If the iron was getting to the army, they didn't let on. The elevator carried the first wave of soldiers to the third level, Raven and Amethyst included. Though the ride was short, it seemed to take an eternity. Fey with massive shields crouched in the front row, their shields held high and steady to block any incoming gunfire. Raven was grateful for their bravery. She felt somewhat safe as she hid behind their barricade.

The doors slid open, and at once, gunshots rent the cheery music in the elevator. They pinged, ricocheting off the denser metal. Panicked shouts rang out from all over. The army advanced. Once everyone had exited the elevator, the barricade broke, and fey charged the waiting security team. More shots rang out, some hitting home. Bodies collapsed, crumpled around her. Adrenaline spiked, coursing through Raven's body and setting her on edge. Her face was the only part of her exposed, but it was the most important part of her. What if someone managed to land a shot? She would be dead, flat on the floor with the rest of her fallen comrades.

Amethyst cried out beside her, fury echoing down the hallway. She held her sword high and charged the nearest security guard. His dark eyes widened, his mouth forming a perfect O as her blade swung toward him. Raven watched in horror as it split him from shoulder to sternum. For a split second, nothing happened. Then, thick blood spurted from the wound. Amethyst kicked his body off her sword and turned her rage on the next one in line.

Though this floor held the most dangerous of the fey, and contained the highest security, there were far fewer guards here for them to contend with. The bulk had been on the prior floors. The battle raged on, pressing further and further down the halls. The security guards were wholly unprepared for their assault. Their guns did little, felled few. Their confidence quickly waned.

Raven held her spear before her as Amethyst had shown her and advanced with the army. Those around her faced off with their attackers, leaving her to stare in shock at the carnage. One by one they were cut down.

A door to Raven's left slid open, the soft shhh drawing her attention, though at first, she wasn't sure why. It was barely audible over the cries. It was a whisper on the air more than anything, a disturbance in her ear. She turned, eyes widening in horror as they trained on a raised assault rifle. It pointed directly at her face. Stern, schooled eyes bored into her own. His resolve was absolute. One shot was all it would take to fell her. Her heart hammered in her throat. His finger began to tense in slow motion, and Raven knew what she had to do. Her spear was heavy in her hands. She thrust, and the glittering point closed the short distance between the two of them. It struck home in the centre of his chest. As it did, the gun swung to the side and a shot rang out, louder than the rest. Raven's ears rang. Blood bloomed from around the shaft, the tip completely gone, buried in between two ribs in his side. His wide eyes dipped down to examine the wound, then back to hers. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he gurgled. At once, he crumpled, wrenching the shaft out of Raven's hands.

Raven's stomach roiled as she stood over his fallen form. Threat neutralised, she examined the outcome of her actions. The spear was low enough to have punctured a lung for sure, and likely nicked his heart in the process. He would bleed out in minutes, if not sooner. It was all she could do to keep from throwing up. Without her weapon, she felt bare, vulnerable—more than she already did. She had to get it back.

The battle raged on behind her, cries of anguish and rage mingling with the clashing of metal. No one noticed their exchange. Raven was all but alone in the cell. Well, mostly. There were two researchers cowering in one corner, staring at her in horror. One's eyes widened.

"You ... you're the Mad Doctor, aren't you?" he said, surprise morphing into anger.

Raven fixed her stare upon him as a stillness fell over her. It was the man from the MRI room, who had filled her with such distaste for the employees of Nevison Corp. He sat up, moving to stand. Raven glared at him.

"I was the nurse, thank you very much. Stay where you are."

Raven stood over the corpse with newfound resolve. She grasped the shaft of her spear with both hands and tugged. It shifted, but did not pull free. Grunting, she tried again.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping those monsters?"

Raven glanced up at him again. "Monsters? The only monsters I see are the ones in white lab coats. You tortured them, beat them, starved them. I am only here to see them free."

Raven put her boot on the corpse's ribs, adjusted her grip lower, and pulled with all her might. At first, nothing happened, but then the spear began to yield. It broke free with a wet squelch that nearly pushed her nausea over the edge. As blood pulsed from the gaping wound, it was all too much for her to handle. Raven doubled over and heaved.

"Raven?" Amethyst shouted from the hallway.

Raven was too unwell to respond. She couldn't stop the heaves that wracked her body. She had taken a life. Someone was dead at her hand. She was a murderer. Was she any better than the people who worked there, now?

"Raven, are you all right?"

Amethyst had found her, and her hand found the exposed nape of Raven's neck. She held on for support, and Raven was grateful for the contact. It grounded her some. Eventually the heaves subsided, and she was able to slump against the door frame.

"I'm all right," she managed after a moments rest. "He was going to kill me."

"You did the right thing."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"You did the right thing," Amethyst repeated, clapping a hand on Raven's shoulder. Through the armour, she couldn't feel the warmth of her touch, just the cold pressure. "Come, the floor is nearly clear. We must free them."

Clearing the cells took longer here. Each cell had two layers of security to contain their prisoners. The first door gained access to the observation room, while a second opened an inner cell behind bulletproof glass. Raven had to let herself into the outer room first, then swipe again inside to free the captive fey. Soldiers stood by to tend to the prisoners as she freed them. Raven didn't stick around to see who or what they retrieved. She had work to do. She hurried from cell to cell, Amethyst at her side, and freed those within. Once or twice she heard a surprised fey call out a name as the cell opened. Perhaps they knew each other, and they were overjoyed to be reunited. She didn't hang around to find out.

Eventually, the battle tapered off to near silence, but for the clattering of armour and light discussions. A small group made their way from cell to cell, rounding up researchers as they had on earlier floors. Raven watched helplessly as they were gathered and led out of the facility. The army had dwindled to about half its size, the other half having brought groups back to the winter court, or were injured or dead. Overall, their own casualties were few compared to the carnage they had wrought.

Physically, Raven was unharmed. Emotionally, though, she was a wreck. Destroyed. She had taken a life, killed someone with her own two hands. Sure, it had been in self defence, but could it really be called that when they were the ones storming the facility? Guilt ate at her from so many angles that she could hardly function.

"We've got another one!" someone called from down the hall, and all eyes turned in their direction.

Three fey were leading a man in a crisp black suit down the hall. He staggered along, hands bound behind his back. His usually perfect hair was in disarray, salt and pepper mussed into an absolute mess. When they reached Ilya, one kicked the back of his knees, and he fell to the floor.

"Who is this?" Ilya demanded, looming over him with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

"That's Ross," said Raven, voice somewhat strained. "He was my supervisor."

Ilya looked from her to him. "An authority figure, then. You are directly responsible for these atrocities."

"No, I swear, I only manage the team, I'm not responsible for-"

"Silence. I don't want to hear a word out of your mouth. You had every opportunity to choose not to perpetuate these horrors. Death is the only thing in your future."

Ilya drew his sword, ringing echoing down the halls. A charge spurred the crowd, all eyes rapt on the impending execution. Raven couldn't handle it, she just couldn't.

"Wait, please, don't kill him."

Ross' grateful eyes flew to hers, seeming almost relieved. "Thank you, please, don't kill me."

"He does not deserve to live. He directly caused the pain and suffering of our people. He does not deserve to breathe our air."

"But-"

"This is not up for discussion."

And with that, Ilya spun, leading with his sword, and sliced it right through Ross' neck. At first, nothing happened. His horrified eyes were fixed on Raven, and as a heartbeat passed, they dimmed. Then, his head slid to the side and topped to the floor. Blood spurted from the stump of his neck. His body soon followed the descent.

Around her, the crowd cheered the violence. Raven nearly threw up again. The charge exploded into vindication and ramped up even further. Swords were raised in the air, fists pumping as the cheer continued. Amethyst was among them, her fist held high, pumping as she let out her pent up aggression. Raven could hardly look at her.

"I need ten volunteers," Ilya said, sheathing his sword. "You will be burning this facility to the ground."

Many hands shot into the air. Ilya selected his people, and they filed off to get to work with a few instructions. Raven stood by, hollow, ill. She wanted nothing more than her bed, but even that was out of the question. She could never go home. Even with the facility destroyed and the fey freed, Nevison Corp. persisted. They could continue their hunt for her until the end of her life.

"Come," said Amethyst, offering her hand. "Let us leave."

Raven stared at her, then at her hand, for many heartbeats. Finally she obliged and slipped her hand into Amethyst's. She let herself be led toward the elevator with the rest of the crowd.