“Of course it goes to the right place. Don’t you trust me?” I exclaimed before walking over to stand in front of the gate, its blue aura washing over me.

“How though? This is only what, your third time or so using one? What makes you so sure?” responded Chris, still very dubious about the idea of being warped across space.

I sighed and started to massage my temples. Chris was a good friend most of the time but would occasionally become overwhelmingly frustrating and stubborn. No matter how man times I tried to explain the process to him, he still had doubts and it was starting to affect the rest of the crew. We did not have time for this.

“There is no way to be one hundred percent sure, but I trust the person who gave me the coordinates. They have nothing to gain from lying to us.” I said slowly, debating whether or not Draya would betray us.

“I will go first then.” called Robert from across the room. He was still sitting back against the wall, his legs a bandaged mess. There was no way I could send him through alone in his condition.

“What? No! How do you expect to do anything like…” I started to argue but a stern look from Robert silenced me immediately.

“I am still your commanding officer, Private Katie.” He barked loudly before letting out a sigh. “Also, I have the least to lose right now. I will go, crawl my way out to the open and radio back. The signal should reach this far assuming the ship is still hovering above the city. I doubt they would bother trying to block our channels.

I stared at Robert, dumbstruck for a few seconds before giving him a confused look.

“I thought they took everyone’s equipment, unless you have one hidden away somewhere?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Chris and I still have ours. They took our weapons when we were captured but left us our radios.” Robert replied, rummaging through his battered uniform for a handheld radio. It was nothing special, standard issue for all troops, but they were reliable and had a sufficient range. “Plus, even if this gate goes somewhere else, that somewhere is probably better than here right now.”

I had a hard time arguing with that logic. The first gate I traveled through was much the same way. It was life or death, and I was not ready to die then. Now is no different.

“Fine but Chris, give me your radio and go with him.” I said finally, looking over to Chris who was resting from his exchange with the brute that attacked us not too long ago.

“What? Why me? He already said he would go alone.” Piped up Chris.

“Because Robert is going to need the help and you are the only one brave enough to go with him.” I remarked.

Chris went to open his mouth to protest but paused, obviously thinking about what I had said. I could see a smirk forming on Robert’s face. He knew just as well as I did that Chris would do just about anything if you snuck a compliment into the request somewhere.

“Fine. He is probably going to need my help anyway.” Chris said with some hesitation before jumping to his feet. “And because none of you cowards want to go.”

Everyone just nodded in agreement with him as he moved over to give Robert a hand, lending him a shoulder to lean on. Robert gladly took it. He then pulled out his radio and handed it to me. It was in surprisingly good condition.

“Thank you, Chris. When we get back, I am going to put your name up for promotion. You have earned it. Same for you Katie.” Robert said with a pained smile. “You both are outstanding soldiers.”

Both Chris and I appreciated Robert’s efforts to keep morale up. He had always been good at that.

“Thank you, sir.” We both replied in unison, giving a salute.

They then both slowly turned around and made their way through the gate. Their images flickered for a moment before disappearing completely. Everyone but me gasped. I guess that would be the normal reaction. Now we just had to wait and hope they contacted us.

Thankfully, we would not be waiting too long. After only fifteen minutes, the radio Chris had handed me before departing buzzed to life. It was just a bunch of gibberish the first time but the second message came through crystal clear.

“This thing is busted! It looks like a tank ran over it!” came Chris’s agitated voice.

“Chris! Can you hear me?” I rang back eagerly, clutching the radio only inches from my face.

“I told you it would work.” I heard Robert say in the background.

“Yeah, we can hear you. Everything is fine on this end. We ended up about one hundred paces from the encampment in some run-down old building. Surprised we didn’t stumble upon this beforehand.” replied Chris.

“Thank goodness. That is great news. I will start sending the others through right away. Please be prepared for them.” I said before turning to face the rest of the group. “Everyone form a line!”

“Roger that. I am going to get Robert to the infirmary first.” Called back Chris. That was probably a good idea.

“Agreed. We will see you soon” I said simply.

Now that the gate was deemed safe, it was time to get everyone else back home. They were all still very reluctant to take the first step, but a few reminders of what would happen to them if they stayed seemed to persuade them pretty well. It also helped that Robert and Chris made it safe and sound.

“Everybody is to grab a partner and hold on tight. Be prepared to catch yourself when you arrive on the other side and clear the way when you do.” I ordered, trying to keep everything as orderly as I could.

Two by two they went through the portal. Some of them still looked scared but others seemed relieved. The thought of returning home was probably keeping most of them going at this point. I too, was looking forward to being on familiar soil once again. It feels like such a long time since I have had a normal day. I just want to sleep in my own bed and do my job with little to no excitement. This was enough adventure for a lifetime.

Slowly but surely, we got down to our last dozen soldiers as I waited at the back of the line. Everything was going well until a voice made us all jump and spin around.

“Quite resourceful you humans are. I would have never guessed your race would be able to operate our machines.” Said Commander Ozark as he stepped into the hallway from outside. “But I am afraid you took a little too long escaping.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

We all made a dash for the gate, forgetting about whoever had been our partner just seconds ago. It was every person for themselves. I watched them all scramble into the gate in front of me, giving the person ahead of me a push to move them along faster. My fingers only just managed to touch the magical field that enveloped the arch before they were swiftly yanked back. Commander Ozark had grabbed me from behind and hoisted me into the air.

“Now now, no need to rush. You had your chance. Why don’t we have a nice little talk together.” Mused Ozark, a cruel smile plastered on his face.

“Let go of me!” I cried, struggling with little hope of escape. He was just too strong.

“I do not think I will. Come along. I am going to need you to draw that foolish Experiment 001 out of hiding. He is the only thing of value. Maybe I will even let you return home when we are done.” he said with a smirk. Of course, he was lying.

“Crim would never hide from you! He is not a coward!” I yelled out, still flailing my fists at his hand to no avail.

“Maybe you are right. Perhaps he is only a fool. A coward and a fool can look remarkably similar if you have no context.” Ozark laughed as he turned to carry me out of the room. “Oh, but first I should probably take care of this.”

Ozark turned swiftly and reached the gate in two steps. He reached down and touched the control panel with one of his large fingers. A few pokes and prods later and the gate started to shut down.

“Can’t have our furry friend trying to escape now, can we?” he remarked before exiting the room.

I looked around frantically as I was hauled off against my will. He was heading away from the reactors and thus, away from Crim. If I screamed loud enough, surely, he would hear me. Crim had excellent ears after all. The problem was Tom. He had no way to protect himself and with the gate shut down, it would take time to get it up and running again. What do I do?

My sudden quietness did not go unnoticed apparently.

“I expected more screaming from you but that would have led Crim right here, would it not? You are far smarter and braver than you look.” Ozark commented. That almost sounded like a compliment.

“I am not going to help you kill Crim or whatever it is you want to do with him! You have been just fine all this time without him! Just let us go!” I spat.

I lost my breath in an instant as I was sent crashing into the nearest wall. Everything went black for a moment as my head connected first with the hard steel and then the floor. It happened so fast. Before I could regain any composure, I was hauled into the air again, this time with little to no regard for my safety.

“You fools! All of you! Your kind has no idea how much we have suffered because of that damn experiment!” he roared, shaking my already battered and bruised body.

“So many people were lost and more die every day because we cannot sustain ourselves. That pitiful excuse of an experiment holds the key to reviving our kind to our formal glory.” He bellowed as he continued stomping down the hallway. “He should be honored to be of such use!”

I did not say anything. I could not. It was a struggle to even breathe now with his monstrous grip around me. He just droned on and on about the birth of a new era with Crim’s heart at the center of it all. He was a lunatic. An incredibly strong and dangerous lunatic.

He carried me for several more minutes before his outrageous pace brought us to a rather impressive looking door when compared to the rest of the ship. It slid open from both sides to reveal what could only be described as the control deck of the ship. The entire north end of the room was made up of crystal-clear glass with the planet in all its deserted glory, visible down below. To the sides were dozens of stations that were currently being manned by other old ones. Unlike the soldiers, these ones were much smaller, almost comparable to us humans.

“If you try to run, I will not hesitate to kill you. I do not need you. You are just lucky I am impatient. With you as bait, Crim will surely come dashing this way.” Sneered Ozark as he tossed me beside one of the numerous workstations so he could take his position at the front of the ship.

A few groans escaped me as I struggled to sit up after being tossed around and shaken. I was battered and bruised all over. It hurt in places I did not know could hurt. Even if I wanted to run, I do not think I would be able to manage it. As much as I hated it, it was up to Crim now. A part of me wondered if maybe Crim and Tom would just reactivate the gate and leave the ship, but I felt foolish even entertaining the idea. There was no way that was going to happen. Both Crim and Tom would never abandon me.

“Are you Katie?” Whispered a voice from overhead.

I looked up to see one of the old ones that had been working at the nearby control station, leaning over his terminal to look down at me. Unlike the guards we had fought earlier, his skin had a light bluish color and besides the normal perfection, looked remarkably human.

“I asked, are you Katie?” he said again, still in a whisper but his tone now was very much annoyed for having to repeat himself.

“Yes, I am. Why? How do you know that?” I asked, eyeing him curiously now.

Did I tell my name to anybody? The female Old One that looked me over when I was first captured knew my name, as did commander Ozark, but I felt like the rest of the crew probably had no idea. Why would they?

“That is none of your concern. I am just relaying a message.” He said quietly, his eyes darting between me and Commander Ozark who now seemed to be yelling at somebody else on the other side of the deck. “Your friends have rigged the reactors. We have maybe forty minutes.”

I stared at him wide eyed. How did he know? Why was he telling me this? I had so many questions.

“How did you…?” I started to question but he raised a hand to stop me, his eyes focusing past me.

I turned to see Ozark finish his tirade and move back to the center of the room. He sat in a very large and impressive looking chair before pressing a button on his dashboard. His voice started to boom from all directions.

“You have made quite a mess of my ship Experiment 001.” Ozark started, his voice loud and clear.

As he started to speak, a hologram of Crim appeared above all of us. It looked like a live feed of the gate room. I was confused at first because we had seen no cameras since we entered the ship but then felt extremely foolish. They did not need cameras to see us. They had magic. It was just like what Draya had used to show us the ship and planet beforehand. Crim looked absolutely furious.

“We want the same thing. Your friends have agreed to a temporary truce. We will aid you in your escape because we too are prisoners to that tyrant.” The Old One once again whispered to me, the now booming voice of Ozark drowning out anything else.

“Can we defeat him?” I asked desperately.

The Old One simply shook its head.

“We are not warriors. We are scientists. We may be able to hinder him but that is it. The only one here who stands a chance is your friend Experiment 001.” The Old One explained.

“You are probably right.” I replied back as I watched the image of Crim frantically dash out of the gate room and start barreling down the hallway. “I’ll just have to believe in him”

Crim was like a red lightning bolt. He was moving down the halls so fast even the Old One’s magic was having trouble tracking him. This just seemed to excite Ozark even more. He looked eager to fight and he pounded his fists together. The commander continued to torment Crim over the intercom which only seemed to make Crim go even faster still. I did not consider Crim a monster but when he was angry, the distinction became almost nonexistent.

Suddenly, Crim completely disappeared from the screen and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Everyone was looking around nervously, me included. It was then that a thunderous boom exploded near the back of the room. The large door that guarded the deck was nearly blown open as an unseen force nearly folded it in half. Through the gaps, I could see an all too familiar silhouette in the clearing dust.

“Oh good, it looks like our guest has finally arrived. You took your time.” Remarked Ozark with a laugh as he pressed a button to open the door. It only managed to rise a little before an angry grinding could be heard. “I would rather you not destroy any more of my ship so if you would be so kind to join us.”

They did not hesitate for even a split second before bounding forward towards Ozark. Fangs bared and claws at the ready, Crim sent himself flying directly at the commander. It would prove useless though. Just like before, he was one step ahead. A titan-like grip found itself around Crim’s neck but unlike last time, he was simply tossed backwards. Ozark did not pursue and simply shrugged off the attack.

“How rude. I wanted to talk first before I beat you into a pulp and I suggest you go along with it. As I mentioned before, we have your lovely friend here.” Said Ozark, gesturing a hand in my direction.

The Old One who had been talking with me just a moment ago reached down to grab a hold of me. I struggled to get away but despite how small he looked compared to the soldiers; he was still very strong.

“I must play the part.” He whispered quietly into my ear.

That made sense. He did not want to blow his cover. I had no other options but to play along for now. Regrettably though, we were running out of time. If this went on for too long, we would all perish.

“You bastard!” roared Crim as he sank his claws into the floor. “Fight me and be done with it!”

“Oh, I will, but I want more answers and you are going to give them to me.” Ozark replied, his face taking on a much more serious tone.