Kara clung to the bending spike, her fingers numb and bleeding, as Ghost and Marcus dangled below, their weight pulling the metal toward the roaring geyser of fire and rock beneath. The chasm walls shuddered, inches from crushing them, the air thick with scalding steam and the acrid tang of molten debris. Lena's chopper hovered above, its cannon glowing a blinding red, the whine piercing Kara's eardrums as the masked leader's pulse round sparked uselessly against the transport's hull. The spike groaned, a hairline fracture spiderwebbing up its length, threatening to snap at any moment.
Ghost stirred, her moan drowned by the geyser's eruption, a jet of flame licking at her boots, singeing the fabric. Marcus's broken leg dangled uselessly, his grip slipping on Kara's torn jacket, his blood mixing with hers as he rasped, "Can't… hold…" The enforcers' cables snapped taut, one swinging a stun baton toward Kara's head, the crackling tip missing by a whisper, scorching her hair. The chasm floor buckled, a new fissure splitting open, spewing molten rock that splashed against the wall, forcing Kara to swing her legs to avoid being burned alive.
Lena's voice cut through the chaos, a gleeful snarl: "Say goodbye, Kara!" The cannon fired, the blast tearing through the spike's base, shearing it halfway. Kara's body lurched, her shoulder dislocating further with a sickening pop, and she screamed, her grip faltering. The masked leader fired another grappling hook, the line arcing wildly, hooking Marcus's harness—but the tension yanked him downward, nearly pulling Kara off. The geyser surged higher, its heat blistering her skin, and a boulder dislodged from above, hurtling toward Ghost, forcing Kara to twist, the movement tearing her jacket seam.
The chopper's rotor wash battered them, dislodging more debris, a shard slicing Kara's cheek, blood streaming into her eyes. The enforcer swung again, the baton grazing her arm, a jolt of electricity locking her muscles, her fingers slipping an inch. The chasm walls slammed closer, grinding against each other, sparks flying, and the grappling line snapped under the strain, whipping back to lash Marcus across the face, knocking him unconscious. Ghost's eyes fluttered open, her augmented vision dimming, and she whispered, "Let… go…"—a plea Kara refused, her resolve hardening through the pain.
A final pulse round from the ledge struck the chopper's cannon, jamming it with a screeching grind, but the recoil sent it lurching, its spotlight blinding Kara as it tilted toward the chasm. The spike cracked fully, tilting them toward the geyser, and a tendril—new and writhing—lashed from the wall, wrapping around Kara's leg, pulling against the enforcer's cable. The chasm roared, the walls a heartbeat from sealing, the geyser's heat unbearable, and Lena's laughter turned to a shout as the chopper's engine sputtered, caught in the collapse.