Unbroken: Rise of the Horde

Chapter Thirteen

There was rarely silence between them anymore. It didn't matter what they talked about, but they seemed to have a good time. 

It felt weird knowing someone would ever want to be friends with him. Entrapta seemed to forget about what she said, but Hordak certainly didn't. Over and over again, he'd review her words in his mind. The ice had frozen over his heart again, but its hold was no longer as strong.

He was amazed by his new revelation.  Entrapta thought imperfection and failure were okay.  Not just okay, but normal. The concept had never been known to Hordak. His whole existence, he'd always been told that being imperfect was the most severe of crimes. And being a failure was worse than death.

The morning after the new suit had been created, Hordak was fixing his hair. He did this every day to maintain a tidy and perfect appearance. It wasn't the weird feeling he had whenever he stood in front of the mirror that frustraited him. It was this one curl that would never ever just go away. Instead of becoming frustrated and trying to put it back, he thought to himself, Imperfect. Then he walked away from the mirror, leaving his hair how it was.

Even though the portal machine had been restored, Hordak couldn't bring himself to test it out again. He still believed it was a failure and a lost cause. Entrapta insisted there was something missing, and they just hadn't found it yet. The clone appreciated her optimism, but it wouldn't help. He had the sneaking suspicion that he'd never go home.

And that outweighed the wonder of having a friend by a long shot.

...

Hordak lifted a large slab of metal off of the floor and carried it to the other side of the room. He felt zero pain and little strain on his muscles.

"This suit may be my best work yet!" Entrapta called out.

Hordak set the metal down and out of the way. He smirked coldly with this new found power, but his right arm was quickly zapped. He winced.

"No reason to get in a tizzy," Entrapta said as she appeared besides him with her tools.

Hordak narrowed his gaze and surrendered his arm for her to fix. She rearranged some of the wires. "I've never been in a tizzy," he explained dryly, yet he was grateful she hadn't given up on it.  Or me, he thought.

"You can't expect it to work perfectly over night," she told him. "Like our machine. We still haven't figured out the missing piece that will cut through the planetary interference. If we try now, the portal might not be stable long enough to get anyone through." She placed a strand of hair lightly on his shoulder.

Hordak turned back to her with a sigh. He folded his hands behind his back. "We... only need to open a portal for a short amount of time. Long enough to send a message through to Horde Prime. Once he receives it, he should have no problem opening a portal from his side."

Then he can open a gateway, help me take this planet, and bring me back to stand by his side.

"And then...," Entrapta wilted with the sudden realization. "Then you'll have to go with them."

Hordak stiffened. He'd never thought about that before. It never occurred to him that he'd have to leave his friend behind. He didn't know why, but a dark knot formed in his chest.

For a while, neither spoke. Both of them looked to the ground solemnly as if it had become interesting.

Entrapta was the first to break the pause. "But what's the rush?" she said with a small smile. Her hair raised her to Hordak's eye level. "We'll just keep working on it until it's perfect."

A couple of days ago, Hordak would have lashed out and roared that the portal had to be finished right away. There was no time to waste, but as he looked into her hopeful eyes, he couldn't bring himself to. What is the rush? he thought. He'd already waited so long, why not a bit longer?

The moment couldn't have lasted longer than a second. But it felt like a lifetime. And in that fragile lifetime, Hordak thought to himself, Do I really need to go back? The ice broke again, making his heart swell with a strength he had never known.

Do I even want to go back?  When everything I need is right here?

Hordak returned a soft smile.  

He took a small step toward her.  His heart fluttered in his chest.  In a small voice, too timid for the fearsome Hordak, he began, "Entrapta, I--"

The moment was shattered as the sanctum door burst open. Hordak and Entrapta whipped around to see something sharp glint in the darkness. Then out of the black stepped a person the clone thought he'd never see again.

Catra.

Two goons plus Force Captain Scorpia trailed behind her. Under one arm, she held gagged and bound Adora. In the other, the Sword of Protection.

The exiled Captain had returned from the dead, and with her, the Key to Etheria.