Unbroken: Fall of the Universe

Chapter Four

The purest of the clones was tasked with providing the honored guest with food. On a platter, he carried the finest cuisine from a neighboring star system.

The clone approached the holding cell. It was barricaded off with a green wall, only able to be removed by Horde Prime's clones. Something moved behind him, but before he could react, someone had flung themselves at him. The tray clattered to the floor, smashing its delicious contents. Hordak hissed at the attacker, but it was no use.

She had a firm hold on him.

"It's nothing personal," Catra sneered. "Hordak." She plunged a hand into the keyhole.

Hordak's body went limp, but he didn't lose consciousness just yet.

Catra shoved his hand at the wall, dragging it along the surface, and freeing the queen.

Glimmer stared at her former enemy. "What are you doing?" she breathed.

The Etherian Commander pushed Hordak to the floor. "I want to do that one good thing in my life," she announced, "like you said."

She held out her hand. "So come with me!"

The queen grabbed it and they bolted down the hall. Hordak was quickly fading, but he used the last of his strength to send a message.

Brothers! his mind called. The queen has escaped!

Then once again, his body shut down.

. . .

When the clone came to, he was still paralyzed. He couldn't have been out for more than a couple of minutes, but it felt like forever. To keep updated on what was happening, he wormed his way into the vision of a fellow brother in the fray. He closed his eyes and watched and listened through his other brother's eyes.

The other clone was prying open the door to the Teleportation chamber.  He grunted and hissed with the effort of worming his way inside. All around him, other brothers were attempting to do the same.

Through what this brother could see, Catra was standing at the control panel, and Queen Glimmer was inside the teleportation shaft. Already, the green force field had walled her off from the rest of the room.

Their nauty little sister was speaking with someone through the radio. She was talking fast and frantic, trying to figure out how the screen and dials worked. Hordak could sense the struggle his brothers faced trying to get in.

"Adora?" Catra called into the mic.

"Catra?" a different voice answered. It was full of static and hard to hear.

"Don't sound so happy to hear me," the hybrid warned. "I'm sending Glimmer to you."

The clones writhed harder.

"I don't know your exact coordinates," she growled, typing on the keypad, "but I can get her in your quadron. You have to be there to catch her."

"W-what?" Adora stuttered through the screen. Hordak didn't know or care who Adora was, only that they were a part of the Queen's escape! "W-what's going on?"

The brothers burst through the door. Hordak watched as the clone surged toward Catra. She let out a cry of furry.

"There's no time!" she cried. "These are the coordinates. Don't come here no matter what. Prime is ready. He knows you're on that ship. He knows you're trying to rescue Sparkles."

She fought and scratched and kicked with efficiency.

"Catra," Adora pleaded, "I don't understand!"

"Ahhh!" Catra shrieked as Hordak's clone grabbed her. It wasn't long before others managed to tackle her down too.

"Adora!" she screamed. Through the corner of the brother's eye, Hordak could make out tears streaming down her cheek. "I'm sorry! For everything I've done!"

With one last effort, she broke free of the clone's grasp and clicked the button on the screen. Glimmer began to take on a sparkling sheen, then she vanished from sight. 

Hordak blinked out of the vision, returning to his own brain. He didn't need to know the rest. Catra would witness punishments for her crimes soon enough. It made him wonder why she'd risk her life. She'd seen the brutality of purification in the light of Prime, so why did she resist?

The clone stamped the thought out of his brain. There was no way he was going to get in trouble again for such terrible thoughts.

Some terrible thoughts he was allowed ponder were of the punishments Catra would endure for her betrayal.