they exit.

It leaves Perfuma and Mermista alone, Mermista regarding the window uneasily.

“How about we switch?” Perfuma offers. “I mean, I'll put the picture back. But you might feel better if we switched rooms...?”

Mermista looks at Perfuma in surprise, but she nods. She doubts Bow and Glimmer would be friends with her—or basically trying to sell her to Mermista in marriage—if Perfuma wasn't a trustworthy person, but given her life and career she's protective of her privacy. Naked photos of her would sell for a lot. “Thank you for...being decent.”

Perfuma smiles brightly, already packing up her bag. “Of course.”

Once she's gone Mermista throws herself down on the bed, unable to quite shake off the creepy feeling of being watched. What kind of people did Bow's brother buy this place from anyway? Her mystery senses are definitely going off. After taking a moment to gather herself, she gets up and immediately spots Perfuma through the window.

She has already reopened her suitcase and taken out her bathing suit. She reaches to pull her shirt off.

Mermista hastily grabs the painting propped against the wall, rehanging it before she can see more than a flash of smooth caramel skin. She takes a step back and exhales. Then her eyes catch on the gruesome details.

“Yeah, I don't think so,” she mutters to herself and reaches for a blanket to hide the artwork.

All the screens are lit up now, showing the area around the cabin and the inside of each room while the oblivious temporary residents settle in.

“All right, places everyone,” Catra says. “We are live.”

Adora flicks on the intercom in front of her. “Engineering, we've got a room change. Perfuma is now in two, Mermista is in four. Operations, do you copy? We need a scenario adjustment.”

A mop of blonde hair appears over her shoulder anxiously gripping a clipboard. “Yes, Kyle?”

“We've got the blood work back on the Moonstone princess,” Kyle says, and Adora's eyes flicker to the sparkling young woman on screen, looking at her boyfriend with shining eyes. “Her levels are good. She's exhibiting lowered inhibition and should have increased sensitivity to intoxicating substances despite her challenging genetics. Guess how we did it?”

When it becomes clear that neither Adora or Catra are going to humor him with a guess, he continues undeterred. “The hair-dye! It works it's way into the blood through the scalp. Very gradual. The chem department keeps up their end!”

Catra rolls her eyes. “I'll believe it when I see it. The only levels I care about are her magic.” She points to the relevant bar on the vitals screen. "Until she's out of teleports, it's way too soon for bragging."

“Control?” comes a voice through the intercom.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Adora says into the mic.

“Hordak is on line two.”

“Gross,” Catra says.

Adora represses a smile. “Can you take a message?”

The voice on the line pauses. “I don't think so? He's really pushy. To be honest, he's kind of freaking me out.”

“Okay,” Adora says with sigh. “Put him on.”

“The princesses have passed through the gate,” says the familiar growl. “They are come to the killing floor—”

“Well, you're doing a great job out there,” Adora says, hoping to wrap this up quickly. “You got us started off just right. So, we'll talk to you later, okay—”

“Their blind eyes know nothing of the horror to come. Cleanse them of their ignorance and sin. Bathe them in the crimson of...Am I on speaker?”

“No, of course not,” Adora says.

Catra puts a hand over her mouth, but her shoulders are shaking with silent laughter. Kyle bites his lip, looking uncomfortable.

“Yes, I am, I can hear the echo!” he says. “Take me off. Now.”

“Okay, sorry,” Adora says. “You're off speaker phone now.”

“Don't take this lightly, little sister,” Hordak says, voice still echoing throughout the room as Catra's eyes sparkle at her across the control panel. “Horde Prime sees all, and when he returns—I'm still on speaker phone, aren't I?”

That does it, everyone in the room loses it.

“What happens next, Hordy?” Catra asks between peels of laughter, wiping a tear from her eye.

The line goes dead, and the room continues laughing.

Perfuma and Mermista race down the wooden dock, running at full speed. Mermista's dive is quick and elegant, while Perfuma launches forward in a much more chaotic jump, landing with a splash a few feet away.

When she resurfaces her teeth are chattering. “Ooh! That's cold!”

“How cold?” Bow says from the dock, looking nervously over the edge. “Is it worth it?”

“Come on, babe,” Glimmer says beside him. “Life is risk!”

“I think I might just risk lying out in the sun for a while,” he says.

Glimmer suddenly goes wide-eyed next to him, pointing at the water. “What's that?”

“What?” Perfuma says anxiously, looking around.

“In the lake! Don't you see it? It looks just like...” Glimmer reaches towards Bow with a predatory grin. “My boyfriend.”

Glimmer tackles him, and despite the move being clearly telegraphed, Bow screams as they hurtle off the dock. The pair disappears in a familiar shimmer just before hitting the water.

Bow is still screaming when the reappear, standing in place in the shallower end of the lake. He looks down in surprise.

“You know I'd never get your hair wet, babe,” Glimmer says.

Bow gives her a fondly exasperated look that veers into hopelessly besotted. Mermista fakes a retch and Perfuma practically coos.

Catra stands back and regards the elaborate whiteboard. “Who's still out?”

“Let's see,” Adora says. “We got engineering, we got R&D, and we got electrical. Did you see who they picked? They're practically giving their money away.”

“You're one to talk, horse girl,” Catra says. A technician approaches her and hands her a slip of paper and a wad of cash. Catra opens the betting slip to read it. “I'm not sure we even have one of these.”

“Zoology swears we do,” the woman says.

Catra shrugs. “They'd know.”

She pockets the cash and starts adding the new guess to the whiteboard.

Scorpia comes up to her, out of breath, standing a little too close to be strictly professional. Adora's eyes narrow, but Catra takes the paper from her pincers without a second glance at the red-faced intern, looking over it. “It's already been picked.”

“What? No!” Scorpia says. “Who took it?”

“Maintenance,” Catra says. “You're going to have to split this if you win. You wanna switch?”

“I don't know, I don't know,” Scorpia says, humming and hawing as she shifts her weight and then looks down at Catra with nervous, admiring eyes. “What do you think?”

Catra blinks at her. “More than anything, I just want this moment to end.”

Adora hides her smirk behind her clipboard.

Behind them, Kyle makes his way closer to where Lonnie is standing at attention, observing the proceedings from her post by the door. The blond shoots her a sheepish smile. “Not betting?”

“Not for me, thanks,” she says gruffly.

“Seems a little harsh, doesn't it?” Kyle says, leaning in as if he doesn't want to be overheard. “It's just people letting off steam. This job isn't easy.”

“Does the Director know about this?” Lonnie asks.

“The Director doesn't concern herself with stuff like this,” Catra says, strolling back onto the control deck and handing the cash to Adora to count. “As long as everything goes smoothly upstairs.”

“But then it's fixed,” Lonnie says. “How can you wager on this when you control the outcome?”

“No one controls what happens in the Whispering Woods,” Adora says, not looking up from the stacks of the bills as she counts. "You'll see."

“But—”

“Let me tell you something about princesses,” Catra cuts her off, waving at the group of oblivious college kids being watched from every angle on the monitors behind her with barely concealed contempt on her face. “They are granted incredible magic, gifts they once used to protect Etheria. But a thousand years ago they sold us out. Each new generation since has been the same—selfish, irresponsible, and convinced their unearned powers make them untouchable. I mean, look at Hordak. He's this creepy old fuck, and he might as well be wearing a sign saying 'you princesses are going to die.' And they ignore him! They choose to come here, to the oldest part of the Whispering Woods, where ancient magic and monsters roam. If they used their stupid powers to actually listen to Etheria, they'd run in the opposite direction. But instead they willfully dull their senses and party. Yeah, we might rig the game as much we need to...but in the end, no one has true power over what happens above but the Woods themselves. The princesses may have forgotten their history, but the Woods remember. And they will punish them for their transgressions.”

Adora looks up from the cash and for a moment they lock eyes across the room. Her mind can't help but travel back in time, to a younger Catra begging Adora to run away from all of this with her. But someone has to bear this burden, and they were raised for it. Adora wouldn't abandon the mission, so Catra stayed too.

Sometimes Adora wonders if the woman she loves hates her for it.

“So what's it gonna be, Lonnie?” Catra says, turning back to the guard and waving the betting slips in her hand. “You in? Window's closing.”

“I'm fine,” she says tersely.

Catra crosses over to her. She stops just short of the guard, not breaking burning eye contact as she holds her hand out to Kyle beside her. Kyle pulls a bill from his coat pocket and hands it over, looking away from Lonnie uncomfortably. Catra smirks and turns back out toward the floor.

“Okay, that's it! The board is locked!” she slinks over and takes her post next to Adora at the control panel, eyes laser focused on their prey. “Let's get this party started.”

Chapter Text

“Let's get this party started!” Glimmer crows.

She connects her phone to a portable speaker and cranks the volume up, beginning to gyrate in an almost threatening manner in the middle of the living room. Bow immediately bends over in front of her and starts twerking to the beat.

“Wow,” Mermista drawls as she refills her cup from the keg. "Are you two both wasted already?"

“No waaay,” Glimmer practically whines. “My stupid half-immortal healing genes means it takes me forever to get drunk! At least I never get hangovers.”

“Bitch,” Mermista says, then turns a raised eyebrow at Bow, who is now voguing across the floor.

“I always dance like this!” he shouts cheerfully over the music.

Mermista shakes her head and wanders over to where Perfuma and Entrapta are sitting on the couch and observing the display.

“He does always dance like this,” Perfuma tells her.

Mermista shrugs, taking a seat next to her and sipping her beer.

Glimmer's gaze catches the trio and her smile turns predatory. She shimmies over with her eyes locked so intensely on her roommate that Perfuma's half expecting a lap dance when Glimmer reaches them. At the last minute, Glimmer turns to her right.

“Entrapta, sweetie,” she says, offering her hand. “Come dance with us.”

Entrapta pauses, then shrugs and takes the offered hand, allowing Glimmer to drag her back over to Bow. The couple's moves don't get any tamer despite the new addition. They manage not to touch Entrapta directly while essentially treating her like a stripper pole that has sprung up between them. It looks intense from where Perfuma is sitting, but Entrapta doesn't seem mind, her smile a bit dazed as she sways in the middle. After a few moments, she takes her recorder out of her pocket and starts muttering something that can't be heard over the music.

It leaves Mermista and Perfuma alone on the couch, which was no doubt Glimmer's intention.

Mermista takes a long sip and then puts her cup down. “Want to join them? As in, get up and dance normally, not join whatever weird foreplay those three are doing.”

Perfuma blushes, not meeting her eyes. “Maybe, um, in a little while.”

Mermista shrugs, giving her a small smile before rising and gliding towards the middle of the room. Mermista's eyes close and she loses herself in the beat, her moves fluid and strangely hypnotic. Perfuma forces herself to look away, feeling like she's doing something wrong suddenly despite how she hadn't felt that way watching her other friends engage in far more suggestive movements.

She's not sure why she doesn't feel up for joining them. The raunchy pop Glimmer put on may not be quite to her taste, but she likes dancing. Isn't this what she wanted? To have a carefree weekend celebrating the end of the semester with her friends? Instead, she just feels on edge.

She nearly jumps out of her skin when a warm body drops down next to her.

“What's up with you?” Glimmer says, as if she could read Perfuma's thoughts from across the room. Her face is flushed, probably from the dancing, but there's also a bit of a glassy look to her eyes. Perfuma must be imagining that, though. She knows her friend's limits and her drinking tonight hasn't come anywhere close. “How is it that I'm getting more action with Entrapta than you are with the sexy model that keeps making eyes at you?”

Perfuma shoots a panicked glance in Mermista's direction, but she's likely too far away to have overheard. Perfuma can barely hear Glimmer herself over the raucous music and they're only inches apart. “I didn't come here to get action, okay?”

“I know,” Glimmer says, rolling her eyes. “But a little dancing won't kill you.”

“I'm just...feeling a little lightheaded,” Perfuma says.

“That's what you get from smoking from Entrapta's stash,” Glimmer says, shaking her head. “That shit will fuck you up.”

Perfuma frowns. That was hours ago, and pot doesn't normally make her paranoid, but it would explain some things.

“I know what you need,” Glimmer says.

The roaring flames are beautiful, even if Perfuma is still confused as to why coming outside to build a bonfire is what Glimmer thought she 'needed.' She gets settled on the nearby log, sitting between Mermista and Entrapta once more while Bow and Glimmer cuddle across the circle from them.

Glimmer turns to Perfuma expectantly. “Okay, do your thing!”

“My thing?” Perfuma repeats.

“You know, 'we are gathered here today...'” Glimmer says.

“Am I officiating a wedding?” Perfuma says, looking between Bow and Glimmer in shock.

Mermista snorts. “Mozel tov.”

“What? No!” Glimmer says, turning bright red. “Your thing, like the drum circles and meditation whatchamacallits. You know, yadda yadda, we're here gathering in the presence of...old trees, or whatever. And the moons are...phasing? Probably? Look, I built you a sacred fire! What more do you want from me?”

“Um, you made me and Bow build a fire,” Mermista says.

“Same thing,” Glimmer says waving her hand dismissively.

“This is a sacred fire?” Perfuma asks, amused now.

“It will be when you're done with it,” Glimmer says. “So, you know, do your thing!”

Perfuma glances between the pit and her roommate's encouraging expression. Maybe this is what she needs—to take a moment to really connect with herself, and her friends, and this land that is their temporary home.

She stands up and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She focuses on the feeling of cool air on her skin, and the sounds of the crackling fire, and the steady hum of forest life beneath it. “We are gathered here to mark the end of one chapter of our lives, and the birth of another. Let us come to these sacred Woods with open minds and open hearts, and thank them for their hospitality. May the celestial goddesses grant us wisdom and protection, always.”

When she opens her eyes, Bow is looking at her with a soft expression, and Glimmer looks strangely triumphant. Behind her, Mermista raises her cup. “Cheers.”

Perfuma feels more centered as she returns to her seat on the log, then nearly falls off it again when Glimmer teleports inches away from her.

“You couldn't have walked six feet?” she says.

“Had to make a stop first,” Glimmer says, pressing a folded piece of paper to Perfuma's chest. Despite not being able to see the contents, Perfuma immediately knows what it is, and her heart does a strange stutter. The dancing flames of the bonfire are reflected in Glimmer's eyes as they bore into hers. “Burn it.”

Perfuma swallows. She knows Glimmer isn't really commanding her, but something about the air, or the page itself, feels strangely heavy. Maybe it is weighing on her soul.

She clutches the drawing in a shaking hand and stands up again, leaning forward and releasing it into the fire. The paper sparks, curling dark around the edges, unfolding to show a glimpse of kind eyes before they warp and burn. The action feels violent suddenly—

“Woo!” Glimmer shouts, wrapping her in a congratulatory hug.

Perfuma returns the embrace, forcing her eyes away from the fire and focusing on the comforting warmth of her friends instead.

Glimmer teleports over to the other side of the circle again, huddling close to Bow who leans in close to whisper something to her ear.

She wraps around him like an octopus and giggles. “Oops, no more teleports.”

Perfuma raises an eyebrow. Was she planning to poof them straight to the bedroom? Maybe it's for the best that she's out of magic, she's been getting more and more irresponsible with it as the night goes on.

Perfuma doesn't think her heart can take any more surprises.

“Playing with fire? Seriously?” Adora says, throwing her hands up. “Don't they know they're like all vulnerable to it?”

It's got a high success rate, but working with fire is tricky. They need to keep it carefully controlled. Zone Five is a conservation project at it's core, dedicated to protecting and studying the old magic of the Whispering Woods. Letting the woods burn certainly isn't in keeping with that mission. And the Director won't be happy if the cabin is damaged.

Deaths by fire are also bad for morale. Well, for the morale of everyone but maintenance, who will win their bet. It feels a lot more like...well, murder than simply letting nature take its course.

The team can always supplement the fire with special effects, keeping the blaze manageable while making it appear out of control to the princesses and driving them further into the Woods where more danger lies. But that comes with its own risks…

“Hey, there's still time,” Catra says, interrupting her thought spiral. “What you want to bet the lovebirds wander off into the Woods alone, even with Sparkles out of juice?”

Adora's eyes focus in on the couple on screen, who only have eyes for each other.

It must be nice, to be young and in love and not know that you're doomed for it.

For a while the conversation is light and the drinks are flowing. Perfuma feels warm.

Then Glimmer climbs into Bow's lap, which is an impressive feat of balance on a thin log but is definitely uncomfortable to watch.

“Wow, that's...a lot,” Mermista says.

Glimmer ignores her, leaning down and whispering in her boyfriend's ear. He stands up, and even though he keeps his arms around Glimmer, she stumbles on the dismount.

Perfuma furrows her eyebrow. “Glimmer, do you want to...lay down?”

Glimmer turns to her and winks. “Yeah, that's the idea.”

She starts to tug Bow off towards the trees.

“I have a theory about all this,” Entrapta says as she watches them leave.

“A theory about those two boning in the woods?” Mermista says. “Please keep it to yourself.”

“About Glimmer's abnormal behavior,” Entrapta says.

“She's just drunk,” Mermista says, taking another sip of her own cup. “Half-immortal immunity my ass.”

Entrapta turns toward Perfuma. “You have the most data points on Glimmer. Do you find her behavior strange?”

Perfuma considers it. Glimmer was a pretty big partier freshman year, a mix of rebellion against her overprotective upbringing and a deep insecurity and desire to be liked. She's matured and become less impulsive since then, especially as she's settled into her relationship with Bow. But she does still have a wild streak, and maybe she just really needed to cut loose this weekend. She seemed coordinated enough to drag Bow off at least. Bow is fairly sober, and Perfuma trusts him to take care of her.

"She's probably just had enough to be tipsy by now," she says. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Entrapta shakes her head, taking another drag from her joint. "You're not seeing what you don't want to see…Puppeteers…"

"Puppeteers?" Mermista repeats, raising an eyebrow.

"Pop-tarts?" Entrapta says, looking at her wide-eyed. "Did you say you have pop-tarts?"

Perfuma pats her on the leg. "Entrapta, I love you. But you're really high."

Bow's heart races as he runs through the shadowy trees. He grew up camping with his family in the Whispering Woods, but he's never been to this part of them. There are rumors of all kinds of weird stuff out here. He and Glimmer really shouldn't separate, but she ran ahead and now he can't see her—

He startles when something grabs his waist from behind. "Caught you!"

Glimmer is still holding a beer in her other hand. Bow thought it was her third, which shouldn't be enough to affect her, but she seems a little unsteady as she grins up at him, the bottle wobbling precariously.

"Don't spill on me!" Bow says.

"Aw, babe, did I get beer on your shirt?" she says, her gaze turning hungry. "Maybe you should take it off."

Bow gapes at her. "Really? Here?"

Over a dozen eyes of scientists, engineers, and staff watch the couple, Glimmer's face blown up on screen as her voice echoes in surround sound.

"Why not?" she says. "We're all alone."

Bow shakes his head, pulling back and wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm chilly."

A collective groan goes through the room.

"Do we have temperature control in that sector?" Adora asks.

"I'm on it," Catra says. Her fingers fly across the touch screen in front of her, pulling up a thermometer gauge and raising the heat.

Bow is a bit cold, but he's also just feeling on edge between the dark, unfamiliar terrain and his girlfriend's unpredictable behavior.

"I'll get us a blanket!" Glimmer says brightly. She's still for a few seconds before snorting. "Oh, right. Out of teleports."

Bow frowns, and Glimmer catches it. She reaches up to cradle his face. "Hey, are you okay? If you're really cold, we can go back to the cabin."

Bow feels some relief at the way she is looking at him now, eyes alert and caring. "To be honest, I've been a little worried about you."

Glimmer brow furrows. "Because I ran off? I'm sorry, I was just hiding behind that tree over there." She wraps her arms around his neck. "I won't leave you alone again."

"You promise?" Bow asks, as his hands find her waist.

"I promise," she says.

"Good," Bow says. "But um…how much have you had to drink?"

"Just a few beers," Glimmer says, rolling her eyes before leaning in closer. "If anything…I'm feeling drunk on you."

Bow chuckles. "Oh yeah?"

"Definitely," she says, her tone dripping with intent. "I may have had a few…fantasies about this weekend."

"…Fantasies?" Bow says, his voice embarrassingly breathless. He feels warmer suddenly.

Glimmer smirks at the reaction. "You know, being here with you…looking out over the lake in the moonlight…It's romantic."

She closes the distance between them, enveloping his mouth in hers. He can taste the beer on her tongue, but her movements are anything but sloppy. She kisses him with all the ardent attention of someone who has spent months mapping his mouth, and a lifetime claiming his heart.

She pulls back panting, eyes dark. "Do you still want to go back to the cabin?"

Bow shakes his head. The couple races off in the direction of the docks, hands interlocked.

"We have landscape shifting, people!" Adora calls out.

The ever changing terrain of the Whispering Woods makes it difficult to monitor, but Zone Five has been perfecting the science for decades. Within minutes they are able to track the couple to their new quadrant, and remap their relative position from other important landmarks.

"They're nowhere near the lake now," Adora says.

"I've got it," Catra says smoothly, typing rapidly and adjusting a few dials. "Let's build you a fantasy, Sparkles."

"Shouldn't we have reached the lake by now?" Glimmer says. "It feels like we've been walking forever."

Bow wraps around her from behind, pressing open mouthed kisses down her neck. "Or maybe you're just impatient."

In front of them, a beam of moonlight falls on a tiny glen of moss and soft green fronds. It couldn't look more inviting.

"Damn right I'm impatient," Glimmer growls, turning around to fist the front of her boyfriend's shirt and dragging him down onto the forest floor.

"Piece of cake," Catra says, leaning back in her chair and shooting a wink at Adora. "Maybe you'll get to see someone mauled by a unicorn, after all."

"I thought only virgins could see unicorns," Kyle says.

"Good thing you're here then," Catra says dryly.

Kyle begins to sputter an objection but Adora cuts him off, shooting Catra a warning look. "Let's not speculate about our coworker's sexual histories. I don't want to deal with the paperwork." She turns to the chemist behind her. "But seriously, Kyle? You think the ancient creatures of the Whispering Woods give a damn about the cultural construct of virginity?"

"Just like a man to project patriarchical values onto the natural world," Catra says, shaking her head.

Kyle starts to defend himself again, but is distracted by Bow taking his shirt off on screen.

"Virgin," Catra coughs.

Glimmer's shifting so much underneath him that Bow doesn't notice the trembling of the ground at first.

With great effort, he pulls back from their kisses gasping, "Do you…feel that?"

Glimmer bucks against him. "Oh yeah." She draws him back down into the heat of her mouth, her hands continuing their reverent exploration of every inch of his exposed skin.

Any awareness of the world beyond his girlfriend's touch is quickly forgotten.

"I hate when it's bugs," Kyle says with a shiver.

"We don't know that it's a bug," Adora says, looking at the readings on the underground mass making its way toward the oblivious couple like a slow-moving missile.

"Well, it's definitely not a unicorn," Catra says. "Unless they're cold-blooded and like to burrow."

"I'm not saying it's a unicorn, I'm just saying we don't know—"

A gigantic gray insect with bioluminescent blow markings and glowing eyes bursts through the ground on screen. It lets out an ear-splitting screech and charges at the terrified couple.

"Okay, fine," Adora says. "It's a bug."

Bow yanks her to her feet to run. Glimmer's limbs feel too heavy, and she knows she's slowing him down. They're never going to outrun this thing. This is all her fault, she should never have used up all her teleports—

Glimmer turns back toward the monster and summons the last of her nearly depleted magic supply to throw a ball of light, hoping to stun or scare it. But the creature doesn't stop in its relentless advance and Bow desperately pulls at her to keep them moving.

"Just leave me behind," she pants, even though she knows he never would.

Bow's grip on her arm only tightens.

The massive body slams into them, sending Glimmer rolling off to the side while Bow goes flying forward.

Glimmer feels dizzy from the landing, but she forces her head up from the dirt. She sees the giant insect gnashing it's teeth as it approaches Bow, who is lying way too still on the forest floor.

In a panic, Glimmer starts grabbing every rock and stick she can reach and begins hurling them at the monster. "Hey, bug-brain! Over here!"

The creature lets out another bloodthirsty screech, and changes course to pursue her. Glimmer stumbles to her feet, zigzagging through the trees to lead it away, bending and throwing back anything heavy or sharp she sees on her path.

It doesn't take long for the beast to catch up with her, knocking her to the ground. She doesn't stop fighting, stabbing upwards as hard as she can with the stick in her hand, hoping against all odds to strike a weak spot.

The creature's teeth quickly sink into her neck and shoulder, digging in until she can't feel her arm at all anymore. The taste of hot blood rises in her throat, and her vision starts to blur around the edges.

"Glimmer!"

Oh, Bow. She hopes he has the good sense to run and find help.

She wishes she had told him she loved him sooner. All the years she spent afraid seem so silly when she looks back on it now. She wants a chance to make up for lost time, to say it every single day as they grow old together.

But, as her vision goes dark, she knows her wish isn't going to come true.

As blood pours out of Glimmer's jugular on the monitor, an alert about a server error pops up in the corner of Adora's screen.

Her heart does a dangerous stutter, but she maintains an outward sense of calm, rising from her chair and grabbing her tablet. "I'll go take care of this."

Catra doesn't acknowledge her, and Adora walks quickly to the server room—a glorified closet, really—and ducks inside.

There is no server error. The thing that needs to be fixed is her.

She takes a deep breath and looks down at her tablet, seeing the reflection of her eyes glowing an unnatural blue in the screen. She just has to hope that Lonnie and Kyle were too focused on the carnage to notice.

She-Ra is still fighting to come out, a surge of protective instinct that kicked up as soon as the insect took Glimmer down. She can't protect Glimmer. The rune stone princesses have to die to protect all of Etheria. Adora knows that, but She-Ra refuses to be convinced.

She tries to take deep breaths and force the magic back down, but it just keeps building. She turns her screen on, hoping a dose of reality will help. She sees Glimmer lying lifeless on the ground. Her vitals on the other side of split screen have all flatlined. Beside them, Bow's vitals are dangerously elevated, as if his heart is trying to beat enough for them both.

But this isn't a fairy tale. Love can't save anyone.

Her hands are shaking, and worse than that they're glowing. This can't be happening. Not here, not now. She's supposed to be leading her team through this moment, showing strength and commitment to the mission. But her team definitely can't see her like this.

"Time of death 21:04," comes Catra's smooth voice over the intercom, compensating for her failure. "May Etheria accept this sacrifice, made in humility and fear. As it ever was."

"As it ever was," comes a murmur of voices through the door.

"We will now take a moment of silence," Catra says.

Adora sinks to the floor, trying to convince herself that this death was necessary and right. But she keeps seeing Glimmer lying there, even when she closes the tablet, even when she closes her eyes.

And all she can think is, It should have been me.

Chapter Text

Everyone knows that firelight is romantic. Its soft glow can make anyone more radiant. Mermista is no exception, and the way she smirks when she catches Perfuma sneaking glances unfortunately only makes her more attractive.

Perfuma looks away quickly, clearing her throat and trying to come up with a plausible excuse. She is surprised to realize that only the two of them are left around the pit. "Where did Entrapta go?"

"She mumbled something about 'investigating the perimeter' a few minutes ago," Mermista says with a shrug.

"She went off by herself? Is that safe?" Perfuma says.

"Honestly, it kind-of seemed like she was making an excuse to give us time alone," Mermista says.

Perfuma frowns. "That would be…uncharacteristically socially aware of her."

"So…there's something to be aware of?" Mermista asks, her tone almost shy.

Perfuma feels her face heat. But maybe Glimmer was onto something with the impromptu fire ceremony after all, because for the first time this trip she feels completely in the moment as she meets Mermista's gaze. "Yes. I think there is."

Mermista's eyes flicker down to her lips. "Do you want to go back inside?"

Perfuma nods eagerly. She finds herself giggling as she and Mermista put the flames out in a hurry, then stumble back into the cabin.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a small vent opens in the ground beneath the kindling, blowing life into the few remaining sparks.

"But I was so close!"

Catra rolls her eyes, turning away from the controls. "A worm elemental is not close. It's a totally different species. Even if it were close, there's no cash prize for that. You'll just have to hope a worm comes along finish off one of the others. Now get back to your station!"

The woman frowns, muttering under her breath as she leaves. Catra isn't sorry for being harsh. The last thing she needs is anyone hanging out up here long enough to notice Adora's extended absence. She already ordered Kyle to stop flirting with the new guard and get back to his post. That leaves Lonnie as the only potential witness, and while it's not ideal, she at least seems to have enough respect for the chain of command not to ask questions about what Adora's doing.

On screen, Bow runs for his life. Several panels light up and their maps recalibrate as the landscape shifts once more. The change brings him closer to the cabin, and far outside of the insect's radius. Almost as if the woods themselves are rooting for him.

Based on the tormented look on his face, Catra thinks it might be kinder to put him out of his misery.

Bow knows he can't give up. He feels sick—he already had to stop running to vomit once—but his other friends need to be warned that they're in danger. It's the only thing keeping him from shutting down.

He spots Entrapta a little ways from the cabin. She lights up and waves when she sees him coming. As he gets closer she can clearly tell something is wrong—even if she isn't the best at interpreting body language, Glimmer's absence should be enough to ring alarm bells—and starts to frown.

He doesn't have the time or air to explain, running on pure adrenaline. He grabs her by the arm and drags her unceremoniously towards safety, ignoring her questions.

They barrel into the cabin like they've been shot out of a canon. Mermista and Perfuma spring apart on the couch.

Bow slams and locks the door behind him, then leans against it, trying to catch his breath. He's covered in sweat and dirt, and he's pretty sure he's bleeding from small scrapes in a few places.

"What happened to you?" Perfuma asks, immediately on her feet and concerned. "Where's Glimmer?"

"S-something attacked us," he chokes out. "A monster."

"Ooh," Entrapta says. "Maybe there's scientific truth to the rumors of cryptic megafauna living in this area. What did it look like?"

"Bow," Perfuma says, right in front of him now, her eyes shining with worry. "Where's Glimmer?"

Bow slides to the floor, the last of the adrenaline leaking out of him and leaving him utterly empty. "She-she's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone? We have to go back for her—"

Mermista puts a hand on Perfuma's arm and the woman turns to look at her. Her eyes are sparkling with tears, her body beginning to realize the truth of the situation even if her mind hasn't caught up. They both know Bow would never leave Glimmer behind if there was any hope for her.

"If there are monsters out there, we need to fortify the cabin," Mermista says in a low voice, forcing her own grief down to focus on the threat at hand. "Entrapta and I can do it. Do you think you can take care of Bow? Get him some water and bandages?"

Perfuma still looks a little lost, but she gives a shaky nod.

Mermista and Entrapta make quick work of barricading the windows and exits in living main room, then make their way back to the bedrooms. Mermista is just finishing up Bow and—Bow's room, when she hears a sound that she's come to dread from Perfuma's across the hall.

"Fascinating."

Mermista sighs and goes to check on Entrapta. She better not be going through Perfuma's things.

When she arrives, she sees the bed has been pushed aside, revealing a trap door. Entrapta looks far too eager at the discovery. "I wonder what's inside!"

"I don't," Mermista says, because the one-way mirror was bad enough and the last thing they need is to unravel more horrors.

Naturally, Entrapta isn't listening, and has already pried open the door. She produces a flashlight from her hair and shines it down into the opening.

"What do you see?" Mermista asks with dread.

Entrapta lights up. "Weapons!"

Before Mermista can make a move to stop her, Entrapta jumps into the hole. Following her is the last thing Mermista wants to do, but leaving Entrapta unsupervised in a room full of dangerous objects seems like a bad idea. And maybe something down there will be useful for defence if another beast attacks.

With a heavy groan, she follows the stoned science major into the darkness.

Her feet land with a soft thud. As soon as her eyes adjust to the dim room, she wishes they hadn't. In the center is a wooden table with rusted metal shackles. The walls are lined with old fashioned tools and obvious implements of torture. Entrapta hits a few buttons on her high-tech flashlight and it turns into a blacklight, revealing splatter stains decorating every surface.

"That's blood, isn't it?" Mermista asks, feeling sick.

"I would need to take samples back to my lab to be sure," Entrapta says. "But it seems highly probable."

"We are not taking samples," Mermista hisses. "Just—grab the cleanest weapon you think would be useful against giant megafauna or whatever, and lets get out of here."

From Entrapta's expression, she might be about to argue, but she doesn't get a chance before there's a peircing shout from upstairs.

"Fire!"

When Perfuma smelled smoke, she half thought her mind was playing tricks on her, or that it must be lingering on her clothes from the campfire earlier. She pushed the bookshelf Mermista had used to barricade the window closest to the living room just a little, to take a glimpse outside and assure herself that everything was fine.

Instead, angry orange flames greeted her, starting at the firepit and snaking ever closer toward the cabin.

She shouts for help, then runs to the sink to fill a bucket. When she turns the faucet, nothing comes out.

Mermista and Entrapta emerge from the hall. Mermista is carrying what looks like a harpoon and several other types of spears, and Entrapta is clutching a rusty axe.

Mermista misinterprets her panicked look. "We found a stash of weapons in a freaky torture chamber under the interrogation room."

Perfuma doesn't have time to process that. "The sink isn't working!"

Mermista empties her arms onto the counter and crosses over immediately, placing a hand on the faucet and closing her eyes. After a moment they fly open again. "I can't…I can't feel any water."

"That can't be right," Perfuma says, shooting a terrified look out the front window. They had running water earlier. "There must be a-a tank or a well on the property or something—"

"There should be! But I can't feel any water anywhere, except…" A determined expression falls over Mermista's face and she runs back to the keg. She unscrews the lid and begins waving her arms until a large bubble of beer is suspended in the air in front of her. "Get the front door!"

Perfuma rushes forward, feeling the doorknob briefly to make sure it isn't too hot before unlocking the chain and pulling it open. The fire has spread throughout the clearing in front of the house, and is starting to lick at the edges of the porch.

Perfuma backs away and the beer sprays forward, soaking the steps and driving the flames back a few feet, clearing a pathway into the woods.

Mermista grabs a spear from the counter and starts marching toward the treeline.

"Where are you going?" Perfuma shouts, inhaling too much smoke in the process and starting to cough.

"To the lake!" Mermista calls back. "Even if we could get to the RV, there's no guarantee we could outrun the fire once it starts spreading through the forest. I need to flood the area."

Perfuma looks back to the pair still inside: Entrapta is still gripping the axe, her expression looking determined. Bow just looks haunted as he stares into the looming woods.

"We can't let her go alone," Perfuma says, voice cracking.

Entrapta nods and zips after Mermista. Perfuma rushes back into the cabin to grab the remaining weapons on the counter, handing one to Bow and then wrapping her free arm around his shoulders.

His foot steps are heavy and his expression is concerningly blank, but he lets her lead them forward. As they gain some distance from the fire and the trees grow thick around them, she tries to rub his arm soothingly. "Any…animals will likely avoid the smell of smoke."

Entrapta hums up ahead. "That's true. Though some winged insects are drawn to flames." She turns back to look at Bow. "Did the insect that attacked you have wings?"

He flinches. "I-I don't think so."

"It would be highly improbable for a species of flying megafauna to go undiscovered until now," Entrapta muses.

"Why don't you go on further ahead, closer to Mermista?" Perfuma suggests pointedly. "Safety in numbers."

Entrapta grunts an affirmative and quickens her stride. Soon Perfuma can't see either of them in the darkness ahead. It's unnerving even though she'd surely sense approaching predators or major disturbances in the surrounding plant life. Ultimately, the most important thing is for Mermista to reach the water quickly, and Bow doesn't seem up to moving any faster right now. The other two probably aren't even that far away, surely it just feels like it with their limited range of vision at night…

They hear Mermista's voice yell in the distance. "Fuck!"

Her heart pounds in her ears.

"Go!" Bow insists, looking just as panicked. "I'll be right behind you."

She gives his shoulder a final squeeze and then races forward, gathering her magic in case she needs it to defend her friends.

When she bursts through the brush and the docks come into view, it looks like Mermista is hunched over sobbing. Then she realizes that she's laughing. Entrapta is standing a little off to the side looking uncomfortable.

When Perfuma gets close enough for Mermista to spot, the woman's dark laughter trails off as she gestures behind her. When Perfuma finally notices what's wrong, she gasps.

"The lake is gone," Mermista says, then turns to scream into the now empty reservoir where they had been swimming that afternoon. "The FUCKING lake is FUCKING GONE!"

A message pops up in the corner of her screen.

>You drained the lake?? We're supposed to get prior approval from ecology for that!

Catra rolls her eyes. Of course Adora is trying to micromanage even from inside the damned closet.

>If you want to call the shots, fix that server issue and get back out here.

She stands by her decision. They have enough to worry about with the Heart Blossom princess in her element. They don't need to give another princess a natural advantage in the terrain. This group has already proven to be frustratingly resourceful.

Adora might not be a fan of a heavy handed touch, but Catra will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

The new plan is to try and cut through the woods to reach the road on the other side of the fire. Hopefully they can safely approach Darla from that direction, then drive away as fast as possible—a detail Entrapta seems a little too excited by—and contact emergency services as soon as they are in cell range again.

Mermista feels agitated. She just wants to get there faster, but Bow exhausted himself battling a giant insect and then running all the way back to the cabin to warn them earlier. Between that and the weight of his grief, he can only move so quickly. Charging out ahead when she thought she was moving towards a power source was one thing, but now—

She has never felt so powerless.

When she sees the gleaming side of the camper peaking through the trees ahead, she's half-convinced it's a mirage. She looks toward her companions to confirm that they see it too, and is met with expressions of relief to mirror her own.

Mermista can't wait any longer. She takes off at a run toward their salvation.

Just before she reaches the drive, a wall of fire erupts into existence to cut off her path.

Mermista rears back in shock, falling flat on her ass. Her eyes dart all over, desperately searching for some impossible gap in the flames, trying to figure out what the hell is even burning. It's a dirt road. "My ex was an arsonist. That is not how fire behaves!"

She feels a comforting hand on her shoulder, and looks up to see Perfuma staring intently at the blaze with a furrowed brow. "None of the trees are burning. It's almost like…the fire is avoiding them."

Mermista throws her arms up. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Nothing tonight has made sense," Bow mutters, standing at her other shoulder now.

Perfuma puts on a strained smile. "Maybe…maybe if we stick to the woods, they'll protect us."

Mermista scoffs. "Or we'll become bug food."

Bow's face crumples and Perfuma's gaze narrows. "I'm sure my senses will allow us to avoid any…unusual wildlife. We'll be okay until help arrives."

Mermista gives a bitter laugh. "What makes you think help is arriving?"

"Someone will see the smoke," Perfuma says firmly. Her delusional positivity makes Mermista want to bite her head off.

"Angella will send someone," Bow says, his voice sounding hollow. "She'll know something is wrong."

Mermista feels her building irritation promptly die out. He's right. Glimmer's mom will be able to sense that she's now the sole bearer of the Moonstone.

Perfuma tugs his arm and they both lower themselves to the ground beside Mermista. "So…we'll just wait here, sheltered by the canopy but close to the road, until we're rescued."

Mermista doesn't share their optimism, but she won't begrudge them for it. It's clear based on everything that has happened tonight that some larger force is pulling the strings. Entrapta was right—

Mermista whips her head around. "Where's Entrapta?"

The other two look around in alarm.

"Entrapta!" Perfuma calls.

There is no response, and Mermista feels her fear rising as Perfuma continues to call out as they all stand up. She's worried for Entrapta's fate, but she also feels a creeping dread that something other than Entrapta might respond to the yelling.

"Should we split up and look for her?" Bow says.

"No," Mermista says. "We stick together."

"Maybe we can just fan out a bit?" Perfuma suggests. "Staying within eyeshot, but just…widen our search radius a little?"

Mermista groans. "Really?"

"We'll stay where we can see each other," Perfuma repeats, starting to walk off to the east.

Bow picks up his spear and starts off in the other direction. Mermista begrudgingly starts retracing their steps back down the path they came.

"Entrapta!" Perfuma shouts again.

Bow's calls join hers in the other direction.

Mermista keeps her mouth shut, and her eyes and ears wide open.

"What in the…?" Perfuma says, almost too quiet to be heard now that she isn't screaming.

Mermista whips around, but Perfuma seems to be looking at something on the ground.

Mermista's stomach drops. "What is it?"

"These flowers," she calls back, her voice sounding odd. "They're…they shouldn't be here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mermista says, but she finds herself walking back towards the blonde again.

"They're not native to this region!" Perfuma keeps her eyes trained on the ground, but she's moving a little too close to the road for Mermista's liking.

"So?" Mermista says. "Get back here!"

Perfuma doesn't listen. Mermista increases her pace, her gut screaming that something is wrong.

She sees Perfuma reach a bed of lush pink flowers, at the end of a clearly manicured pathway of them. Perfuma bends down to stroke one of the petals.

The ground beneath her goes up in flames. Perfuma screams until she is engulfed, her body falling to the ground and writhing before going limp, the fire only growing brighter as it consumes her.

Mermista turns away in horror, but she can still smell burning flesh. She spews the contents of her stomach at the head of the flower trail.

"And we have a winner!" Catra calls. "Looks like congratulations go to maintenance, who split the pot with Scorpia."

Catra divides up the cash, and gives the victors their due. After the maintenance crew disperses, she glances around the room. Scorpia is nowhere in sight, despite normally clamoring for any excuse to talk to Catra.

She shrugs and puts Scorpia's portion of the winnings aside. She probably thought witnessing someone get burned alive sounded fun in theory, but now that she's actually seen it is off getting sick somewhere. Interns.

For an indeterminate period of time, Mermista and Bow just cling to each other—a mix of shock and hopelessness settling into their bones.

Suddenly, they hear the sound of leaves rustling and heavy footsteps growing closer. Mermista reaches for the harpoon on the ground, gripping it tightly. There may be no way out of these woods alive, but that doesn't mean she's going to go down quietly.

A shadow bursts through the trees and Mermista raises the weapon with a yell.

"What are you doing?" the newcomer asks, looking up at what was about to be the instrument of her death with curiosity.

"Entrapta?" Mermista says, dropping her arms. "Where have you been?"

Entrapta blinks at her. "Where have you been?"

Mermista is at the end of her rope, and while she is glad Entrapta isn't a monster, she was kind-of looking forward to stabbing something. "You can't just go wandering off!"

"But I found—" Entrapta stops suddenly, look around. "Where's Perfuma?"

Bow and Mermista exchange heavy glances, and for once Entrapta seems to pick up on what isn't being said, her whole body wilting. "Oh." She wipes at the corner of her eye and Bow reaches for her, but she turns around and starts walking back in the direction in which she came. "This way."

With no other plan and nothing to lose, the pair follows her.

The three walk in silence for several minutes, until they come across a small clearing. Entrapta stops, and Mermista takes a look around to try and figure out what is so special about this particular patch of grass on the roadside compared to the one they just left.

Entrapta puts two fingers in her mouth and lets out a deafening whistle. Mermista clamps her hands over her ears and looks around wildly. If Entrapta wandered off to befreind one of the forest beasts—

She hears a growl approaching, but it's not the sound of an animal. It's the sound of an engine.

Headlights come barreling down the road, Darla swerving onto the shoulder and coming to a screeching halt a few feet away from them, her doors sliding open immediately.

Entrapta gives Bow a small, sheepish smile. "I maybe, possibly…one hundred percent disregardled all those times you told me not to mess with your dads' RV."

Bow is already rushing for the safety of the vehicle. "Entrapta, if you get us out of this, you can mess around with the RV as much as you want!"

"Great!" Entrapta says, climbing into the camper after him.

Mermista quickly follows, collapsing on the table bench next to Bow while Entrapta takes her place in the driver's seat. Darla pulls out of the clearing and back onto the road. Soon the trees are whizzing by them in a blur outside the windows.

Catra watches the speeding RV on screen with annoyance. How long will these princesses drag this out?

She dials the chem department. Yelling at Kyle always makes her feel better. He picks up on the first ring.

"What the fuck is up with these kids' pot?" she demands. "They should be drooling. Instead Flower Girl almost made us and now the Dryl princess is summoning an eleventh hour getaway vehicle?"

"We thoroughly treated it!" Kyle squeaks.

Kyle continues to stammer out defense of his department and plead with her not to call them out in the mission report, but Catra isn't listening as her eyes roam over the monitors in front of her.

She catches sight of the mountain tunnel the RV is speeding towards. The wide open mountain tunnel that should have caved in hours ago. "Shit."

"What's wro—?"

She hangs up on Kyle and dials demolition, texting Adora while she waits for them to pick up. There's no answer from demolition.

There's no answer from Adora either.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Catra switches on the intercom. "Broadcast, can you patch me through to demolition?"

"We're dark in the whole sector," comes the response over the speaker. "Might have been a surge in the—"

Catra is up on her feet before she can hear the end of the sentence, barking at Lonnie. "Open the door!"

Lonnie hesitates. "I'm not supposed to do that if there is no one to monitor the control panel."

Catra swallows a hiss. "Commander Gray is here. She is monitoring operations on her tablet and if there are any problems more pressing than the server issue she is currently repairing, she will obviously come out of the server room. Now open the damned door or we're all doomed!"

Lonnie looks reluctant, but she nods and gets to work. Disengaging all the security locks takes an unbearably long moment, but the heavy door finally opens.

Catra bursts out, dropping onto all fours to run, startling scientists and guards in the halls. "Move! Make a hole!"

They can't let the RV escape. Some stoner mad scientist or random son of historians might be easily discredited, but Mermista has the kind of wealth and connections that could launch a real investigation. If the unstable magical bomb at the core of the planet becomes public knowledge it's only a matter of time before it's set off. Any number of bad actors—governments, corporations, terrorist organizations—could detonate it, either intentionally or through a reckless attempt to access its power. They've planned for every scenario, but the story always ends the same. In the mean time, the princesses that serve as pieces of the machine will be thrust into the crosshairs of way more groups than just Zone Five.

Catra has always had conflicted feelings about her job, but recently it's become a lot more important to her to have control over exactly which princesses are known and hunted.

She rips the door to the demolition office open when she finally reaches it, and sees three workers gathered around a console that's completely dark. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"We don't know! Electrical said there was a glitch up top. Maybe one of the creatures—?"

Catra cuts him off. "That tunnel should have blown hours ago, as soon as the Moonstone princess was out of teleports!"

"We never got the order—"

Catra hisses and shoves them out of the way, dropping to her knees ripping open the panels on the underside of the console, revealing a maze of wires and circuits.

She gets to work.

Mermista feels a small spark of hope as Darla approaches the mountain tunnel. It means they're almost back in cell reception—almost back to safety.

The RV crosses the threshold, and a loud boom rings out. There's a flash of light up ahead, followed by the sound of an alarming amount of rocks tumbling down onto the roof. Through the windshield, Mermista can see the tunnel start to cave in.

"Darla! Reverse!" Entrapta shouts in a panic.

The camper tears back out through the tunnel opening just before it collapses completely, leaving nothing but rubble and smoke.

When the security door to the control room opens, Catra sees a flash of blonde just beyond Lonnie and feels a swell of hope.

Then the figure comes into full view and she realizes it's Kyle.

"I was worried when you cut off our call," he says, looking at her wide-eyed. "What happened with the tunnel?"

"Doesn't matter," she hisses. "It's blown now. We're fine."

Kyle and Lonnie exchange a loaded look.

"Catra…is Adora still in the closet?" Kyle asks nervously. He really has no idea.

They probably think she's having a breakdown. It's common in this job, and Adora wouldn't be the first person in her position to choke. Still, no one expected it from the Director's hand-picked protege.

On the other hand, no one expected Catra to amount to anything, let alone manage to work her way up the ranks by Adora's side. But she proved them wrong.

If she has to pull this whole damn mission off alone now, she will.

Mermista is furious, looking over the cliff's edge to the tantalizing stretch of road on the other side of the mountain.

"It's right there!" she screeches.

Entrapta looks analytical as she considers the distance. "Does anyone have climbing gear?"

"Back in my dorm room," Bow says morosely. "And I don't think a climbing across a mountainside that just had a cave-in would be very safe…"

Mermista gets a crazed look in her eye before she storms back into the RV. She re-emerges a few moments later with her surfboard under her arm, turning to Entrapta. "Think you can soup this up to make that jump?"

Entrapta lights up. "Potentially!"

"You can't be serious," Bow says. "That board is only designed to hover over water!"

Entrapta is already disappearing back into the depths of Darla, the occasional crash ringing out as she gathers tools and supplies.

Bow turns a pleading gaze back to Mermista. "We should just wait for help. This is way too risky!"

Mermista shakes her head, her expression determined. "I've done bigger jumps than this."

"Yeah, in water," Bow says.

Entrapta re-emerges from the RV and gets to work modifying the board.

Mermista looks over the edge once more, then turns to Bow. "I've got this. Even if I wipe out on the other side and have to limp to help, I'm going. You and Entrapta stay in Darla and stay safe. I'm coming back with choppers and dogs and investigators—and whoever these fucking puppeteers are, they're going to pay."

"Puppeteers...?" Bow whimpers, feeling lost.

"That cave-in wasn't random, it was caused by some kind of explosive," Mermista says. "Someone has been pulling strings since we got here."

If that was supposed to make Bow feel better, it doesn't. They fall into silence as Entrapta works behind them.

"Okay!" she says excitedly after several moments. "I've modified the board to be a makeshift skiff. I couldn't give it much power without throwing off the balance, so the engine won't last you very long, but it should definitely be enough to make the jump across. You've got a smooth run, and maybe a five foot differential on the other side. Make sure to give it everything you've got."

Mermista nods, climbing onto the board and testing her balance.

"Are you sure about this?" Bow asks one more time.

"Yeah," Mermista says. "I'm ready."

Bow and Entrapta step aside.

"Don't hold back!" Entrapta says.

Mermista winks at her. "I never do."

She leans forward and the board is off, picking up speed as it hurls toward the edge. Mermista sails over smoothly. Bow watches with fear and hope and she rises into the night sky, but the arc of the jump is good, and it really looks like she's going to make it.

The board crashes midair. Mermista's entire body lights up like a firework as she hits an electrical matrix, made briefly visible by the impact, before winking out of existence again. Bow can only watch in horror as their friend plummets down into the dark abyss.

"Wow," Entrapta says besides him. "That is so advanced! A forcefield that huge must take a massive power source—"

"Who cares?" Bow screams, whirling around to face her. "Our friend is dead! All of our friends are dead."

Entrapta shrinks, and some part of Bow feels bad, but there is no room for it under the storm of grief and rage inside him. He storms away from her, falling to his knees at the cliff's edge. Looking down into the darkness, some part of him expects Mermista to miraculously pop back up on her board, no worse for wear.

It's a stupid hope. There's no point. Everything they try will just keep going wrong. Mermista was right about the puppeteers. They already killed off the most powerful people he knows, killing Bow should be a piece of cake after that.

He'll just wait here and let them do it.

He startles when he feels a hand on his shoulder. Entrapta enjoys touch sometimes, but she rarely initiates.

"I know I'm not good at people, or...being comforting," Entrapta says. "But you're my friend, and you're still alive, so I-I can't give up yet even if I couldn't save Perfuma or Mermista. I've been trying to use tech to help us escape, and that hasn't been working, because whoever is doing this has way more tech at their disposal to keep us trapped. But an electrical system this massive will leave a footprint, and now that I know what I'm looking for, I might be able to track the source. I would like your assistance, but if you don't feel up to that, I need you to please at least back away from the ledge. I-I don't think I can keep going if I lose you too."

Bow takes a few deep breaths and then stands up, turning toward Entrapta. She opens her arms slowly, as if she's not sure if that's what she's supposed to be doing. He collapses into her, letting his tears fall freely as they cling to each other.

When they separate several moments later, he looks at her with renewed resolve. "Entrapta, whoever is behind this made a mistake trapping you in here. You are the smartest person I know, and you will figure this out. We're going to avenge Mermista and Perfuma...a-and Glimmer. And we're going to make it home. Together."

Entrapta's eyes look as wet as his own, but there is a fire burning in them as she nods. They head back to Darla to get to work.