"Don't be fooled by justice. Justice is for the weak, the strong ones hold the strings always."

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The first of the underworld guards burst in suddenly. The lights in the room immediately went out with a pop. Darkness consumed the entire space, obliterating every bit of hope. The other patrols filed in silently behind him, only their red eyes shimmering beneath their hoods. They all were armed with some kind of black axes, quite a contrast to their modern hoodies. And in seconds, we were surrounded, our exit blocked.

"Oh, no!" Maya hissed. "I had expected this. The moment you set foot here, it alerted their inbuilt radar system to your presence. They're here to get you."

"Please," I turned towards her. "Please stop them, somehow. Please give Mrithun enough time to take me. And then this all will be over."

"I wish I could." She wasn't blinking. Her eyes were focused on the guards.

"But why not. You're the creator. They will listen to you," I begged.

"Unfortunately, that's how they are programmed. I created them to listen to no one, once the arrest warrant has been fed into their system. They'll only listen to the person who issued the warrant in the first place. They can obliterate anything on anyone in the path."

"But why?" Fear was making my limbs go weak. I couldn't be caught. Not after all this.

"Because justice needs to be above any position of power. Justice would be served to everyone equally for the kind of crimes they commit." Her eyes glazed over. She had stopped being the friendly lady I had known. She was once again the creator, impartial and just, and I was simply another criminal.

"Look who it is. The little human is back in town." A voice mocked from the doorway. Atropos swept in. She was dressed in black from head to toe, the flimsy fabric trailing behind her, sweeping the floor. Her kohl-lined eyes scanned the room and rested on me.

Clotho walked in silently following her, in the same outfit. But instead of furious, she looked bored as ever. Lachesis came in last. There was defeat in her footsteps. Her shoulders were slumped, and every step looked painful. Her black dress seemed like a shroud weighing her down. She gave a pained look at the three of us standing at the door itself. The Fates looked like they were a part of a funeral procession.

Atropos shot a finger at the guards. They shuffled forward silently. It was then that I knew it was over. There was nothing that could be done.

I heard a strangled cry from my right and swiftly a dark shadow swooped down in front of me. Mrithun had chosen not to be silent anymore. He was blocking the way of the guards, standing with his legs wide apart in a stance that exuded fury. The guards, however, didn't slow down at all. I knew at the moment that Mrithun would put up a fight, risking getting destroyed in the process. His mortal form was not indestructible.

"Go back," I hissed, grabbing his arm, trying to shove him back. "I am what they want."

"And according to the promise, you are my property now. They can't take you from me," he said slowly. Something lurched in my chest. All the while I had been thinking it was blind love that made Mrithun jump to my rescue, while it was only about the promise. That steeled my resolve further.

Atropos's blood-red lips curled up into a sneer.

"Let me rephrase it," she hissed. "Arrest them all."

"What?" I shouted.

"Mrithun and Mani. We have sentenced you both to eternal punishment too, for aiding a crime and in helping a felon," Atropos stated, loud and clear.

"But..." Mani protested.

"We have pieces of evidence against you three. So the least resistance you put, the easier the punishment would be for everyone."

"Sis, I think we should reconsider," Lachesis spoke up then. "They deserve a fair trial at least. You are no one to sentence them."

Atropos turned to her, her eyes smouldering dangerously. " I am the cutter of the thread of Life. I am a Fate. I dictate things around here and this case doesn't even need to go to court. We will make an example of how traitors are treated."

"This is wrong," Lachesis seethed.

"Oops, I forgot the fourth name. Also, arrest Lachesis for diverting the guards from duty, and indirectly aiding the felon to escape."

Lachesis paled. Her eyes widened as she looked at her sister, trying to speak something, anything.

"But how?" Maya's voice boomed. "Show us the proof before I'll let you arrest anyone in my office. This is my retreat and none of your playground. I make the rules here still."

Atropos' lips curled in disdain. She held out her hand in a gesture to the patrols. They froze in their steps. "Fine," she screeched, holding out a small rectangular device. The screen blinked to life as a distinct voice floated from it. The sound was breaking and unclear, but it was still audible.

How much protection is there down in the cells and can you relax the guards for say half an hour?

It was Mani's voice, loud and unmistakable. The camera seemed to be looking down at the three of them in Lachesis' cabin. My gaze met his from across the room. He was standing painfully still, trying to gauge how he was being shown on screen.

Just tell me clearly what you are implying. That was Lachesis. She stiffened behind Atropos.

We would break her out of prison. Mani and Mrithun together. My throat caught up in emotions again. These two men had given up everything. I glanced at Mrithun who was beside me, staring straight ahead. His expression was unreadable.

You know the consequences if you get caught, right? Lachesis is confirmed in the video.

We know. That's why nobody will know Mani is involved in this. The bird will escape and so will I. If ever a question comes on who aided her, it'll be me. The lack of regrets in Mrithun's voice chilled my blood.

Atropos twirled the tablet and glided it towards Clotho.

"Any more questions?" she asked smugly.

Maya's face was stony. She obviously didn't like to be treated with disrespect. Her face was flushed. She looked like she wanted to slap that smug expression out of Atropos' face and I couldn't agree more.

"How did you?" Lachesis asked. Betrayal clearly shone in her tone.

"Spy cameras." I trembled.

"With little help from the human technology." The smug smile grew wider on Atropos' face. There was a pause. Even the guards had stopped moving as if awaiting further orders.

"You can't just banish us. We are the keepers of the universe," Mani spoke up first.

"Oh, honey! You are all replaceable by machines," she purred. "In fact, I have supplanted you all already. I hired automated software which will measure lives randomly." She narrowed her eyes at Lachesis and then jerked her chin towards Mani. "Your contribution wasn't needed, anyway. Any machine could do that."

He closed his eyes shut, unable to believe for aeons of his service could be replaced at the click of a button. "And you,"- Atropos pointed a long finger at Mrithun-" we had ousted you long ago. So I don't need you. You can go rot in the deepest pits of hell."

She clicked her fingers and one guard caught Lachesis. I saw her trying to mutter some incantations, but her powers weren't useful anymore.

Guilt coursed through me, trying to smother me. I was the reason all this was happening. I was the reason why my friends were being sentenced to this life. Only if I could turn back time and make everything right. Only if I hadn't come here in the first place and wrecked lives.

A quick sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. The door to Maya's office was kicked open yet again and in the space of a blink, a huge crowd poured into that small space. They were armed, and they seemed ready to obliterate anything or anyone in their path.

"There she is." One man with a shock of green hair came out of the swarm and pointed at Maya. "We want to meet the Lord. And only you know where he is."

Maya's eyes widened. She held up her hands, palms facing the mob in a placating gesture. "May I know what the problem is?" she crooned.

"Oh, I believe you already know." Another man with a little scraggly beard stepped forward. "Didn't your precious Fates tell you?"

"Oh, here they are," another person screamed from the crowd. All eyes turned to Atropos and Clotho. For the first time, I saw fear, genuine fear in the eyes of ruthless creatures like them.

"Will you give us back our job or should we show you what we can do unitedly?" The green-haired man stepped forward menacingly, making a fist.

"You all work for me," Atropos shouted, trying to raise her voice over the din of the crowd.

"Not anymore. We are here for justice now. We've heard enough of your bullshit!" A big man with a round face bellowed. "And you too didn't bother." He pointed a fat finger at Maya who took two steps back promptly.

"I think there has been a mistake. Nothing was communicated to me." I knew she was lying through her teeth. Maya could see everything, everything that ensued in that space.

"There has been no mistake." Another man came forward. He was holding something like a sword in his hand. The sharp weapon gleamed in the dark pinkish hue of the room. "You are the seer. You saw we were being replaced by machines and you kept shut."

"I didn't notice things were going this far," Maya replied icily, her gaze sweeping over the three Fates. "Now I know." Her eyes settled on Atropos, and there was no mercy in them. Atropos gulped visibly.

"We want justice. Either you call the Lord or we make our own government. You three are unworthy of being rulers." The bearded man accused the Fates.

Atropos shot a pleading look at Maya. Maya gave a small smile. "Someone behaved rudely with me a few minutes earlier, in my own office," she said calmly.

"Please..."

But Atropos' voice was drowned in Maya's command. "I'm so sorry but I won't call upon the Lord."

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Author's Note : Arrest on one side, rebellion on the other and all three of them trapped. What will Tora do now to save her friends and love?