The silence between them was tighter than a drawn bowstring.
Rusty Vesper stood motionless before her, his chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths. He didn't flinch as Cattleya raised her right hand, the surgical steel of her bone-saw catching the dull amber light of the bubbling vats.
Behind her, Inquisitor Roth took a step forward, his broadsword raised, his pursuivants locking their crosshairs onto Rusty’s chest. "Do it, Doctor! Extract the key and take his head!"
Cattleya’s grey eyes remained fixed on her creator's face.
Target selection: Primary biological target: Rusty Vesper. Secondary tactical targets: Inquisitor Roth and six pursuivants.
Variables: The main steam conduit ran directly above the control altar, carrying six hundred pounds per square inch of superheate
