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Ky back at the Resistance prison, watching his gdad from the shadows. gdad notices him.
Gdad: And?
Ky: I just met with Reamer. I had reason to believe he had Keelee, but I was too late, again.
gdad: And?
Ky: I just came to tell you that it’s starting.
gdad: And you’ve come to make amends with your dear grandfather, should you perish in any battle that may ensue?
Ky: No. I think we’re finished. But you better hope the Resistance isn’t annihilated, or the odds of you ever being found down here are slim to none.
gdad: That’s all you have to give? A limp threat disguised as a warning?
Ky: I’m done giving you anything, now.
[goes to walk away]gdad: …my mate. Has she made contact with your cousin?
Ky: I don’t know.
gdad: Hope she has not, then. It’s she who craves a bloodbath most, and she usually gets what she wants.
[people getting ready in the tunnels. Del finds Rhaast walking away from a group of vultures, hair dyed red as vultures do]
D: there you are. Are the Vultures prepared?
R: Probably more so than most of these soft-handed city folk you’ve got here.
D: Cepni’s got you all in the first wave because of it, I’m guessing.
R: They’re in the first wave. I’ll be up some tower somewhere.
D: What -
R: I’m stickin’ with you, kid.
D: Rhaast…[tears well]
R: [nods towards Scra standing by himself] Rare to see the kingling alone, ain’t it? Maybe he’s syncing himself up for a speech or somethin’ - where’re ya goin’?
[Del walks towards scra, determined. Scra turns, suspicious]
S: Brakindale.
D: I…just wanted to say…I didn’t actually care about you, you know. I was just told by Reamer to take you out, and when I kept failing you were just a constant reminder of all my failures, I think.
S: Was that meant to be an apology? Blaming Reamer and my face for why you kept trying to kill me?
D: Of course that wasn’t what I - I mean, it does sound like - but I didn’t meant it like - Look. I’m sorry for trying to kill you. Regardless of what drove me to it, it was still me making my own choices and actions. I just wanted to say that.
S: I…wow, I guess I never expected that from you. I don’t accept your apology for it or anything, but I’m glad this has all meant something to you and given you a change of heart, probably.
D: I’ll take that. It’s probably not worth anything, but if it is, I wanted to say that I hope you get the Murder Boss back. I…wasn’t quick enough at the prison when he was captured. If I had been, he wouldn’t be there. So…I hope you get him. That’s all. [rubs burnt fingers together, walking away]
[Ky walks up to Scra, frowning at Del’s back]
S: You’re back! Did you -
K: Someone got there before me, again. What did Del want?
S: To give some kind of apology for trying to kill me. At least he’s grown as a person, I guess. [reaches for ky’s hand] Do you need -
K: [closes eyes, grasping his hand] there’s no time. If there’s a fight happening, I have to be by your side.
S: You’re split between me and her and I’m sorry for it. I never wanted it to come to this.
K: It’s late for that now [kisses scras fingers] I’m here. I have to believe Keelee’s somewhere safe while we do what needs to be done. If everything miraculously goes well we’ll have rescued Cyras and your mom, and stopped a genocide by morning. Then I’ll look for her again.
S: We’ll look for her. You don’t have to divide yourself between us if we’re all in the same place.
K: I…yeah. ok. We’ll look for her together.
S: It’s weird, isn’t it? To think I might meet my mom after all this.
K: I was surprised, I guess, when I heard you were joining the Cyras rescue mission, instead of going after her.
S: …It’s just being split between two people again, isn’t it? In the end, my mother might not actually be there, and I know Cyras will be, and I owe him more than I probably know at this point. Saving my mom is saving my mom, but saving Cyras means saving all Corvids, and what would be the point of everything we’ve been through if it wasn’t to try to make some meaningful change to this world? King or not.
K: [looks at him softly] I love you, you know that?
S: [smiles softly back] Yeah. I do. [kiss]
[Brek watches them from a distance. Tiraa approaches from behind]
T: See? That’s what fighting for each other against all odds looks like.
B: [sarcastically] You still want me to pursue you? I thought you and that Crow Boss were a done deal, but I guess I can give it a go.
T: Why are you geared up? Your arm’s still broken.
B: I’m aware, thanks. I’m fighting.
T: The fuck you are -
B: Cepni has no problem with it.
T: Cepni’s desperate for any cannon fodder she can get. Surely your father doesn’t approve of this.
B: My father knows what’s at stake, and what awaits us should history repeat itself. He’s willing to sacrifice his only son for it.
T: And you? You’re willing to die because we decided to side against Reamer, and everything we were brought up believing? Just like that?
B: [smiles] Just like that. Take care of yourself, Tiraa. I’ll cover your back. And I’m glad we didn’t run away together - we would’ve murdered each other.
T: [watches him walk away. smiles] yeah. You’re probably right.
[ree and brothers walk past, Ree sees the boys and goes up to them]
R: Well, this is it lads. This could be goodbye.
K: Don’t talk like that, you know I hate pessimism.
R: yeah yeah country boy, everything’s sunshine and daisies and all this war prep is definitely for nothing.
S: you’re really not coming with us?
R: There isn’t room, and you know I like to be where all the action is anyway.
[they see farrah to the side, talking with lars mom and neekia. neekia adjusting a bodycam]
S: And you’re not joining them either?
R: [smiles sadly] Finding your mom was always Farrah’s idea, I think she’s got it handled. Maybe when this is over we’ll find our way back to each other…but for now I need to be where I’m most needed, I think. I love you both. I never could have dreamed we’d be on such an insane adventure together. We’ve gotta make it out of it too, ok?
[all hug]
K&S: deal.
Cepni: Is everyone outfitted? Good. make your way to your formation stations. It’s starting.
[eurippe stands on the ship, watching the lights from the city far away, white hair and feathers blowing in the wind. erias approaches]
Erias: They’ve confirmed that Osprey prisoner escaped during the commotion with the Redguard’s arrival. Can’t spare anyone to go looking for him though.
eur: No, it would be a waste of resources.
erias: [side eyeing her] I’d forgotten what you looked like, I think. Without the dye.
eur: [wryly] are you afraid?
erias: [snorts] no, i am not. …are you afraid of me?
eur: [looks at him, then at the sky] No. I’m not sure I really believed the legends, anyway, But the other Doves do. I suppose it’s difficult to feel much aside from fear for something that drove your entire Species from a land.
erias: Because we believe Icarus was a Crow, and you believe he was a Dove.
eur: And who is to say he was even real, in the first place? So much bloodshed, just for a few stories.
erias: So many of us live our lives in a way because we are told that way is correct, because they were told the same. You asked me what the King was to me - he was meant to be everything. More than a king, I was hatched to be his partner in life, his equal. As he was taken and brought to this Island, I was denied what should have been mine. I felt resentment for it, of course I did…but finding him now, then seeing him with that Osprey, how can we refute the existence of free will? And so I realised I could live the rest of my life in bitterness, or I could devote it to other worthy causes, and move on.
eur: And this cause is worthy to you?
erias: [looks up to see redguard flying overhead towards the city] It’s hard to know, but at the heart of it people don’t deserve to die needlessly. and It feels like something we should be fighting for, at the very least.
[show major leaving his cave, three letters left on his bed.]
[show his ex wife in the tracking facility seeing the redguard swarm approaching on the radar and wiping the feed. ]
[Reamer enters the greenroom behind the stage for the event. The Director is in a corner, poised but avoiding eye contact.]
gma from behind him: She is not fit to do more than appear present for the cameras, it will be down to you.
R: Why are you here? What if you’re seen?
gma: I will not be, but we cannot trust that Dove to not attempt some trickery at the last minute, so I refuse to stay away. Now go, do what needs to be done, Grandson.
[Reamer steps out onto the stage towering above the structure below. Crowds of people stand watching, most booing. Raptors sit in stands to either side of the podium, dels parents and tiraa’s mother present. twik’s amongst the Crows, nervous. strawberry boy and others in the shadows watching. The Altimeter stands to the right of Reamer]
Alt: remember what is at stake, boy. Power is just as easily taken away as given.
R: [clears throat. Camera zooms in on him, his face appearing on the giant screens. Cyras is raised, chained, into the center of the structure in the middle of the square for all to see] Welcome, all. Let this 50th Anniversary Event begin.
here we gooooooo