Nick was walking on the flyover metallic catwalk, when his gaze dropped on her. Ahmanet. The Egyptian princess was down there, kneeling and chained to the floor. Transparent tubes were stuck into her body, showing the mercury they were pumping in her veins. Her countenance expressed pure suffering, the silver liquid was burning in her body. She had her teeth gritted, trying not to scream.

Nick's gaze met Ahmanet's. Her inhuman eyes were full of huge pain, both physical and emotional. They looked at him, imploring, asking him to understand her, to help her, to choose her.

Something broke inside Nick, something that till that moment had been protected by the veil of superficiality and indifference that used to cloak Nick's life. That veil has just been ripped by a sudden awareness. Ahmanet had always just wanted to be loved, but she had been betrayed, robbed of everything that had been promised to her. Suddendly all her certainties had collapsed, and by her father's fault, the closest person to her, the only family she had. Ahmanet couldn't had forgiven that. Her rage and her pain for the betrayal had taken the princess to make a deal with Seth, who gave her immense powers. With them, she could had taken back everything she had the right to possess, and she could have gotten her vengeance. And so she did. She killed her father and her stepbrother with her own hands. But for this she had been mummified alive, and trapped in who knows what strange limbo between life and death for three thousand years. This till Nick has liberated her, but also leaded her straight in the hands of a secret society which wanted to vivisect and study her.

While he was observing her pale and still half decomposed face, Nick couldn't help asking himself if she haven't suffered enough for one single life.

He stopped and turned totally to her. He knew that woman was a great danger for humanity and that he couldn't be so selfish to help her. But Ahmanet had chosen him. She wanted to make him become a earthly god, so powerful to dominate the world. And she wanted to be his queen, his lover. It appeared clear to him that more than everything Ahmanet wanted to take back what was stolen from her, but she also craved to be loved. By him, a man she didn't even know, but who has liberated her from her prison, saving her. And the princess has promised him to eliminate the mediocrity that used to mark his life, and to replace it with a huge power. Everything to be loved, to be able to trust someone, to not be betrayed, never again.

The desire in her imploring eyes was so deep and desperate that hurt Nick. It hurt him so much that for the second time in two days he felt the impelling need to help.

The first time had been with Jenny, when the plane precipitated and he gave her the only parachute present on board. It has been an act so spontaneous that left him astonished. Then he saw the cause of it in the guilt he felt, even if superficially, for a woman he didn't love, but just used to reach his aim. Maybe it has also been his desire of redemption that pushed him to act like that in a moment so extreme.

However, nothing of this could be compared with the pain and the need to help Ahmanet which he felt in that moment. He wished to help her with all his heart, as he had never wanted anything in his life. He would have taken her away from there, in a safe place.

Nick looked at her for a long moment. Ahmanet's four amber eyes stood anchored to him's, perceiving everything around her but concentrating just on him. Her chosen was the only thing she cared about.

Nick read the determination under her pain and remembered Ahmanet had great plans for the two of them. She had been the future queen of Egypt, she wouldn't have been pleased to just flee and hide somewhere with him.

Nick twisted his lips, but then he remembered Henry's words. The Prodigium's leader said that sometimes a sacrifice is necessary to save the world. And if he had accepted the power Ahmanet was offering to him, maybe he would have been strong enough to contain her and show her another way, an other life which didn't pursue power or vengeance. But he had to be strong enough to do it, to save the world from her and her from herself. And he would.

Nick smiled, and saw Ahmanet's eyes captured that movement and came back to him's with curiosity. He nodded slowly to her and saw the corner of her mouth curled upwards. Despite of the violent whiteness of her face, the disquieting black runes and the four amber eyes clearly not human, the sweetness that appeared on Ahmanet's face make her, at Nick's eyes, more beautiful than the woman he saw in his visions, and than every other he had ever seen.

He took delight of that vision for some moments, then an hand touch on his shoulder took him back to reality. Nick slowly turned his head, reluctant to leave Ahmanet's eyes. It was Jenny, she was urging him to continue to walk. He was just able to get the meaning of what she was saying, because he didn't care of it, as he didn't care of her. He absently nodded, but then he turned again to Ahmanet.

The princess was furious, the rage evident in her contracted features and murdering look, pointed on Jenny.

Nick didn't know which was the exact capacity of her power, but he understood he had to act quickly if he wanted that no one would be harmed.

"I want to talk to her." he said aloud.

"What?" asked Jenny, total disbelief transpired from her voice. But Nick didn't care, he had eyes just for Ahmanet, and the princess for him.

"Take me down there, to her." he said, coldly.

There was a moment of silence while Jenny was pondering on if that was a good idea or not. Then she sighed and said "This way", surpassing him.

Nick followed her, asking himself if the princess had understood that he was going to her. Probably yes, because her gaze softened. She smiled at him, and Nick reciprocated.

Ahmanet didn't know him, but she had been the only one to throw him a rescue ropes, to give him an opportunity to change his life. And he would have done the same for her. The decision had been taken