"No." I fall back another step.

Dimly, I register Meg's horrified gasp and I remember that I have to save her. I need to get her off the Palace roof and find a way to disarm the Vane before the storm gets too powerful. I know that our lives and the fates of countless others hang in the balance but as Will stalks closer I find myself incapable of doing anything at all.

"Stop!" Meg cries out. "Call him off!"

"Please," I add my whisper to her frantic shouting. "Don't make me do this."

Will swings his arm and I duck, nearly collapsing when my legs refuse to straighten.

"What's wrong, Runner?" Cruel laughter rises above the rushing in my head. "Aren't you pleased to see your true love again? Isn't he just as you remember?"

Instinct is the only thing that saves me when he lunges, his blade falling again and again, each hit landing with devastating purpose. Blow by blow I am pushed back, the sound of our clashing weapons sending painful shockwaves through to my core.

"Don't—" The words die when I catch his unfeeling eyes. The spark that ignites their familiar grey depths isn't the fire I remember. No, this isn't my Will.

He comes at me again, swinging his sword in a wide arc and bringing it down on mine with enough force to rip it from my hands. I can only stare at him in shock, frozen until a sudden punch expels the air from my lungs. The floor rushes toward me and I land in a puddle of frigid water. I spin onto my back, wheezing as I grope blindly for a weapon and Will winds up again. My fingers close around something small yet solid and I'm able to block his attack but vibrate from the unnatural force of impact.

It's not him. I know that this vessel isn't really my Will.

Except it's hands are Will's hands, it's face is Will's face and—oh, gods—even it's smell is his. The trace hint of sandalwood assaults me as I sweep his legs out from under him and he comes crashing down, landing heavily with barely a grunt.

He recovers almost immediately. We are locked in close combat, the horrible metal gear grafted to his chest crushing me against the floorboards. I shuffle backwards, swinging the mallet I grabbed from a nearby toolkit. As I make desperate attempts to fend him off an argument seeps in through the cracks of our battle.

"Why are you doing this?" Fear laces Meg's voice.

"She knows why." The Madam fires back. "Your Runner has systematically destroyed everything I ever worked for. I gave my life to create rain and at each turn she has been there, derailing our progress and stealing my glory. It's her fault that your City is in ribbons, Princess. If she could have just left well enough alone or—better yet, had the common decency to die—then she could have spared all of us a great deal of suffering."

I shove Will back and try to crawl out from under him but an iron hand clamps down on my leg, holding fast. Kicking out in blind panic my blows are blocked easily as he grabs my other leg and flips me over. I know it's not him...I know it isn't but that doesn't stop the broken pleas falling from my lips.

"Will," I jerk to the side, wincing as his armor-plated fist smashes into the floor next to my ear. "Come back. You can fight this, please I know you can."

Will straightens, tilting his head at me. Hope flickers and dies as he reaches over his reinforced shoulder and slowly withdraws his sword from it's scabbard.

"No—" My protest is ignored and I raise the mallet, deflecting him by some miracle but losing another weapon in the process. Searching through the gloom I spot the toolkit it came from and the seeds of an idea begin to take root.

My emptied hand stings as I throw out an elbow, catching Will in the jaw before yanking myself free and scrambling away. Wishing for my father's dagger I search for something, anything to arm myself with. Finding my stolen broadsword a few yards off I make a wild dash, turning when Meg lets out a shriek of warning.

Will has appeared behind me, his expression blank as he captures my shoulder in an iron hold and slams me back against one of the Vane's support beams. The unforgiving steel presses in around me as I gasp for breath, twisting madly in Will's grip.

"Kay!" Someone shouts. I look over, eyes widening as Meg gestures from behind the crowd of Brutes. She ducks from view and a moment later one of their sabers is kicked across the ground toward me.

My heel connects solidly with Will's knee and I drop down onto all fours, diving behind him and picking up the saber. I waver for only a moment near his shoulders before driving the sharpened end through his cloak and into the floor, pinning him in place.

He releases a frustrated roar and I abandon the Brute's weapon in favour of the toolkit, half-running and half-stumbling toward it. The assorted items before me blur as I pick up a nearby belt, trying to recall any specifics about the Vane's construction. I steal a glance at Will attempting to free himself and make my selections carefully, stuffing the various tools into the pockets of the belt. Patience, Kay. One step at a time.

The icy sound of sharpened blade being pulled from wood tells me I have only moments left. With shaking fingers I clasp the ends of the belt together, cinching it over my shoulder.

"Look out!" Meg yells and I leap back, the sword's end missing my neck but catching my shoulder. I stumble, nearly collapsing under the extra weight of the toolbelt as I collide with another of the Vane's legs.

Up.

I have to go up.

I jump, my fingers closing around a crossbar. Swinging forward, my feet collide squarely with the monstrous gear protruding from Will's chest. He is sent careening backwards but I forbid myself from watching, instead training my eyes on the Vane's peak and beginning to climb.

The sound of mocking reaches my ears as I heave myself hand over hand into the raging sky.

"This is what you wanted, remember!" It's impossible to decipher whether the Madam's accusations are real or imagined. "You crossed to the edges of the desert to find young William, and here he is!"

Choking on the rain and the chase I climb higher. The structure beneath me shudders, the rungs turning to jelly as the phantom smells of sandalwood rise from the nightmare below and threaten to rip me from the tower. He's getting closer.

Bursts of lightning alight the Vane's point like a beacon. As I pull myself up the tower I dig through the fog and recall the basics taught to me by the technicians in Babel. This Vane dwarfs the machine we had in the dome but it's construction looks to be roughly the same: a silver conductor at the tip draws the sky's power and relays it down to the generators at the base. Most of the Vane is made of low-grade steel; if the top were severed then it would have no way of communicating with the storm.

Keep moving.

Meg's terrified shout calls my attention back to earth. Staring down between my feet I find Will only inches away.

I have barely an instant to ready myself before I am yanked down. Will's unnatural brute strength is as terrifying as it is shocking and I hold on as tight as I can, agony stealing my breath while my bad knee spasms. Spots of light form in the edges of my vision and as they close in an old piece of advice rises to the surface.

Let go.

And I do.

I rocket past Will, making a grab for the Vane some distance below him. Rain and darkness spoil my landing and I dangle by one hand, the taste of iron filling my mouth as I stare up at the monster that was once my world.

"You can let go now, Runner!" A cackle sounds from below.

By the time I bring up my other hand Will has closed some of the distance between us, his grey eyes filled with murderous intent.

"It's over!" The Madam's voice rises to a fevered pitch, "I've won!"

Teeth clenched in stubborn defiance I swear an oath under my breath, "Not yet, you haven't."

The Vane shudders as my feet slam back against it. Sidling along the beam I watch Will carefully, ascending once we are on opposite sides of the tower.

He tracks my progress just as doggedly, never hesitating or slowing. As we draw closer I keep my eyes locked with his, knowing how far he can reach and letting him come within a few trace inches of me before making my move.

Loosening my hold on the post between us I slide down and leap across to Will's opposite side. He's slow to turn and I use his extra bulk to my advantage, spending my reserved strength on scrambling the rest of the way up the Vane. While Will searches I soar, reaching the silver base before he realizes where I've gone.

I set to work, retrieving a wrench from my belt and cursing when it slips on the rain-soaked bolt that fastens the precious metal to the steel. I keep one eye on my pursuer and by the time he arrives I'm prepared, slamming a heel down on his fingers. Will tumbles but a resounding clang and a steady vibration tell me that I've only bought myself a scant few seconds. Finally yanking the first screw free I scramble to the next, heart racing while I search the gloom below.

More lightning shows me nothing but the upturned faces of the audience on the roof. Before I can register the danger Will appears again, ambushing me from the side. Hooking my knees around the brace I plunge backwards, abandoning the loosened bolt and swinging to the opposite corner.

The sky explodes around us as we dance across the Vane's skeleton, circling around it's peak with me picking away at the ties that bind it and Will following in a relentless hunt. My grip wavers and my landings turn shaky but Will only seems to become stronger and faster. I'm running out of time.

The Vane sways precariously. A second's hesitation is my undoing and when I look up Will has materialized directly in front of me. He strikes before I can regain my balance and our combined weight causes several of the loosened bolts to snap. I hold desperately to the crown as it topples, my stomach doing flips as cold metal presses into my cheek. We jerk to a sudden stop and I ease my eyes open, the distant rooftop coming into focus beyond the Vane's electric branches. Our perch is tilted at a dangerous angle, the low hum of machinery igniting the air between us.

Will crouches a few feet away. A thousand warnings cry out as I fight to rise, choking on tears while he straightens to his full impressive height, balancing effortlessly and unsheathing his sword.

"Don't." I plead, my hand slipping on the rain-soaked braces. "Will, I know you're in there somewhere. You're stronger than this, I know you are. Come back. Come back to me."

He takes a shuddering step and the Vane teeters, the sound of straining metal adding it's voice to the hum and the storm.

"You told me, once that we would always find one another." I try again, my voice breaking. "I did what I promised: I found you and now I need you to find me. Please. Please."

Another step and he hovers over top of me. Wind and rain cast a frenzied spell around us but he holds strong, a mountain amongst a storm.

Please.

Will attacks with all the violence of a hurricane. We collide and I forget to breathe, forget to think while the earth drops out from beneath us. Cold metal, sharp leather and the godsforsaken scent of sandalwood envelop me as we plunge, scratching and scraping and tearing old wounds wide open.

Falling headfirst, I cross my legs over the Vane's rungs and reach for him. We plummet for what feels like an eternity but must have been only an instant. Rain blurs the scene before me and I strain to see the shadow swinging at the end of my arm.

Will stares up at me, his steely eyes as piercing as ever. I've caught him with one hand, my fingers wrapped around his wrist. He doesn't try to fight me as I struggle to hold onto him.

"No," I gasp when he slips a couple of inches. "Will...give me your hand. I can save you but I need..." Another inch. "...I need your help. I can't do this without you."

Drops of water roll down his face as Will watches me, a look of mild curiosity drawn over his handsome features. I manage to grab him with both hands but a terrifying numbness works it's way through my fingers and up my arms.

"I can't—" Grief and fear steal my words. I can't hold on. I can't let go. I can't win.

Bright flashes of light show me a splintered tower and an impossible drop. There is still a path for the lightning to reach the Madam's rain machine so long as those few intrepid bolts hold. I need to detach them completely in order to stop the storm.

A strange calm settles over me as I drag my eyes back to Will. I study his dark brow, remembering it's tendency to wrinkle in serious discussion and smooth in laughter. His aristocratic nose, slightly crooked from a break in his youth. I recall how perfectly I fit against his chest when we slept and consider the armour I'm holding onto, imagining the jagged scar traced into the flesh beneath.

Another inch of metal slips through my fingers. Blinking through the torrent of water I hold Will's gaze as long as I can, my heart seizing as I whisper to him.

"I'm sorry. I love you."

And then I let go.

Time slows to a crawl. Will's hand brushes against mine as he falls, his eyes widening. I grasp at the empty air, watching as he vanishes into the darkness and reappears far below. A shower of sparks explode around him as he collides with one of the Vane's arms, his reinforced body convulsing violently before finally going limp.

Somehow I manage to pull myself back up, sobbing as I heave my broken self over the ruined scaffolding and crawl toward it's end. A flashing horizon lurches in my peripherals but I barely notice, raw and wounded as I focus on keeping my balance among the narrow rungs.

Rising on unsteady legs I stretch out my arms and raise my chin against the pounding rain. Scars of light surround me and I feel myself a part of the storm's spell, as wild and unpredictable as the forces of nature.

Run.

No. Not this time.

I jump, flinging myself into the air and coming down as hard as I can. The creak and snap of twisting steel rings in my ears as the scaffolding dips. I remain crouched, letting the silver point drive me back up. The sensation of weightlessness is all-too-short and I land badly, my cry of pain lost to the frenzy of rain and destruction.

Get up.

I try, collapsing over and over back onto the frame. Heaving shaky breaths, I press my forehead against the cool metal and shut my eyes.

Get up.

It's over. The reason that I put myself through all of this was to save Will. With him gone continuing to fight seems pointless.

Get up.

Only...only that isn't quite true, is it? I still have Meg, Frye, Luca. I have the Wasters, the Miners and Babelonians. I have bridges that I need to rebuild and lost time that I need to make up for. In fact...there's a great deal I still have left to do.

Get up.

And I can't begin until I get off this godsforsaken Vane.

A growl tears from my throat as I press myself up to my hands and knees. I place one foot flat, then another. A nearby flash of lightning undoes my progress and I drop back down.

Get up.

Muttering a stream of curses I try again, somehow managing to rise to a crouch despite my doubts and various injuries. More lightning and I hold tight to the frame.

Now, jump.

And I do. Hovering high above the point I prepare to come back down, imagining myself as the boulder in one of Jaron's catapults. I slam back into the Vane and three snaps fire in quick succession as the last of the fasteners finally give way. The world turns into a cascade of silver, the point breaking and carrying me down with it.

Clawing my way to freedom I leap into the rain-filled beyond. I reach out instinctively, searching for something to grasp onto while silence descends and the darkness encroaches from all sides.

Tumbling head over heels, I arrive at a peculiar memory. I recall sitting with Will under a calm night sky, speaking without a thought for how my words might sting.

"Aren't you scared?" He asks.

"No." I tell him. "When my time comes I won't be running from the fight. I'll be waiting for it."