The shout rang across the bridge. It was Bhattacharya, with Xiomara echoing the word a moment later, but before I could even react, Ariana slammed into Malachi from the side. She caught a chair and turned to launch herself toward Malachi again. Her expression was slack, her mouth slightly open, her eyes unblinking.

The woman was gone. The virus—parasite—whatever it was—had returned.

Ariana’s shoulder struck Malachi in the center of his chest, knocking him away from Panya. He twisted swiftly and grabbed for her, hands raking over her short hair and face, seeking leverage to hoist her away.

“Don’t hurt her!” Xiomara screamed.

“The shock weapon,” Bhattacharya said. “Use the fucking shock weapon!”

Dag wrestled Panya away from Malachi and Ariana with one hand, reaching with the other for the suppression weapon tucked into his belt. He had Panya’s arm twisted behind her back, and she was shouting at him to stop, to let her go, but Dag ignored her. Her gun was warm in my hand. I didn’t know who to aim it at. The other suppression weapon, the one Panya had shown us, was across the bridge, spinning toward the ceiling.

Ariana broke free of Malachi’s grasp and reached for his neck with both hands. Dag raised his arm, and there was a loud snap. Ariana jerked, her entire body tense. A spiderweb of blue light rolled through her, just beneath the skin.

For a second—long enough for Malachi to shove her away, no longer—she was completely, utterly still. Her eyes wide, her mouth open, the eerie blue light fading, every limb stiff and motionless.

“It worked.” Panya was breathing heavily. “It worked. Let me—”

Ariana whirled around so quickly she became a blur of motion. She raked her hands across Malachi’s face and took hold of his ear, moving even more swiftly than she had been before.

Dag fired the shock weapon again, but this time it had no effect on Ariana aside from the briefest flutter of blue light. Her face was still blank; she didn’t even blink as Malachi struck at her face, grabbed her wrist, trying to break her hold on him.

“Are you going to stop making a fuss now,” Ariana said flatly. “Are you going to stop making a fuss now. Are you going to stop making a fuss now.”

“No,” Xiomara said, breathless. “No.”