A/N: Before continuing, I feel it fair to let you know that this chapter was named both for its content and the song I listened to while writing it. If you'd like to enhance your experience, I suggest you listen to "We Have to Go" by Steve Jablonsky while reading.

The Goblin lowered its ramp over one of the large platforms just barely keeping itself from dipping into the ocean. Gates waved everyone forward and off the ship, then turned to the pilot.

"Stay close, we might have to make a hasty exit!"

"Understood ma'am," he replied, "I'll stand by and provide aerial support as needed!"

Nodding in gratitude, she leapt out of the drop bay and onto the slick metal where her team was waiting. "Alright, people- we're going to stop this thing at all costs. That means getting the Architect wherever she needs to be in order to shut it down-"

A crackle of radio static interrupted her orders as her comlink picked up someone broadcasting on an open channel. "What are you doing? Get out of here!"

She could barely contain herself as she recognized the voice on the other end. "Tobias? Is that you?"

"Elizabeth? What the hell are you doing here? I saw your dropship-"

"We're with Al'cor," she answered, looking around as though expecting him to materialize. "She thinks she can shut down the weapon!"

"That's what we're doing! There's going to be-"

All at once, the spinning rings of the fold weapon began to light up and hum with energy. A faint shimmer seemed to flow forward, connecting each set of rings together and bringing their charge forward. Far ahead towards the ocean side, a flash of blue light burst into existence and seemed to hover within the air. She couldn't see it clearly at this range- it appeared to just be a massive blue orb of energy.

"Well, that's not good."

"It's a portal! Spyglass is using it to transport the nanites- we're going to try and destabilize it!"

Finally, a solid plan. Checking the magazine of her R-201, Gates slapped the stock happily and readied it against the crook of her arm. "Then that's where we're heading."

"Are you serious? Just-"

"We're not just going to watch as you try to get yourself killed again," she cut him off, "we'll make sure to take it down if you aren't able to! Now, which way-"

A large explosion and burst of ballistics could be heard towards the front of the weapon, and she turned her head towards the noise. "Alright, just follow the gunfire- simple enough."

She looked at the group before her; Davis, Gray, Fallon, Buck, Vale, Rose, and Al'cor all watching her expectantly. They weren't the only ones- behind them, she could see a group of spectres heading their way with weapons at the ready. Each of the Pilots returned the action in kind.

"You know, there's a good chance we're all gonna die, El."

"Then you know what they say; make sure hell's awfully crowded when you get there."

...

"El? Gates! Dammit, this is not the time for-"

"On your left!"

Heeding KT's advice, he stuck out his arm and preemptively caught the fist of a Tone as it swung at him. Twisting it around his shoulder, he flipped the Titan over and onto its back before thrusting his own fist through its optic and crushing its internal systems.

"Thanks for the warning!"

"You have more approaching up ahead."

"Not a problem," he huffed tiredly, "I can do this shit all day!"

That was highly doubtful, as she noticed the hitch in his breath and quickly checked his vitals through their newly re-established neural link- what she found alarmed her. "Your heart rate and blood pressure have spiked, and you're losing more oxygen than you're intaking. You're pushing yourself too hard."

"I nearly had my mind stolen from me, and I was kinda stabbed in the chest," he breathed dismissively, "so that might have something to do with it. Not to mention the stress of trying to stop the literal end of life as we know it- I don't think it's possible to push myself 'too hard' in this situation!"

"Fair point- look out!"

He ducked under a laser shot from one of the three Titans before him, an Ion. He tried to unload the magazine of the XO-16 he had into its hull, but it popped a vortex shield before any of the rounds impacted. The Legion next to it fired a power shot which he dodged successfully, but then left him open to the Ion as it released all of the rounds he'd fired back at him.

Warning lights lit up from the sudden damage to the chassis, and he groaned in frustration. "How much further to the portal?!"

"Not far- just after this next ring!"

Opting to risk it and push forward, he sprinted towards the Ion and slid into its legs, knocking it off balance. Grabbing the bases of its arms, he lifted it up and in front of him before the Legion's second power shot went off. The Ion's chassis absorbed most of the damage, and Tobias took advantage of the Legion's reload to throw the makeshift meat-shield at it. The Ion's weight knocked the other Titan to the ground where it remained until he stepped forward and thrust KT's massive foot through the center of its mass.

It was too early to celebrate as the third Titan, a Northstar, let loose a railgun projectile that caught them right underneath the right arm. Tobias felt the hull jerk in response to the momentum, and he narrowly avoided being shot a second time.

"Warning, right arm rotator-joint has sustained heavy damage!"

"Yep, figured that one out myself," he muttered in pain. Getting jostled around in a massive metal machine was not the most gentle of experiences. "Smoke!"

At his command, KT deployed electrical smoke that forced the Northstar back. While it was smart enough not to stray into the cloud, the two of them were effectively hidden from view and immune to targeting- which provided the perfect cover when they unexpectedly charged forward and tackled it.

Activating its jets, the Northstar sped backwards and up as it tried to shake them off- but Tobias had a death grip on it. Wrenching the railgun away from its grasp, he awkwardly tried to hold on while positioning the barrel, charging it up, and-

WHOOM.

The Northstar's torso was completely obliterated as the round tore through the metal like a scalpel through flesh. One moment, they were rocketing up into the air- the next, they were several tons of metal crashing back down to the ground.

Tobias tried his best to compensate for their trajectory and angle, but massive falling robots weren't quite built for precision. They landed hard on the metal platform beneath them and immediately began tumbling across the slick floor. He could hear the warning alarms above all else, trying to notify him of the massive toll this was taking on the chassis-

"Tobias, the EDGE!" KT cried out.

He looked to see the fringe of the fold-weapon's platform racing to meet them with nothing but open ocean beyond its border. He tried desperately to slow their momentum by searching for handholds-

All too soon, he felt them go over the precipice. Reacting quickly, he extended his right arm and just barely managed to catch the edge. Beneath them, the waves roiled and almost seemed to await their fall.

Not yet.

He grunted in effort- their right arm's rotator socket was already damaged, and the sudden tension of their entire weight dangling over an edge hadn't done it any favors. Reaching his other arm up, he grabbed the edge and pulled them over the lip and back to the safety of the fold-weapon- as relatively safe as they could hope for when faced with a choice between that or sinking to the bottom of the sea.

"Alert- right arm's mobility has been severely limited," KT warned, bringing up a schematic of the damaged components on the HUD in front of him. "Any more damage, and we might lose functionality completely."

"Duly noted," he gasped, wincing at the piercing pain in his chest and right side. "You alright?"

"I don't have physical pain receptors. You on the other hand ..." she trailed off, her voice thick with concern.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, though he was having a hard time believing it himself. "I'll hold myself together- at least until we can detonate this thing."

"About that- I have some good news, some bad news, and worse news."

He groaned frustratedly, "As if things weren't difficult enough already ..."

"The good news is that we've made it to the objective."

He turned to his right to see that she was correct- they'd landed near the front of the weapon where a massive, spherical ball of energy pulsated and writhed in the air above a wide circular platform. "Well ... I guess that counts."

"The bad news is that the beating we took earlier damaged a few too many of my core systems," she explained. "I can't access the reactor in my current state, much less trigger it- you'll have to disembark, tear it out of my chassis, and set it off manually."

Tobias panted heavily, trying to regain his breath and slowing as he processed the full implications of what that would mean. "So, you're saying we don't have much of an exit strategy. Is that it?"

"No; neither of us expected to come back from this alive anyway. The worst news is that we have hostiles advancing on our position- and they might make our objective rather difficult for you to accomplish."

The hostiles she'd been referring to made themselves known- a group of four other Titans all sporting the glowing optics of Spyglass's control. As one, they all spoke in the same voice that Tobias and KT had come to hate with every fiber of their being.

"Welcome to the end."

"That's still creepy," Tobias remarked on the unsettling act. Weakly, he approached the center of the circle as the other Titans surrounded the two of them.

"You persist long after your failure is all but certain-"

"Not so fast," he interrupted the AI, a pained smirk flitting across his face. "Non-zero probability of success, remember?"

For once, the omnipotent galactic-wide mind was rendered speechless. Actions apparently spoke louder than words as each of their opponents, a Scorch, Tone, Ronin, and a Northstar all hefted their weapons and prepared to fight.

"Options?" he asked, hoping she had some alternate ideas in mind.

"Eliminate all hostiles, or at least hold them off until either we have a chance to detonate the reactor, or Al'cor arrives to disable it another way."

"Basically whichever comes first, yeah?" he responded, pulling out the XO-16 once more and ensuring its next ammo drum was fully loaded.

"You read my mind."

...

"Damn it, damage report!" Fenrir yelled out to anyone who could hear her aboard the bridge.

"Hull integrity is at forty-six percent and dropping!" one of them called back to her, "The Persephone's been destroyed and we'll be following suit too if the shooting doesn't stop soon!"

Barker heard it all, taking every possible scenario into account. He'd seen just how destructive the destabilization of the first fold-weapon had been, and he hadn't been keen on the idea of so many dying to what could potentially be an even worse explosion than that. He'd ordered the civilian fleet to retreat, and now the Embers' fleet was getting decimated as they waited to ensure the obliteration of Spyglass and his toy.

He had one card left to play- but he wanted to make sure it was absolutely necessary before carrying it out. "Have our ground teams all been extracted?"

"Yes, sir; they're en route as we speak-"

"Redirect them to any and all available hangars of our other ships- but keep them away from the Inferno."

"... Sir?"

Ignoring the officer's query for now, he opened a communications channel to Four who he'd been notified was apparently alive and currently fighting on the fold-weapon itself. "Four, what's your status?"

"... Kind of- in the middle of something!"

From the garbled sounds of smashing metal, Barker surmised that he was probably occupied with a few of their enemies. "Do you have a plan to destroy the weapon?"

"We did- but things have gotten a bit complicated," the Pilot grunted. "The reactor we were- going to use to blow this thing up- has been damaged! And I'm a bit- too preoccupied at the moment- to detonate it manually! We're working on it!"

"What does that mean?"

"IT MEANS WE'RE WORKING ON IT!"

The connection terminated before Barker had a chance to press the issue. He turned back to the communications officer. "Has the Architect's team reported in yet?"

"No, sir- no update to report."

That settled it then. There was only one action he could think of that would ensure a mission success at this point- and drastic as it may be, he knew it was the right one. "Have all of our ships lock their targeting systems onto the coordinates the ground teams sent us- launch every missile we've got at those production facilities, and then sound the alarm for an emergency evacuation of all nonessential personnel."

"Emergency evacuation? But-"

"I gave you an order, dammit!"

No other protest was heard as the officer got to work and relayed the instructions to the rest of the fleet. Fenrir glanced at Barker with an expression of shock on her face- one which quickly gave way to understanding.

"Well ... it's better than drinking yourself to death."

...

Tobias struggled to keep the chaingun's aim true, but the lack of a working right arm was making that rather difficult. The Northstar hovered around them in the air, trying to keep just out of harm's way while the Tone shot at them from behind a particle wall. The Ronin and Scorch had decided to get closer, making a move to advance while he was busy defending against the other two.

"Scorch is preparing to fire!" KT called out, and he spun around just in time to avoid a wall of flame that nearly engulfed their feet.

The threat wasn't over as it then launched a gas canister in an attempt to ignite the whole platform. Thinking quickly, Tobias dove forward and caught it before it could interact with the flame wall. Throwing it next to the Tone on its half of the shield, he fired a single round at the metal floor and watched as the spark triggered the gas to light. In seconds, the Titan was engulfed in flames and crumpled to the floor.

Looking back at the Northstar, he was rewarded with a powerful railgun shot to the midsection. He'd tuned out the warning lights and alarms several minutes ago, knowing full-well that it was a miracle they were still in one piece as it was. Extending the missile racks, he locked on to the flying Titan and let loose a salvo of presents which made quite the impression. The Northstar's jets sputtered and died, sending it careening into the ocean.

But there was no time to prepare for the Ronin which phased into existence right next to them, and blasted them point blank in the back with its leadwall.

"AAGH!"

Tobias screamed as he felt a sharp pain stab through his body. Just as he heard the metallic ricochets of shrapnel bouncing around the cockpit, he collapsed to the ground- completely at their enemy's mercy.

"Tobias!"

"K-Kay," he gasped, unable to keep himself from stuttering. "I-I can't move m-my legs ..."

Tobias tried to push them back up with the left arm, but the Ronin slammed its foot atop the hull and shoved them back down to the ground. The metal creaked and balked under the enormous pressure, and Tobias' mind emptied itself of all other thoughts.

This is it. This is how we die.

"A pity. You both could have been part of something so much greater-"

Spyglass didn't get the opportunity to finish the sentence as both the Ronin and Scorch suddenly came under fire. The former was able to raise its sword and defend itself rather effectively, but the ogre-class Titan's chassis was blown apart. Weakly, Tobias rotated the ocular systems to see their saviors.

The Pilots of Gates' team stood with anti-titan weapons ready- a little worse for wear, but still standing. Rose held the still-smoking barrel of an Archer, evidently the nail in the coffin for the Scorch. And next to him stood a familiar seven-foot tall alien, no armor to be seen but wielding a fallen stalker's L-STAR.

"The Architect," Spyglass noted with surprise. "You of all others should appreciate what I intend for humanity. Do you not wish for your people's return?"

Al'cor hefted the L-STAR up and vented the exhaust from it. The humans are my people now- and I will give my life to protect them!

Together, they gave one momentous battle-cry and attacked. The Ronin moved in to engage, its focus on Tobias and KT momentarily forgotten. He watched Gates and Davis lithely leaping about in an effort to distract it while Rose, Al'cor, and Vale loosed rocket after rocket into it whenever they could manage. Buck, Gray, and Fallon rodeoed it, using their assault rifles to shoot whatever sensitive components they could. As he continued to watch, his vision began to blur ...

"... Tobias? TOBIAS!"

He faintly heard KT shouting at him as he struggled to remain conscious. Moving his hand to the source of the pain in his back, he pulled it away and saw that his fingers had come away bloody. If anything, seeing it only intensified the physical torment his body felt.

"I ... I-I don't ..."

"Just stay awake!"

The pain was coming in waves now, each pulse more painful than the last. It was threatening to overwhelm his other senses, making his vision go red until it was all he could think about ...

He heard someone shriek in pain as another leadwall blast rang out and found its target. The thrum of the Ronin's giant sword slicing through the air was accentuated by the sickening sound of something wet hitting the ground, and another voice screaming in agony ...

No more.

The thought of his friends being butchered while he laid here, helpless to save them, was more than enough fuel for his growing rage.

NO MORE.

"Kay," he choked out, moving their left arm and preparing to push up. "I n-need you to t-take control of your l-legs' ... I c-can't use my own."

"Understood. Rerouting all remaining power to sync motor functionality- we'll have one shot at this."

He grit his teeth in fury. "That's all we need."

"On my mark ... SYNC!"

He began extending his arm, pushing their weight up to provide room for her to bring her leg forward into a kneeling position. Together, the two of them managed to stumble to their feet, and Tobias set their sights on the last obstacle between them and victory.

"SPYGLASS!"

The Ronin turned towards them just in time to see them stagger forward and leap upon it, tackling it to the ground. The two mechs fell to the ground haphazardly as the others moved out of their way to avoid being crushed.

The enemy Titan scrabbled against them in an attempt to throw them off, but KT kept their legs and center of gravity stable- which left one last job for Tobias.

"NO MORE!"

Shouting uncontrollably from the toll this was taking on his body, he positioned his fingers around the data-core, dug them in, and ripped it free.

All movement immediately ceased as the Titan died, and Tobias let the crushed data-core drop to the deck as he and KT once again fell motionless to the floor. They landed on their back which rewarded them with a marvelous view of the sky.

The clouds were becoming pink and orange, the setting sun casting streaks of vibrant color to paint them with its final rays of light before it would give way to darkness. But the night wasn't all bad, he couldn't help but think- that was when the stars came out. And with them came a whole new set of wonders, a new world where one could simply become lost among the infinite dots of light painted across the galaxy's canvas.

As he slowed his breathing, allowing his body a well earned respite, one thought echoed in his mind; now he'd finally be able to keep his promise to KT- to show her the stars as she'd so desperately wanted all those years ago ...

He wanted nothing more than to rest, and become one of those many stars with her.

...

"Pilot, we need extraction immediately! We have wounded- you need to get us the hell out of here!" Vale practically shouted over the comlink.

"Understood ma'am, on approach for pickup! ETA, fifty seconds."

She cut the connection and moved back into cover behind KT's chassis as Spyglass's remaining stalkers and spectres pushed on them in one final attempt to kill them. The heated plasma of their weapons burned right into the platform's metal, twisting it into whatever shape the projectiles were as it cooled.

Vale glanced back at the pitiful shape of her companions- Gates cried out in pain while Davis attempted to tourniquet her right leg, everything missing from the knee down. The Architect was lying motionless, golden ichor seeping from the various wounds she'd sustained from the Ronin's leadwall- and Gray gargled incoherently next to Fallon as he attempted to keep her insides inside as well as provide covering fire with Vale, Buck, and Rose for the rest of the team.

"KT!" she called out, hoping for some kind of response- any response- from the Titan. "Are you still active?"

"A-affirmative."

"Give me a status report, now!"

"T-Tobias is unconscious from b-blood loss. My s-systems are critically d-damaged. Reactor is n-no longer op-operable- we c-cannot prime it for d-detonation."

"Shit!" she swore, standing back up to take out another spectre. When she was back in cover, she opened her comlink again.

"Inferno, this is Lieutenant Vale! The portal is still active, I repeat, the portal is still active! Spyglass's core matrix is still present aboard the weapon, and we have no means to destroy it-"

"Don't worry about that, Vale- I'll take care of it from here. Just get your team out of there."

She paused for a moment at the cheerful tone in Barker's voice. "Sir? What are you-"

"All ships, fire!"

Looking up, she saw several beams of light emit from the Embers' fleet- or what was left of it. She followed them as they arced downward through the atmosphere until finally disappearing beyond the mountain range. It took a few seconds for the muffled roar of the distant explosion of the production sites to reach them, and by that time Barker was already speaking again.

"That's the last of our munitions- but we've still got one more target. All ships jump to minimum safe-distance, it's time for the main event!"

"Sir, what event is that?!"

"Well, I told you all I envisioned myself going out in a blaze of glory, right? Looks like I'm gonna get that chance after all."

She looked up to see the fleet break off from the battle in orbit- save for one ship. The Inferno began angling downward and pushing past Spyglass's remaining orbital defenses.

"Oh shit," she whispered, realizing exactly what he had in mind. "We have to go, now-!"

On cue, their dropship appeared and lowered its ramp for entry. She beckoned to the others, waving them forward. "MOVE!"

Fallon carried Gray to the ship who looked like she was simply trying to keep her entrails from falling out. Buck and Rose trailed after him while dragging Al'cor together, only managing to lift her with their combined strength.

Gates limped over to Vale with Davis' assistance. "KT, open the hatch! We're getting you two out of here-"

"N-negative. I-I'm afraid n-neither of us will be c-coming with you."

They stared at the Titan uncomprehendingly. Slowly, she tried to explain.

"The Ronin d-damaged my ch-chassis- the hatch is o-obstructed and c-cannot be o-opened."

They looked to see that she was right- the metal borders had all been crushed from when it had stomped on them, a situation that Vale was all too familiar with. Without proper clearance, the door had become jammed- unable to allow entry or exit.

"Goddamn it!" Vale cursed, looking for any solution that could help. "Your arm- can you use it to tear the hatch off?"

"T-there is no p-power remaining, Tobias u-used the l-last of it to s-save you all f-from the Ronin. Pilot c-control is required for m-movement now- and T-Tobias is un-unonscious."

"No," Gates muttered, her mind reeling with denial. "No, w-we didn't come all this way j-just to lose him here!"

Feebly, she began to tug on the edges of the broken metal. "Come on! We can d-do this! Grab some tools or- or something-!"

"There's no t-time- if you s-stay you'll die!"

"And if we leave, you both will die!" Gates yelled back, unwilling to accept reality. "There's still time-!"

"HURRY!" Fallon yelled from the Goblin as it waited for the its three passengers. They looked up to see the Inferno still streaking downward towards them- they had no more than a minute or two.

"Get her on the ship!" Vale ordered Davis. He looked torn between wanting to stay and help or care for Gates- but his reasoning that he could save at least one of his friends won out. He looped his arm around her waist and pulled her away as the Captain cried out in anguish. Vale looked for anything she could use to pry open the hull-

Spying an L-STAR, she picked it up and began to shoot concentrated bursts into the edges of the hatch. She heard it beginning to give way as the obstructions melted from the plasma, but not nearly quickly enough.

"That will t-take too l-long-"

"I HAVE TO TRY!" she shouted, almost angry at the Titan's acceptance of the situation. "I can't ... I can't just ..."

She fell silent as she tried one last thing- she clambered up the front of the chassis and towards KT's data core, intending to remove the SERE-kit and take her with them-

"No."

"Kay, come on!" she yelled. "I can at least get you out of this-!"

"Please ... I-I would p-prefer to stay with Tobias."

"But ... you'll die!"

"We may die ... but at l-least we won't b-be alone."

Vale said nothing, speechless and stunned by her response.

"Are ... are you sure?"

"Yes. We survived all these years together- I want nothing more than to be together at the end as well."

She was touched by the Titan's sincerity and affection for her Pilot. She understood now that, despite how much it pained her ... this was truly what KT wanted.

Wordlessly, she simply began to back away towards the ship- only allowing for one final glance backwards at the Titan and Pilot who she'd come to know and love as family- the ones who had just given their lives to save all of humanity.

"... Goodbye, Kay."

"Goodbye, Amelia."

Vale forced herself to look away- she knew if she looked back, she wouldn't leave. Sprinting to the ship, she leapt onto the ramp where Buck's outstretched hand caught her and pulled her to safety. Once she was aboard, he slammed the side with his fist and yelled, "GO!"

The pilot obliged and lifted off. Steadily, they rose into the atmosphere and away from those whose sacrifices had ensured that they could.

On the floor, Al'cor seemed to be shaking- almost convulsing involuntarily. Shrapnel had cleaved part of her arm clean off, and the rest had just stuck itself inside of her- no one dared voice their thoughts, but they were all well-aware of how severe her wounds were.

Did ...

The Architect's mental speech was slow, almost dull-sounding in their minds. Vale kneeled down and grabbed her hand, wishing now more than ever that she was human one last time- if nothing more than to shed a few tears for all they'd lost today.

Did we ... save ... humanity? she asked, looking to Vale for some sort of reassurance upon noticing the gloomy faces of those around her- the Simulacrum didn't have the heart to tell her the true reason they all were mourning.

"Yes," she comforted her, "we did it. We saved humanity."

Rather than a word, a feeling of pure jubilance suddenly sprung into each of their minds as the Architect rejoiced. Then perhaps ... I have helped ... right the wrongs ... of the Architects.

Slowly, the strength in her hand began to fade. Vale gripped it desperately, willing the Architect to hold on- but she knew it was in vain.

I ... am honored ... to call myself ... one of you ...

Finally, Al'cor found peace. Laying her hand over her chest, Vale stepped away once more and turned to look out the window of the drop-bay with everyone else. This would not be the last friend they'd lose today.

They watched as the Inferno spiraled downward, flames and smoke trailing from every conceivable spot on its exterior. AA fire rained upon it as part of Spyglass's futile efforts to survive- but Barker's blaze of glory would not allow for such an outcome.

It finally crashed right in front of the fold-weapon, nearly crushing itself in the process. A series of explosions traveled up its side as every reactor, every fuel cell ignited at once- right next to the portal. For a moment, the blue orb was still- then it exploded in a massive shockwave that dispersed in every direction and shattered the very foundation of the fold-weapon. The rings collapsed on themselves and the platforms as its base crumbled and began to sink into the depths below the sea where it had been constructed.

They remained silent in respect and admiration for their fallen- the ones who had made their last stand here in the name of freedom for all. Not just Tobias and KT, but the thousands of Embers and civilian forces that had willingly given their very lives in the hope that others would not have to give theirs.

The ship sped up and into orbit where it would wait out the ensuing destabilization of the portal- and the eventual collapse of the planet.

A/N: No, the story is not over yet. One more chapter and the epilogue are left. Hang tight.