In the moments before the mountain began to shift, the members of the Brigade darted between buildings and labyrinthine alleyways, two Storm Wolves in hot pursuit. Their anaemic firepower did little to slow the machines, and they barely managed to keep any distance between them. It was futile trying to take cover, as the Storm Wolves blasting apart anything they couldn't walk around. One carried some kind of cannon that left gaping craters where it struck, before ejecting spent shell casings the size of a car.

They had just spent the last of their ammunition when rocks began to loosen and fall from the mountain walls, crashing into the streets and houses, stalling both man and machine. The Brigade ducked and dove, as their surroundings were laid to waste by chunks of falling granite. The less agile Storm Wolves had no choice but to try to survive the abuse.

A thunderous crash filled the air as something struck the zeppelin on the far side of the fortress. It tore open, the gases inside igniting. The fortress dipped alarmingly as the massive dirigible slowly fell from its once proud and seemingly indomitable place above them, smoke bellowing from within. Herrera and his band tumbled, rolling towards the edge and the simmering water below, clutching at anything that might stem their descent.

"Hold me!" Gorso yelled to Collin. Gorso reached out frantically to grab Angeline as she rolled past. He grunted as her weight threatened to rip his shoulder from its socket but he clung to her, while Collin kept a steely grip on Gorso's belt. Together, they wrestled her back to safety. The group watched in awe as the deadly Storm Wolves bounced against buildings and slid over the edge of the canted fortress, howling one last time before vanishing over the side and out of sight.

******

Turner and Dorothea moved swiftly, dodging the gaping cracks that splintered the ground around them. White-hot steam blasted up from crevices in the streets, blowing apart the houses that lined them with the might of a bombing run. Stones rained down from the crumbling fissures above and water gushed from the walls and into the streets at an increasing rate.

They reached a corner and paused. Turner peered furtively around it. The way to the right was completely bisected and several buildings had collapsed, making it completely impassable. What he saw to the left was far more frightening.

Six wolf-machines charged through the curtain of steam that veiled the street. Beyond them, Turner could see Fortress Six canted at an odd angle, the northern end resting on the ground, the rest of it bobbing aloft like a cork in water over their heads, casting an ominous shadow. Turner winced as the machines ahead of it bore down on them. There was nowhere to go. He and Dorothea clung to each other as the pounding of the approaching machines grew louder.

With a groan, the fortress fell, crushing the panicking wolf machines along with an entire city block. The shock of its touchdown cracked the windows of the building over their heads and they ducked as shards of glass rained down on them. Dirt and ash filled the air and the tremors from the impact caused more rocks to fall from above, as the mountain groaned and split. Seawater poured through breaches, the torrents sweeping away everything in their path.

A wave swept Turner and Dorothea through the streets, away from the fortress. Turner fought frantically to find some purchase along the buildings with his free hand while struggling to hold on to a panicking Dorothea. Something thudded into him and a searing pain blinded him. He was vaguely aware of Dorothea's fingers slipping away. Turner felt himself pulled under the tide. Dazed, he hadn't the strength to fight. His lungs burned for air as he searched desperately to determine in which direction the surface lay.

A shadow drifted past. It resembled a stingray, with long tendrils on its underside. The creature slid its long tail around Turner's torso and lifted him out of the water and onto its back. Dorothea lay coughing and retching seawater beside him. Steam was coming off their sodden clothes.

"You alright?" he choked. She nodded and gripped his hand, her other hand still clutching the bag on her shoulder.

Turner's attention was drawn by a brilliant golden star that shot up from the top of the fortress like a rocket into the dark crumbling sky.

"Hey, that's one of Herrera's flares! The others must still be alive!" Turner patted the back of their golem buoy. "Take us to them!"

With a lurch, the golem swung its tail and propelled itself from the flooded boulevard, towards the fallen fortress.

******

As the golden flare faded, Herrera handed the one-shot, snub-nosed gun back to Collin with an anxious look at the city below.

"How long do you intend to give them?" Gorso asked. "That water down there's like soup on a stove and rising fast." Herrera and the others had held fast, hanging on as the fortress collapsed. They were momentarily safe. Eyes anxiously scanned the horizon in the direction of the palace.

"I'll wait however long I can."

"Not sure it matters, whether they make it here or not," Angeline said, mournfully. "Between the cavern falling on our heads and the prospect of being boiled like lobsters, our only hope was to fly out. But with the plane shot, the Tartaruga wrecked, and the fortress clearly out of commission, we're out of options."

"Hard to imagine the Commission doesn't have some vehicle reserved for emergencies like this," said Gorso. "Can you think of where they might keep one, Hamish?"

"I don't - but I know someone who can."

"Who?"

"Kritzinger."

"That Commission agent you mentioned?"

"If anyone knows a way out of here," Vale said, "he will. He knows the fortress much better than I do. I'm sure he'll know if there's something we could use."

"He's a traitor," Angeline spat. "This entire debacle is his fault."

"I don't believe that. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, at the very least."

"As you said, Angeline, we are entirely out of options," Herrera pointed out. "Let us put our faith in Hamish's man. Hamish, I'll go with you. The rest of you stay here in case the kids show up. We'll be back as soon as we can. And, if all goes well, we'll have a plan to get ourselves out of this pot before it comes to a boil."

******

"I did not give the order to evacuate!" Balsa thundered.

He flailed his arms lividly as he watched his officers flee the bridge, heeding neither his commands nor his threats. "The enemy is right there," he shrieked, pointing out the window to where the flare had been launched. His face flushed a bright red in the searing damp heat that flooded the bridge. "They mustn't get away!"

"With all due respect, sir," spoke one of his officers, "the enemy isn't our main concern, anymore."

"The enemy is always the concern!" Balsa blasted back.

"Sir, please come with us," the bridge officer begged, "before it's too late."

"I am not a coward and I will not betray my duty as an officer of the Commission!" he roared after the retreating figures. "I will see you pay for this insolence! Do you hear me? I will see all you wretched cowards pay!"