Chapter 81

Carl's group flees the destroyed transport toward a safe room, using various vehicles to hopscotch back to Larracos. During the journey, they discuss how both Fang and Tagg survived the explosion and conclude that Tagg is a cyborg who has integrated himself into Louis's biomechanical heart and lungs, holding Louis hostage. The revelation is interrupted by an assassination attempt from Prime Minister Glory, which the AI blocks and warns against, triggering chaos in orbit and prompting Carl to publicly declare his theory about Tagg's true nature.

After the transport is destroyed, Carl and his companions—including Donut, Katia, Juice Box, Tipid, Samantha, and Jamal—ride various vehicles toward the nearest safe room. Jamal laments his damaged cybernetic legs. Along the way, Carl's group discusses Fang's survival: Mordecai theorizes that Fang, being mostly biological material in a robot body, escaped as a tiny piece of gore and installed himself into his pet dragon before Carl's bomb destroyed it. They recognize Tagg presents a similar mystery: Juice Box senses him inside Louis, yet he remains active in the warlord chat. Mordecai and Donut deduce that Tagg was being integrated into Louis's biomechanical heart and lungs—robot organs that would shield him from EMP damage. When Carl questions Juice Box about their pre-dungeon interaction with Tagg, the answer crystallizes his understanding. As Carl begins to voice that Tagg is a cyborg like Fang, an emergency ejection sequence triggers. The AI interrupts, angry that Prime Minister Glory attempted to override its control systems through assassination. The AI freezes time, threatens all Syndicate meddling, and warns that warships in orbit are now firing on each other. Zev urgently tells Carl to speak quickly. Carl publicly declares Tagg is a cyborg who has grafted himself into Louis's heart. Mordecai and Rosetta confirm the theory is plausible—Reavers can isolate their processing systems throughout their bodies, unlike Valtay worms. Other team members report urgent developments: Florin announces labor is imminent, and Justice Light confirms the Gate of the Feral Gods has been retrieved and is ready for use.