Tora's facial features melted to leathery black and then to white. Her arms and legs blackened and lengthened, fingers fleetingly becoming long Shifter claws before merging into single, diamond-tipped limbs. No more attempts to conserve energy. Stuff was going down.

The world turned into stark black and white. The cracked three-storey walls became a blur in the background. The dim lights barely affected her predatory senses. The stench of Sentinels filled her senses, layered in more detail than ever possible as a human: relentlessness, bloodlust, rage, thirst, speckled with the occasional familiar cinnamon scent of Markl. The two enemies became nothing but shapes, but every twitch of muscle and blink of eye sent shivers through Tora's Spectre mind.

Her long legs scuttled across the rubble-strewn ground, lighter than air. The female Sentinel avoided the first two stabs with those diamond-tipped arms. Tora's limbs elongated and bent back for a second attack, scraping by the armour with shrill screams, leaving deep scores in their wakes. The Sentinel threw her weight behind her sword against Tora's third limb and pushed her back. Tora's other limbs shot towards their target. The Sentinel stepped back, brandishing her sword like an extension of her own arm.

Tora lashed at her. The Sentinel moved like water passing between rocks. The clangs of metal on diamond filled the air at irregular intervals. They collided, sprang apart, and clashed again. Tora's legs made no sound on the cracked stone ground. Her extra arms sprouted from her back, raining blows on the Sentinel and forcing her back. One limb grated against the Sentinel's cheek beneath the helmet, forcing her head to snap back. Blood covered Tora's limb tip as it rammed, missing its target, into the floor.

The Sentinel stumbled, sword clutched tightly in both hands. She parried Tora's shots. The blade made light scratches across the tough Spectre skin. They caught in a deadlock again. Perspiration dripped off the Sentinel's face. She panted, eyes bright. Her arms shook. She pushed Tora away and darted in, not giving in to the evident fatigue. Tora collided with her in a storm of stabs. She caught them all, but each hit grew more sluggish and she was forced backwards, step by step.

The back of the Sentinel's foot caught on a piece of raised floor. Shock flew across her face, replacing the grim determination. Her arms flew up, not letting go of the sword. She twisted. Her side hit the wall. She let out a soft 'oh!'

Tora had forced her to the wall without the Sentinel realising. The surprise gave way to panic and then fury. But before the Sentinel could look back at Tora, Tora had driven her limb straight into her face. Crimson spattered the wall behind them. The Sentinel's limbs twitched; her sword clattered to the rubble-strewn ground. Blood trickled between the rocks, pooling black beneath the mess.

Tora withdrew her arm. The corpse landed on the floor like a marionette with its strings cut. Tora's features melted together, turning instinctively back to human. Her muscles weighed like lead. Her legs trembled, threatening to buckle. Exhaustion and nausea washed over her in waves.

Swallowing bile, she ran a shaking hand through her dark hair and turned, readying herself, and stopped.

The hall was empty.

****

The stairs disappeared into the darkness.

Tora clutched the hammer she'd found discarded by the first Sentinel, and hobbled on. Time was short and her energy was lower than ever. Her brain ached with every thought and her muscles screamed for rest. Cool air passed over her sweaty human skin. She didn't bother concealing her progress -- not that she would have been able to. She must be close now. The Artefact was within reach, but Markl was even closer within its reach. All that was on her mind was how she would beat him to a pulp.

The flimsy metal steps ended on a barely-glowing light and a closed steel door. The narrow staircase in the darkness would have been claustrophobic if Tora wasn't so focused on reaching Markl. She kicked the steel door open; it swung with unexpected ease. A large open chamber lay before her, well lit -- she supposed there must be back-up generators here keeping the Artefact stable. Large vats sat at the far left and right with pipes and wires running out of them. Steel steps led up to platforms holding microscopes and complicated machinery. The room had the same high ceiling as the previous one. They must be miles underground by now.

Markl sat on one of the spinning chairs beside a microscope one flight of stairs above, watching her with a mild expression on his face. Tora glared at him, her feet planted squarely on the ground.

"That's far enough, Markl."

He smiled in a heartbreakingly familiar way.

"My, that Shifter look sure is grotesque."

Tora started and stared down at herself. He was right; black leathery skin covered her from head to toe. Her hand that clutched the stolen hammer ended in long shining claws. Straw-coloured hair fell over her shoulders. When the heck did she shift?

"Surely you're not stupid enough to stop me."

"Watch me." She raised her weapon, hiding the trembling in her hands.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tora. You're exhausted. You shouldn't even be standing. I'm guessing you didn't expect to be back in your natural form... but you're probably too tired to even keep up that facade, huh."

"I didn't waste too much time with your buddies," she snapped.

He paused a bit too long with that smile, as if he knew more than she was willing to admit. He probably did.

"Did you like their new additions? I rather admire them, myself."

"They're fakes. Every bit as fake as you."

Markl clutched his hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt. This mocking, derisive side of Markl hurt more than Tora could imagine. It was as if every memory she had of him warm and kind was a joke, a fake... and a monster was masquerading in his flesh.

But it was no masquerade.

"Leave this world with the Sentinels now and nobody gets hurt."

Markl burst out laughing, shrill and devoid of humanity.

"What, and the Shifters will restore law and order? We've been at war for hundreds of red moons. Even your decrepit memory must recall that."

"Shifters won't be getting the Artefact, either."

Markl pulled a face, still grinning.

"I suppose you plan to play the neutral party and guard it."

"Yes."

He shook his head, his grin even bigger. "I wonder if your memory loss involved IQ loss, too. But the last species that tried to play guardian were... indisposed."

Tora swallowed.

"You can't kill me."

Markl laughed.

"I already killed one of the Seekers, Tora. I can do it again."

"I don't care. I'll stop you."

He shook his head, pitying.

"Ever the hotheaded, unrealistic one. No wonder Ross despaired of you."

"You've never beaten me when we spar, Markl. Admit it."

His jaw tightened. He stopped swivelling on his chair. She stepped towards him, keeping their eyes locked.

"I never let you win or lose. It was all for data collection for the Sentinels."

So he had been working as a spy from the very beginning. The nausea swirled at the pits of Tora's stomach.

"I didn't expect you to be so tenacious and self-righteous, Tora." Markl stood up and placed his hands on the metal rails, leaning down at her. "Even though none of us were really on your side. Ross couldn't trust you, even from the beginning. It took a lot to convince her not to kill you, you know that?"

He studied her and turned around, swinging casually before strolling down the steps.

"And even after all that training so we know your boundaries, she was never at ease with you."

"We've been through enough now." Tora's grip tightened on her hammer. "She trusts me."

"Really? Even though you lost control and almost killed her?"

Tora's heart skipped a beat. The temperature in the chamber dropped.

"That was an accident!"

"What about that time when Damien tried to calm you and you almost killed him? Another accident?"

"You don't get to say his name," she snarled. Fire coursed through her body. How dare he?

"He was a traitor, Tora. He sold you out. He sold us all out."

Tora swallowed a wave of bile and forced a bitter grin on her face.

"Now that I know what to look for, it's actually quite amazing how easily these lies come from you, Markl."

Markl's eyes narrowed. He paused at the bottom of the steps.

"Celestials don't take sides. Damien would never cooperate with Shifters. You can't take me for an idiot any more. I'm the Shifter Queen."

"The cockiness is unbecoming of you, Tora."

"You can stop it with the lies. You've done enough damage already."

"That's quite rich, isn't it? Considering all the worlds the Shifters have wrecked and taken over."

"But unlike us, the Sentinels would never do anything without some self-gain."

He shrugged. Blood drummed in Tora's ears.

"Perhaps. But I also know the Seekers better than anyone. You really think he was impartial during this war? He wasn't. And you know why?"

Tora wondered what would be the most satisfying thing to kick: his face or his balls.

"He was in love with you."

She almost fell over.

"He what?"

He appeared to revel in her astonishment and confusion.

"Oh, you had no idea! Poor Damien. Unrequited love always hurt the deepest. But you were always so kind to him -- at least, the human you were. He would be terrified seeing you now."

"He's dead. That doesn't matter now."

"Doesn't it? How can you live with the fact that you literally became his worst nightmare? Shifters killed his parents, you know."

Her breath caught in her throat. His words pierced her like her Spectre limbs had to that female Sentinel earlier, straight through the heart.

"Ah, the beast is stirring."

Tora's claws tightened.

"You want to kill me, silence me," Markl continued, eyes unforgiving. "But that won't change the facts. Deep down, you know you're out of your depth. You're scared. Nothing has been what you're used to. You don't know what's right or wrong and, selfishly, you don't care. But people depended on you so you should act as they expect, not how you want."

Her heart raced, her head light. Her limbs tingled all over.

"I've read you right, haven't I?" He hooked his fingers casually into his jeans, which were the same dark washed ones he'd always worn. He had about ten pairs. "I know you well, Tora. You're no thinker, no leader. You strike first and don't even ask questions later."

He spread out his hands.

"It won't work. The human world has fallen. Don't let the blood of the other realms be on your hands too. Just leave this to the true leaders. I never meant for you to get involved. Not you, Carlos, Ross, or Damien." His voice became gentle.

She bowed her head, her shoulders heaving.

"Then... why? What was the point of all that I did?" Her eyes prickled. She blinked furiously.

A hand patted her on the back. Markl's arm, warm and comforting, rested on her shoulders. His familiar scent wafted over her.

"It's okay. I accept you for who you are."

Tora pressed her left hand to her eyes, sniffed, and dropped it. Markl gave a sympathetic sigh.

Before he could say another word, Tora's head whipped back. Blue eyes gleamed with hate. Her arms flashed. Tora's slung at his head.  

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