"_" "Hello." "How you doing in there?" "Sorry we had to trunk you, you almost clawed one of my abbot's eyes out about there." "No hard feelings, I hope." "You're a vicious little thing, aren't you?" "Doesn't usually take three of us to get the job done, but you were jumping about like a flea with an itchy ass." "Ooh." "Look at that." "Adorable." "Does it come with a blade?" "Well, well, well." "Very impressive, little Flea." "Have you quite finished?" "Very nice." "We good?" "Hmm?" "Huh." "Well, well, well." "You are full of surprises." "Huh." "Where did you get this book?" "You can trust me." "Father." "He gave it to me before he disappeared." "Can you read it?" "Father only taught me one word..." "Azra." "Azra." "Well, that's a good start." "This book..." "This stays between us, okay?" "I'm Bajie." "What's your name?" " Minerva." " Well, Minerva, it seems that dear Mother Fate has brought us together for a reason." "_" "You've been busy." "Well, the system's been broken far too long." "I'm making strides to change things." "Strides like getting into bed with men like Quinn?" "Aligning with Quinn was a necessary evil, but that's over now." "Against him, you're gonna need all the help you can get." "That mean you're coming with me?" "Oh, he's a danger to everyone, your family included." "I'm gonna need you to protect M.K." "Of course." "He'll be safe here." "Just so you know, his powers are gone now." "When he's cut, he bleeds like the rest of us." "Yeah, just in case you guys were wondering." "Well, the Gift is a heavy burden, it's, uh, it's probably for the best." "You're welcome as a guest in my home." "Tilda, would you show M.K. to his quarters?" "Yes, Mother." "Would you see that Sunny's provided with a change of clothes?" "We don't want our troops mistaking him for one of Chau's Clippers." "I'm coming, Minerva." "Ah." "Praise be the gods." "Who are you?" "Isn't it obvious?" "I'm a bloody Cog, and I've come to seek sanctuary..." "In the, in the Sanctuary." "A little too well-fed for a Cog." "Who was your Baron?" "Uh, Baron Chau." "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" "Easy." "Um..." "We used to call her Baron Bitch-Face." "I escaped her slave pens by the skin of my teeth, and now I am here to swear allegiance to The Widow." "Whoa." "Oh..." "Fine." "It'll be like that." "It is better to die at the gates of freedom than to rot in the shackles of servitude." "Get on with it then." "Come on..." "Ah." "May the gods bless you and yours." "May the gods bless you and yours." "Hi." "So, you're really free from it, your power?" "Uh, yeah, it seems like it." "Do you think it'll come back?" "I hope not." "I've spent so much of my life trying to control it..." "Now that it's gone," "I feel free." "Now I can just focus on Azra." "It's the city on my pendant." " It's real?" " Yeah." "Yeah." "And I'm gonna find it." "Tilda." "You could come with me." "It..." "It sounds like a dream, but... things have changed." "I've met someone." "A friend." "She makes me happy." "You deserve to be happy." "Tilda." "Mother would like to speak to you." "This is Odessa, the friend I was telling you about?" "Odessa." "Any friend of Tilda's is a friend of mine." "Did I say something wrong?" "No." "Odessa." "Odessa?" "Odessa!" "What's the matter with you?" "You have to stay away from him." "That wasn't what it looked like." "You think I'm jealous?" "I'm trying to protect you." "He's not what you think he is." "He has a dark side." "How do you know about M.K.'s power?" "Because I've seen it." "I was part of a Cog shipment, being traded up river." "So was your friend..." "He slaughtered every single person on that ship, as easy as a child stands on an anthill." "That's not..." "That's not him anymore." "Tell that to the Cogs he murdered." "When it happens, he, he doesn't remember." "Well, I remember." "And you know what I saw in those black eyes?" "He liked it." "I don't care what he says, something like that never goes away." "Promise me, please, that you will stay away from him." "What is it?" "Just taste it." "Mmm." "Mmm!" "Congratulations, Gabriel." "You're now part of a very select, very rarefied society." "One of only two men in this entire army to have ever tasted ice cream." "Hmm." "And that's not all that separates us from the rest of them." "I've always sensed a fire in your blood, burning for purpose." "Hmm." "Am I wrong?" "No, Baron." "When I was your age," "I wanted to do more than collect little black lines on my skin." "I wanted to carve my name in the world's flesh, like a scar." "And I sense that same need in you." "Yes, Baron." "Not with a whimper..." "But a bang." "Why did you call for me?" "A man needs no reason to spend time with his family." "Hmm?" "Yeah." "You've been awfully quiet since the news of Sunny's resurrection." "Why waste my breath on a dead man?" "Is that what you want?" "For Henry to see the only father he has known murdered by a stranger?" "Sunny's not a stranger." "He can't kill me, hmm?" "Not even with The Widow on his side." "He failed once, he'll fail again." "I'm your husband now." "Now and forever." "Give me..." "Oh, don't you look so surprised." "You've always been drawn to men of violence." "Everything all right?" "Just a lover's tiff." "We'll let her cool off in the ventilation room." "No." "No!" "Give me my baby!" " Quinn, give me my baby!" " Embrace me as family, Veil." "Just as Henry has." "I'd hate for you to grow up without your mama." "Hush, little baby..." "Don't you cry..." "Papa'll sing you a lullaby." "Same old Sunny." "Just back from the dead, already found a new way to die." "Let me guess, you think this plan's crazy." "Among other things." "Well, I guess that means neither of us has changed." "Unless, of course, you count changing sides." "Feel free to judge me, but being adaptable is what's kept me alive." "When's the last time you fought for yourself instead of for someone else?" "Whoever I fight for, I fight smart." "You might try that yourself sometime." "That isn't a plan, that's a one-way ticket to an early grave." "My family doesn't have any other choice." "If I taught you anything, it's to leave your emotions outside the equation." "My emotions are what's kept me alive." "All right, let's say you do make it through the tunnels, come face-to-face with Quinn." "The man who took you in, made you Regent, trained you to obey every word he says." "You think you're gonna be able to deliver the death stroke?" "You've been there before." "Last time I faced Quinn, I didn't have an army." "Yeah, The Widow, and her Clippers." "Just don't you forget your training, keep an eye on your flank." "Something you wanna tell me?" "Why, whatever do you mean?" "I'm not blind." "Just because The Widow and I want the same thing, doesn't mean I trust her one bit." "Where are you off to now?" "The Armory." "You'll have to pass the Fort to get to Quinn's bunker." "So why don't you stop in at my old Clipper shed." "You'll find everything you need inside." "Consider it a farewell gift." "So long, Sunshine." "Goodbye, Waldo." "Now I remember why I married you first." "What is it?" "I just always thought you'd die on horseback, under a big sky, wind and blood in your hair." "Not in this rat hole." "You probably wish you were miles away from here, hmm?" "Away from me." ""Through sun and through shadow," ""I walk by your side."" "Isn't that what we swore to each other?" "Indeed, it is." "Veil swore the same words." "At least she don't mock me by pretending to believe them." "I know your games, Lydia." "Sweet words, trying to placate the beast just long enough for Sunny to come save you both." "That's not true." "You think I don't know you and Veil whisper together, conspiring to slit my throat?" "Baron." "The tunnels are sealed." "Good." "I want complete lockdown, no one goes in or out until this is over." "Jenkins." "Proceed with the final step." "What's going on?" "You can pray for my death all you wish, just remember that as my wife, our two fates are bound." "If I go down, you go down." "Tighter!" "She'll make a fine Baron someday." "You know, she missed you." "Your return has been a welcome surprise, for all of us." "I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive my behavior during your last visit." "My intentions were pure." "Were they?" "I tried to help you." "Haven't you been listening to Sunny?" "My Gift, it's..." "It's gone." "What if I told you there are ways to..." "Reactivate your power?" "Where did you get this?" "It was taken from me, but you knew that." "Fortunately, it found its way back to us." "We can heal each other, reclaim what's been lost." "With our Gifts restored we can end misery..." "No, no, I don't want my Gift back." "I've hurt too many people." "But if you learn to control it..." "I don't want to control it." "I'm free now." "And what do you plan to do with your newfound freedom, search for Azra?" "What do you expect to find there?" "Peace." "Think of Tilda, think of all the lives we could save." "Don't they deserve peace, too?" "Anyway, you're free to do as you wish, all I ask is you consider my proposition before your long journey." "What's going on?" "New arrivals, refugees from the other territories." "I'm ready." "We should reach Quinn's bunker by sunset." "And when the fight's over and Quinn's dead?" "What then?" "You embrace your family, and we go our separate ways." "Simple enough, wouldn't you say?" "Hmm?" "Somehow, I don't think anything's ever simple with you." "I've just as much to lose as you." "What more do you need to be convinced I'm acting in good faith?" "Widow!" "Where is The Widow?" "I demand to see The Widow!" "Widow!" "I bring a message from the Armadillo's nest." "Let her go." "As you wish, Baron." "I hope that this message was worth your life." "It's not for you, Baron." "It's for him." "From Veil." "Quinn's just trying to get inside of your head." " Kill him now." " Let him speak." "Is she all right?" "She's the Baron's new wife." "What?" "Veil wants to let you know that her son, Henry, recognizes Quinn as his true father." "That's not possible." "The Widow is not your ally." "If you march with her on Quinn, with her forces beside you, you march to your own death." "He's lying." "Quinn's afraid, he's just trying to turn you against me." "Says the woman who traded Veil to Quinn." " Is that true?" " Enough!" "Somebody put this filth out of his misery." " The alliance is over." " Take cover!" "Sunny!" "I am getting tired of saving you." "Thanks." "A bookmark!" "That's your big idea to help save me, is it?" "Well, you escaped, didn't you?" "Yeah, no thanks to you." "Is that how you got all banged up?" "This?" "No, no, no, no, this is self-inflicted." "I was portraying the part of a runaway Cog." "The gatekeepers totally bought it, I was..." "Listen, I need you to find M.K. I gotta go, okay?" "Yes, yes, but where you going?" "Quinn." "He has my family." "Just meet me at the Fort, M.K. knows how to get there." " Sunny..." " Just get M.K., okay?" "Yes, I promise." "But, hey..." "Be careful." "Hold it there." "Just try to hold still." " Hey." " Bajie?" "Let's go." "Bajie, what are you doing here?" "No time to explain, Sunny sent me." "Where's Sunny?" "Sunny is headed for Quinn, all right?" "All hell is breaking loose." " Oh, my God." " Wait, wait, where you going?" " To help him?" " No, no, no, he needs you to stay alive." "Okay then, then what's our plan?" "All right, we have to meet at the Fort." "He said you'd know the way." " Yeah, I can get us there." " Okay." "Is there anything else?" "Sunny wants us to snatch the Azra book from The Widow." "Bajie..." "Now, this is gonna be no easy task, my friend, but if we ever see Azra..." "Bajie, I, I know where the book is." "Huh." "No shit." "You should've just chipped in earlier." "It's in the Conservatory." "The Widow's planning to use it to get our powers back." "Same old Flea." "Wait, The Widow is Flea?" "Yeah." "You trained The Widow?" "Uh, yeah." "Listen, with that book in her possession, no one's safe." "Well, she doesn't know how to read it." "Besides, with the compass back at the Monastery, the book doesn't do us any good." "Hmm." "Yeah, um, about that..." "The compass could be closer than you think." "You've had that this whole time?" "Yeah, sorry." "Trust issues, shitty father." "Can Sunny depend on you to help me?" "M.K., my friend, it seems that dear Mother Fate has brought us together for a reason." "Let's do it." "Shh, come on baby, come on." "Shh." "Shh..." "Henry." "You can hear that baby from the other end of the bunker." "He needs his mother." "Veil must learn her lesson." "Shh." "Then find some other way to teach her." "Don't punish Henry, too." "Quinn, he's hungry." "Yeah." "One of my men will escort you to Veil." "Hmm?" "Do not leave his side." "Oh." "Afterwards, you'll bring Henry straight back to me." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "It's all right, Henry." "It's all right!" "Hmm." "Yeah." "I thought you said you knew where it was." "It was here." "Is this what you're looking for?" "Don't look so surprised, I have eyes everywhere." "Hello, Bajie." "My little Flea." "My, how you've blossomed." "I wish I could say the same for you." "You're cheeky as ever." "I had a good teacher." "At least something stuck." "I give you shelter and this is how you repay me?" "All you care about is what I can do for you." "Oh, and you think Bajie's intentions are genuine?" "He'll abandon you the first chance he gets, just like he abandoned me." "We're not leaving without the book, Minerva." "Come and get it." "I remember, when I was a little girl, you vowed to help me decipher this book's secrets." "It's time you delivered on your promise." "I haven't been through here before." "Isn't the other way faster?" "Tunnel's closed off." "Baron's orders." " Henry!" "Oh..." " Here you go." "Hey." "My poor, poor baby." "Hey." "Thank you." "You were right, I shouldn't have provoked him." "We just have to keep our heads down a little longer." "That's not gonna work anymore." "Quinn has rigged this entire place to explode." "He will kill every last one of us before he'll let anyone take that child." "We can't wait for Sunny any longer, we're gonna have to find our own way out of here." "I searched the woods from here to the river," "I couldn't find Sunny." "Could not, or would not?" "I don't know what you mean, Mother." ""Baron."" "I need to know that I can trust my Regent." "Perhaps Quinn's paranoia is rubbing off on you." "Don't you play games with me." "You've been acting differently ever since Veil was here." "All right, you wanna talk about trust?" "Then where's M.K.?" "He wasn't in his room, so what have you done with him?" "He's safe." "Don't lie to me." "Do you really think I'd hurt him?" "I'm trying to protect him." "What kind of person do you think I am?" "I don't know anymore." "Power's changed you." "Now you're... willing to sacrifice innocent lives for your own interests." "I'd choose your next words very carefully." "You're no better than any other Baron." "Swindling people with declarations of goodwill, only to stab them in the back." "What did I do to deserve such contempt?" " I gave you the world." " Bullshit." "You've got everyone fooled." "Minerva." "Everyone, but me." "Maybe Veil was right." "I should have poisoned you when I had the chance." "Now let's see how strong you really are." "Don't start what you can't finish." "Had enough?" "I gave you everything." "You brought this on yourself." "Do it." "Don't start what you can't finish." "Kill me!"