The stairs spiral up into eternity--too long, like some kind of huge optical illusion. After the first floor I'm hacking again. Drake's nowhere to be seen.

"Drake!"

He comes out of nowhere, smashing the white tiles as he hurtles in from above.

"Not... gonna... make it," I manage.

He holds out his hand. Oh shit.

"Actually maybe I better cover your reeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaAARRRRRAAAAAHHHHH" and we're flying up, story after story, through the narrow center channel around which the endless staircase winds. Techies and Coats flash by, staring dumbfounded at the cyborg flying up between them, hauling an old fart in a faded hat and a coffee-stained coat with a half-empty semi in his hand. Drake kicks off a banister, cracking it in half, starts bounding from banister to banister, trailing me like a dead limb. I'm way beyond swallowing my heart at this point--it's lucky I've kept control of my bowels. The spine-jarring ride ends suddenly as we crash into the top on the stairwell. He dumps me on the ground and I lay there for a second, heart pounding straight through my chest like a railroad spike.

"Jesus, Drake, will you hang on a second--" and I start hacking again. God damn.

"We don't have much time, Jack."

"What? How do you know?"

He stares me straight in the face, almost knocks me down it’s so intense. Then I see--deep inside the right eye, there's a number counting down.

I haul myself up, get the semi ready. Drake nods, turns, shoves his fist through the optical scan by the door and rips out its guts. The door slides open.

"Hello Drake. Hello, Jack."

Tess.

She's standing there like an angel of death, thin black leather clinging to her form like oil. The shades are off, and her eyes are black and soulless and deep as love, and just looking at them I want to fall down on my knees and worship her, hate her but adore her and--

Mandy. Her face flashes before my eyes like an avenging blade. I straighten up. Tess was with the bastards all along, watching me, waiting to take me out if I went too far. Well here I am, way too far, and I've got no intention of stopping.

"You will not be allowed to progress, either of you. The Awakening is upon us all, and you will cease your mad quest or you will die."

"For what you have done to me," Drake says quietly, in that dead whisper that's like a dying man's scream, "your only awakening will be in hell!"

Too fast for my eye to catch he's on her and they go flying through the room and right through the far wall. A second later he comes flying back out and smashes against a beam, showering glass and sparks from above. Tess leaps out of the gaping tear in the wall and the blades in her fingers spring out, razor-sharp and ready.

"The Meat cannot save you now, Jack! You can fight me, but I will not relent, and you are already too late! Join us, Jack, and you can still see Heav--" Drake's broken off the huge marble beam she hurled him into and brought it around like a ten-ton bat, smashing her straight into the floor. Through the hole they knocked, I can see a hallway--we start for it at a run.

She comes tearing through the floor plates like a powered drill, leaps into the air and lands swinging, lashing with inhuman speed and grace at Drake, ripping through flesh and metal and spilling blood like battery juice. He's fighting her, but it's not looking good. And that timer's counting down fast.

"Jack!" Drake calls, "little help!"

"There's still hope, Jack! Join us!" she cries.

I help Drake take on Tess.

I help Tess take down Drake.

No time for this--I leave them to battle and press on.