Catra was on fire.

More specifically, the spot on her neck that bore Prime's chip was on fire. She could feel him watching her. Watching the ship carrying her, Adora & all Adora's friends through the endless void. The weight of the hivemind was threatening to crush her, wash her away until there was nothing of her true self left.

As it had done before.

Suddenly the door to the room slide opened revealing Adora. The blonde stopped, looked to her right then gave a "come on" gesture which caused Entrapta to follow her inside. Catra's heart jumped at the sight of the Dryllian Princess. Had she not been so overwhelmed, the magicat would have noticed that the bouncy, excited demeanor the tech genius usually carried was replaced with a subdued almost hesitant manor.

"What are you two doing here? I told you I needed to be alone Adora" She did not need to have a "heart to heart" right now.

"Horde Prime is tracking us through your chip" The blonde said bluntly "Which means ready or not, Entrapta has to remove it now"

A wave of panic crashed over her. "Y-You want to let her operate on me? She'll kill me!"

Entrapta's face twisted in...disgust? indignation? Catra couldn't be sure. "Attempted murder is your thing Catra. I've always preferred to settle my dispute with rational discourse" The scientist said in a utterly deadpan voice that caused something to press on Catra's chest.

Adora took a deep breath before she began to approach Catra slowly. "Look Catra, I understand you and Entrapta have issues to work out" She began with what the magicat could tell was as much sympathy as the first one could muster in the moment. "Hell you've got issues with everyone on this ship but this isn't about that. Horde Prime is going to kill us all if we don't disable that chip. So please just let her do it. We don't have time to argue this out."

Catra froze unsure how to respond to the borderline pleading tone her one time best friend had fallen into towards the end. Her hesitation lasted longer then she meant it to and eventually her silence seemed to spark something in the blonde.

"For fucks sake Catra are you so dedicated to ruining everyone's life that you'll let us get blown to space dust? It's a simple fucking procedure that can save all our lives i don't see what the issue is. You want to be alone after this? Fine we'll leave you alone, Hell. I'll personally find an isolated planet to spend the rest of your life wallowing in self pity if that's what it takes to get you to agree. Just please...please let Entrapta remove the damn chip!" Adora was practically shouting now with the beginnings of tears forming in her beautiful blue eyes.

Catra barely felt herself nod "Yeah, I'll do it" She could fell tears beginning to form in her own eyes. "But c-could you stay? I think this will be easier with you here" She hated how small she sounded but it was true. If she was going to do this she needed Adora.

Adora visibly relaxed and let out a breath. "Of course I'll stay with you Catra. I'm not gonna leave your side."

Wit that, Catra took a seat on the bed (which Entrapta had fixed during their conversation) and held Adora's hand while the scientist took a seat behind her. The operation was just about to begin when a thought struck her. "Wait" she exclaimed.

A flash of disappointment crosses Adora's features. "Catra" she begins in a tone that makes clear she expects an argument.

"No Adora wait, I-I think i can use this thing to help" she says a bit too hurriedly for her own liking.

Adora's look turns to one of surprise and a small "what" escapes Entrapta's lips.

"When Horde Prime was...using me, I felt--It's like, um... It's like all his clones are-are connected to some kind of hive mind, and I was part of it."

She feels Adora place a hand on her shoulder "Those flashes you're getting?"

"It's him. He's still in there, he can--he can see me. But maybe I can see him, too. I can find out what he's planning."

"No, you can't risk letting him back into your head." The blond said in a voice tinged with panic.

"Adora, you have to let me try. Otherwise you're gonna do something stupid and get yourself killed. Just... Just stay with me, while I do it, okay?" She said taking Adora's hand in her.

Adora smiles and then nods at Entrapta; with that, Catra takes a deep breath in and begins to delve into the hive mind.

"I can feel him. He's--he's angry. He wants revenge. He wants to make you hurt, he's...attacking Etheria. No... no, no, no, not attacking. Something new is happening...there's so much noise. He's... He's chipping them. He-He's going to chip them all! Horde Prime is taking control of Etheria

"No... He...he can't!" Adora cried.

"It's already happening. You've gotta stop him!" Catra replied before a blast shook the ship causing her and Adora to hold onto each other.

Before she knows whats happened Adora has stood, transformed into a new She Ra that is somehow so much more Adora then the form she's spent the last several years fighting, before departing to "send Horde Prime a message" leaving her alone with Entrpata who begins the procedure. It goes well (she supposes) until a sudden shake causes the Princesses hand to slip."Sorry" the scientist says.

"Just get it off" she replies with more anger than is probably appropriate.

"I'm trying but i've never tried to perform surgery on a moving space ship in the middle of combat before so you'll just have to make some fucking allowences won't you?" Entrata replies with a venom the magicat has never heard before. She goes silent after that. Entrapta works quickly but carefully. The seconds tick by like hours before...

"Almost" she hears behind her. "Allllmoooost"

The scientist gives one final pull causing the wires to disconnect with a whirring sound.

"I did it!" The Princess exclaims finally showing the excitable nature that had been absent up to this point. "With the chip removed from its power source, It won't be able to signal anymore." She drops the chip into a vial with a clink before her eyes meet Catra's. The smile slowly drops from her face and she clears her throat before speaking.

"Well now that's taken care off i really should check the damage on Darla" Entrapta starts to leave but before she realizes it Catra calls out to her.

"Wait! Entrapta...Thank you." she's surprised how much she means.

"Yes well like Adora said, we really didn't have a choice. The chip had to go to halt the signal". The cold deadpan is back in the scientists voice.

"Yeah, well i'm not sure i could be bring myself to help someone who hurt me regardless of how much i needed them" she finishes with a laugh that sounds insincere to her own ears.

"Oh i don't know Catra, my data indicates you'd do what ever you have to to get the outcome you want" Entrapta begins in a matter of fact tone but by the end the venom from before has reasserted itself.

"I deserve that." Catra admits in a choked voice. "I mean from the moment we met I used you. My helping with your people watching at prom was just to mess with Adora. And I only talked you into joining the Horde so we could take advantage of your knowledge of tech"

"What about the stuff where you said Adora left you too" Entrapta phrases it like a question but the look on her face suggests she's looking for something.

"That was mostly projection" Catra says in full honesty. "Maybe on some level I believed it but is was mostly me wanting to believe the worst of Adora instead of me feeling bad for you" God that sounds horrible. Catra says to herself.

"It's not that I didn't like you at all" She says with as much conviction as she can muster. "It's just that Adora was the only friend i had so when she left I was terrified someone else was gonna hurt me so no matter how hard you or Scorpia tried it didn't matter. I didn't want anyone to get close to me."

She takes a breath to steady herself before continuing.

"And then when you started getting closer to Hordak I panicked. I had just plotted and backstabbed my way to the top and it felt like as soon as I got there I was being pushed aside. I mean you understood his tech, you understood his experiments, you understood him in a way I don't think anyone else ever ever tried to and i just assumed the worse"

"And the portal?" Entrapta's voice is so small she has to strain to hear it.

"You remember Shadow Weaver used me to escape" Entrapta gives a small nod which signals Catra to continue. "Well she went straight to Bright Moon to be with Adora. When I found out that she chose Adora over me like she had done our whole lives, even if it meant leaving me to die. And then she shows up literally holding hands with sparkles like she's one of the good guys after everything she did. I just snapped...I know that doesn't even begin to cover what I did but it's the only way I can describe it. I snapped and i just wanted it all to stop. The fighting, the pain, all of it and your portal was my way to make it all stop and so I did the two stupidest things I've ever done. Two things I can never take back and...(she's crying now and her voice hitches before her next line) I'M SORRY. I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry it turned you against your friends in the Alliance. I'm sorry I took you away from your new friends in the Horde. I'm sorry I sent you to Beast Island after you got Hordak to spare my life. I'm...I'm so sorry Entrapta."

Catra just weeps for few moments before she feels something soft on the top of her head causing her to look up to see Entrapta extending one of her pigtails with a look of sympathy

"You know Catra, I've never been able to read people the way I read tech." The scientist starts slowly. "But I can tell you're being honest with me so allow me to be honest with you" She removes the pigtail on Catra's head and arranges her hair into a chair which she takes a seat on. "My relationship with the other Kingdoms was never the best. Perhaps my love of science is simply incompatible with their reliance on magic but there's always been a disconnect with my fellow leaders. In fact one of the main reasons i joined the Princess Alliance was to hopefully overcome this but alas that wasn't the case. I was aware they only approached me for my tech expertise and while that was didn't bother their lack of interest in discussing the ways their tech could be improved was mildly disappointing. My invitation to Princess Prom was purely a formality. But i saw it as a chance to gather data on how properly interact with my new friends. I was even hopeful at leat one of them might assist me but no one volunteered. Ironically my only willing company that night wold be from the enemy." (she cast Catra a sad smile) But then you kidnapped Glimmer and we had to rush to save her. We hadn't come up with a actual plan but I was confident that the combination of the other's magic and my science would be sufficient. I did all I could to help. I tried to examine your tech to discern its weaknesses, i even rescued Mermista's pirate friend when his diversion failed and my reward was to be put on a leash (the venom is back & Catra is quietly thankful it's not directed at her this time) And then they left me and made no attempt such rescue attempt when they found out i was alive." Entrapta takes a deep breath and proceeds with a sad but resigned smile. "My point is that our relationship isn't the first one I had that failed and it probably won't be the last. (she gives the magicat a pointed look) I won't forget what you did to me...but i do forgive you." Her smile returns, more sincere then before. "Now I really do have to check on Darla" with thst the Princess turns to leave but just as she's about to cross the threshold Catra speaks up again.

"Entrapta...you don't owe me anything but....if you're willing i'd like to try again" Entrapta turns her head back towards Catra "Try again?" the scientist sounds genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, and I mean it this time. I'll try as hard as you tried in the Fright Zone...if you're interested that is"

Entrapta's face was unreadable until she simply said "Can i have some time to think about it?"

"Of course. Take your time" At least she's willing to consider it.

"Ok then i'll let you know when I've made my decision. You should rest, Catra" with that Entrapta left the room, the door sliding close behind her, leaving Catra alone and the two of them with a lot to think about.