“You can’t give me everything I want. I want the world,” Ashley said. “I want territory of my own that I rule, and once I have it, I’ll expand it. I will want more.”

“Believe it or not,” Jack said, “I want the world too. I expect to have it in two year’s time, and when I do, you can take it from me.”

“He’s not lying,” Bonesaw said. “It’s supposed to be a prophecy.”

“They’re trying to kill me as if it’s true,” Jack said. He smiled.

“Bam,” Bonesaw said. “Clear path for you. You want the world and here’s a nice, obvious way to take it. It won’t be easy, but hey! Woohoo!”

Ashley shook her head slowly.

The goal. She needed to keep it in mind.

Her emotions were getting away from her.

“You don’t have many options,” Jack said.

“I don’t know,” she said, even though the answer was closer to a ‘no’. If she could convince them she could be swayed… to gradually change her mind…

Her heart pounded.

“Here,” Bonesaw said. “I have an idea. Because you gave me permission to have the treats, I’ll fix your arms. You can try it out, and you can see how it feels. This is super easy.”

“Maybe,” she said, to continue her narrative of being convinced.

“It’s really, really easy,” Bonesaw said. “I have most of what we’d need, since I did work on my own hands recently.”

Bonesaw approached. Ashley hesitated, backing away a bit.

“Come on. This way,” Bonesaw said. She approached the kitchen counter, while Ashley remained where she was.

Bonesaw picked up the twist of metal with the hook. “This is neat.”

“Leftovers from my power.”

“That’s great, that’s something I can use for the infrastructure! Here, come, come. Put your hands down on the counter. I’ll show you. It’s so simple it’s elegant!”

The Siberian moved, approaching. Ashley wheeled around.

“The Siberian lives by the principle of taking everything she wants, with no regard for civilization’s niceties,” Jack said. “Bonesaw pursues her art as inspiration demands. They are nobility as much as I am, with long track records. The entire point is to have whatever you desire. If at any point you see something you want or don’t want, you say the word.”

“Come on,” Bonesaw said. She gave Ashley a push. She reached into her bag and pulled out a metal tube. “This is the first thing. I’ll show you how this works. We can channel your power. Just put your hands on the counter there.”

There was an imminent threat, with the Siberian so near. What was her route. Jack was too far away to blast.

To hit Bonesaw and use the recoil from that to throw herself at Jack?

Would the Siberian intercept her, tackling her in the air? The woman was supposed to be fast.