"...Cat?" I hear Scarlett echo Princeps, and I whip my head around to face them. I can feel something off, something wrong.
"Cat?" Ty is looking too, and the hope in his voice breaks my heart.
I'm already pushing Auri further away from where Cat is, guiding her further into the shelter we've built.
"That's not Cat anymore." I whisper, though Tyler can't look away.
The vines around us start to move, aiming for me and Kal. I have my blaster drawn and open fire at any and every vine that comes near me and Auri.
Scarlett's weapon is smacked out of her hand before she can even fully raise it, the vines wrapping and cocooning around her.
I can hear the cries of Fin and Zila too, no doubt having been attacked by the vines too.
"Cat, stop it!" Ty yells, though he isn't moving. I stare at him a moment too long, his fists clenched, and jaw set in frustration.
Would I accept death without fighting if it was Kal that had been taken over instead of Cat?
The building shakes as the vines constrict on the concrete and writhe, cracks appearing all around us. At least we had prepared for this assault.
The electric current that Fin and Zila had rigged up crackled to life, charring any vines that touched the metal. It held them back for a moment before the vines surged forward again, multiplying like a hydra after a head was cut off.
There's too many of them. The vines tear the building apart, showering us with dust and rubble.
On instinct, I throw my hands up and gold glitters around my squad. Anything that touches it burns on contact, hissing and disintegrating.
I can't protect us from the floor falling out from under our feet, but Auri does.
She floats in the air next to me, her right eye burning white. I can feel her power surging through me, gold glistening around us too as I find myself able to levitate my own body as Auri sets our squadmates down carefully.
She reaches out to me like the Eshvaren did before and I grasp her hand.
The psychic attack of the Ra'haam hits us and it takes everything I can to maintain our defenses, shoving back at the attackers.
It's too much.
We're taking hits from all sides and my defenses can hardly keep up.
I can see Kal shooting below us, taking out anything he can. I see Ty even have grabbed his blaster and started to fire, our leader defending us.
But it isn't enough.
"Cat, help me!" Auri cries out.
Sweat runs down my back, my breathing labored as I put all of my energy into holding the line.
I can feel it as Auri pushes to find that last ember of Cat in the beast, my eyes wide when she finds her. There's barely any of her left, but its enough.
"Ty, we have to go." I lower myself down to stand next to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.
I can see the devastation in his eyes as he realizes what I mean.
We have to leave Cat.
He's still staring at her when she speaks. Not the Ra'haam, Cat.
"I told you, Ty. You have to let me go."
"Cat, no." Tyler whispers.
"Please." Cat begs, and I feel my heart breaking.
I can't focus on it though, because I can feel whatever control Cat had beginning to slip, the Ra'haam trying to fight Auri and I again.
"We have to go now!" I give the order, my form lifting off of the ground again, arms outstretched. Auri and I share the power, midnight and moonlight swirling together to create a larger bubble around us.
