Emily screamed in her head, heat building up inside her. Whatever the case, bad people needed to learn their place, and naughty children needed to learn their lesson. She ran over and punched Richard in the gut, sending him flying across the wall. He fell to the ground and coughed up blood.

“Don’t talk and act like that!” Emily thundered.

“No!” Reginald cried out.

He rushed to his brother’s aid, but Emily pulled the spear away and aimed it at him.

“Stay back or else!” She threatened him.

Richard got up and trudged over to the two of them. He wiped the blood off his mouth and gripped his arm tight.

“Emily, please don’t...” He pleaded, his eyes on the brink of tears. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Don’t you know the consequences of your actions?”

“What do you mean?” Emily questioned, her body trembling.

“The birth control rates would go up; the world will grow more fearful than peaceful. Anyone could die if they step out of line.”

“What are you saying?”

“I know you can be a good person. This isn’t the Emily I know. You took care of me, remember?” Richard reminded her, pointing at himself.

“No, you’re wrong. Don’t come near me, please.” Emily took a step back, shaking her head.

Richard, what are you doing? Reginald thought, tilting his head and watching from a distance.

“Listen to me, Emily.” Richard insisted. “Even after you found out about my status, you still cared for me and looked after my wellbeing. That must mean you care and didn’t do it for a selfish reason, right?”

Emily’s eyes widened, but she still stayed silent. He had a point, but there had to be another reason for it. Some way to advance her plans to justify herself, right?

“Tell me you’re not as bad a person as everyone else says.” Richard continued. “You have a chance to turn this lifestyle around. You can stop all this and start over fresh. Believe me, I’ve met many people and learned many things in the process. And if I could do it, maybe you can too.” Richard stood in front of Reginald, his arms wide open. “But, if what I’m saying isn’t true, and that’s not the person I thought you are...” He inhaled and exhaled before finishing his sentence. “...Go ahead and kill me.”

Reginald and Emily gasped and took steps back. Richard didn’t budge or flinch. He stood his ground, arms wide open, and had a severe look on his face as he waited for her answer. Emily looked down at her mechanical arms and noticed the gun on the floor. She picked it up and aimed it at his head. Reginald was about to say something but paused, noticing something odd. Her body trembled as she struggled to keep the aim steady. Emily got misty-eyed and lowered the firearm, loosening the weapon's grip.

The grounds shook, catching everyone off guard. The ceiling broke apart as the debris fell around them. Richard, Emily, and Reginald looked around, unsure of what was happening and why. The three of them turned to find Claudia dropping colored vials into the fountain, making the waters turn in a sickly color.

Emily shrieked at the sight of it. “What have you done? My precious fountain!”

“Taking my revenge, that’s what!” Claudia retorted. She climbed on the higher levels of the walls and jumped out of the empty window.

Emily turned to Richard, her mouth agape. “I can’t believe you distracted me!”

“No, wait, I didn’t mean—”

She ran off toward the fountain. Richard was about to go after her, but Reginald placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Richard, it’s too dangerous! We need to get out of here!”

The two looked around them as debris continued to fall apart. Still hurt from the battle, the brothers trudged across the floor, all while avoiding death from falling rubble around them. The grounds continued to shake as the floor beneath them split apart. Falling behind, Richard tried to pick up the pace. He misplaced his footing and slipped. Before he could say anything, he fell in between the crevices of the floors.

Richard let out a scream just before he grabbed the edges. Reginald spun on his heel and gasped. He ran over to his brother, desperately hanging on and trying to pull himself up.

“Richard, hurry and grab on!” Reginald exclaimed, bending down and extending his arm.

Richard slid back as he reached out to his brother’s hand, but couldn’t get to it.

“I don’t think I can make it!”

“Just try a little further! Please!” Reginald shouted, tears falling from his face. “I don’t want to lose you!”

“Me neither...”

His fingers were slipping off the ledge as his hands and muscles were cramping up. Richard’s eyes darted around, searching for another area to grab or rest his feet on. With every second passing by, his body descended lower and lower, like the Earth’s gravity pulled him down toward his death. The strain got to him; he lost his grip and fell.

Richard shut his eyes tight and covered his face, hoping none of it was real and he wouldn’t endure this nightmare anymore. Silence rang in his ears. He couldn’t tell if he was screaming or not. Darkness surrounded Richard everywhere he looked. The winds rushed through his face as he kept falling, but he didn’t want to witness the outcome or anyone’s reactions before that happened.

Then the wind stopped. His body didn’t propel forward anymore. Was he ready to open his eyes and see the moment of truth? Although his heart continued to beat in rapid succession, the chance he survived was still a likely possibility. Richard slowly opened his eyes as a concrete wall appeared in front of his vision. He looked down, still above the black pit, so it wasn’t a dream, and he didn’t die either. Was he floating in midair? The metal arm wrapped around his body stood out to him the most. Richard looked up and found Emily standing there, using her robot arm to try to pull him up. His eyes widened as he cried happy tears.

Reginald covered his mouth and hyperventilated as he watched from below, having no idea if Richard would make it. Emily wrapped Richard around with one arm and the fountain with the other. As they teetered on the edge, Emily’s muscles strained, her mech arms slowly ripping off. She glanced between the two in a frantic panic. At this rate, she won’t be able to save both. She had to make a choice.