Is it the doing of the Heretics? Or the will of the Forge? What unfolds will be entirely up to her, zie says. Misery considers the slender figure of the archangel, the crossed arms and the shapely calves, the eyes glowing triumphant in that sculpted face. She has grown almost fond of the angel in their time together. Hir help, which she rejected at first, turned out to have led Misery right at every juncture. Even as she sits locked in a cell, she’s grateful for that, a fact that surprises her. But Ruin is right. Hir job was to show Misery the way, lead this wayward child of the Demiurge back to the destiny she forsook. Having guided her from the path of voidmadness and toward the light, hir job is done. Misery has grown her wings. Now she must find the wind on her own.

Ruin laughs one more time, teeth shining like glass chips. “You have a heart of diamond, Misery Nomaki. I have no doubt you will set out to accomplish whatever it is you desire.”

Sometime later—a thousand, two hundred and sixty-two breath cycles later—the cell door opens. Framed in the white light is Commander Ashe’s unmistakable figure, flanked by several guards in faceplates, untagged and unlabeled, names and genders a mystery. “The Lady Storm has asked for you,” the commander says.

Floating in her cold prison, Misery says: “Is she not afraid of what I might do?” She gestures widely to encompass her surroundings, the station scalped and neutered so she can’t turn it against them.

Ashe’s lips tighten, and Misery hears the echoes of the arguments they’ve had with their boss. They think this is a stupid idea too. But the Lady Storm insisted. “She thinks you can be reasoned with,” they say, and the emphasis in their sentence makes clear that they don’t. But Commander Ashe has little choice. An order is an order. If they defy it because they think they know better, they’ll be no different from the traitors they’ve imprisoned, will they?

Misery smiles slyly. “I’ll be good,” she says. “I promise.” She’s curious about the Lady Storm’s desires. And she craves exit from this dismal shell of nothingness, where she can do nothing but marinate in her fury.

Commander Ashe stares dead at her. “Your promises mean nothing to me.” But they escort her out of the cell anyway.