She would kill them, and she would kill their army, and she would kill the people in this world. She would laugh when she did it, because it was a question of laughing or crying and she had no eyes to cry with. Only a hole in her head that wept blood.

She remained utterly still, taking in the moment. The giants slowly recovered, the noble giantess holding her injuries together with her power and bands of the fractal black lace. The knight helping her up. On the other side of the thing that had been Hunter, the Mother Giant gave birth to things that gave birth to things, and the tide of capital-b Birth rose up like a wall.

She could feel the other Titans. Reaching out, trying to make contact, trying to find a way in.

And that was the last thing she ever intended to give them. She was done being pushed and pulled and picked at and labeled.

She had nothing at all now. She was nothing at all except free.

She wanted nothing at all except to continue being free, to tear down those hateful, monstrous people who had broken her for such selfish reasons, tear down their armies, and tear down—

No.

Not tear down their nations. This nation perhaps. But there were people she cared about. Eleni. Her aunt and uncle, in a way. Sam.

The tide of Birth collapsed, reaching for her. The laugh bubbled from deep within her, despite the fact she had no mouth. She lunged for the black feathered Rat, and he scampered away, jumping off of a tall building.

And deep within herself, a glimmer of a shattered image of a girl turned to memories, replaying her way through them like a song that was stuck in her head. To remind herself of what she could not do, as capital-f Free she might be.

⊙

“This way,” Uncle said, hand on her shoulder, pushing her forward.

⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙

Three rules to a job. Shoot accurately enough to only need one shot, but take a second just in case. Your eyes are stuck in front of you, so pick the right people to watch the back of you. Verify first, then trust, in all things.

Auger stood in the middle of what was supposed to be a water treatment plant. Distant doors banged, and lights appeared in windows.

Someone hadn’t done their due diligence. He’d done his due diligence on his end, and he’d double checked their work, but there was no way they should have missed this. Not for this big a response, this fast.

“What the fuck!?” he called out.

On the catwalks above him, Monsignor, Slink, and Fing Nuts looked at one another with alarm.

They looked down at him.

He looked over, mapping the escape route in his head. He’d have to run to the stairs, climb, run across the catwalk, get to the door…

Which was twenty paces from the trio.