Had Beth just asked for my help? Who was this, and what had she done with my sister?
The last time I had seen Beth (or Beta, whichever) she had been trying to stop me from rescuing Laura. That had made me realize how dumb I had been to pretend that I could still save her. My baby sister was gone, and this crazy soldier was all that had remained. I had electrocuted her so she’d back off and had felt bad about it for a week before I’d stopped thinking about her entirely. I thought she’d be on Epsilon, but here she was…rescuing us?
“I’ll help you if you give Laura back. What are you even doing here?”
“You’re not in the position to make demands, idiot.” Beth fired at a Black Dwarf, pushing it into the flames. “There’s smoke in the air. Do you want to waste oxygen with a conversation?”
We were wearing space suits, but I understood her point. We didn’t stand a chance against a room of twitching Dwarfs alone, but with Beth’s help? She was stronger than me, so this wasn’t a hard decision.
“We’re not helping your psycho sister, are we?” Anderson asked.
“No, she’s helping us,” I said. “Besides, we don’t have a choice. Just knock the robots deeper into the fire…Beth, where did this fire come from?”
She pointed at someone in the back of the room. Their suit was mostly red and black, but it was because they were surrounded by so much fire. I couldn’t make out their face or even tell if they were human. They lifted a palm toward a Dwarf, and a burst of flames shot out. Their hands were exposed, so I guessed they couldn’t use their power through their suit like I could.
“I’ll introduce you two if we survive.” Beth shot another Dwarf away.
Manning ducked a purple blast and roundhouse-kicked a bot away. “I’m afraid we can’t defend ourselves for much longer. Not while we’re doing so little damage.”
“Speak for yourself!” Beth ran up and plunged her blade into a Dwarf’s head. She kicked it away and shot the spot she’d stabbed. The explosion propelled her away. She landed on her feet, and skidded a little. “Pull your weight, Oak!”
“Hey! Don’t forget who almost kicked your butt last month. Whoa!” Anderson backed up to avoid getting struck by a Dwarf. He charged into it with his shoulder, but it barely budged. “Oh crap. Anyway, I don’t see Locke doing much! Go pick on him.”
He was right about that. I could have used my powers, but I was already running low. My only weapon was my mind. I scanned the burning room until I spotted a hallway like the one we had just escaped from. Wait! We’d entered through a hallway too. I was the only one who knew that, and I’d forgotten. That must have been how Beth had gotten in.
“Why don’t we just escape?” I asked Beth, who was locked in combat with two Dwarfs. She was getting struck a lot, but I wasn’t about to help.
“This place could be hiding valuable information!” She grunted as she was thrown to the floor. She jumped up and kept her distance while unloading her rifle. “We can’t leave until we’ve checked every room. We have to keep fighting until we win!”
I sighed. “Tell your Hybrid pal to cool it with the flames. I want to check something at the entrance.”
“What? The fire is the only thing keeping us on an even footing with these things!”
“Then you should have brought some of your murderous AI pals to help out. Hey, Hybrid dude!” I watched as the mysterious walking flamethrower turned to me. I still couldn’t make out his face. The fire made it look like a black screen. “Douse the flames for a second! Please!”
I expected him to start shouting from across the room, but, to my shock, he nodded. What was a surprisingly reasonable guy doing with Beth?
Fire whooshed past me like missiles. All the fire did. Balls of red zoomed toward the Hybrid like tennis balls. I scanned the room again and realized that it was scorched yet barren. The only fire left was the whirlpool of flame surrounding the Hybrid.
I’d thought he was going to snap his fingers and make the flames disappear, but this was way cooler.
“Try not to die!” I shouted to my friends as I sprinted down the hallway.
I was thrilled to hear my own metallic footsteps instead of roaring flames. I heard something else too: a dull thud. It sounded like a kid throwing a ball at the wall. It peaked when I reached the door. It sounded like my guests had arrived. I punched the scanner beside the door, sliding it open.
A bundle of gremlins holding handfuls of their tech-hampering mud stood outside. My heart swelled with relief. My stupid plan had actually worked. The gremlins looked up at me with wide, unblinking eyes.
“Hey, little guys. What’s up?” I bent down and held out the back of my hand. One sniffed it. “I’m glad you saw the invitation. Come on in, you’ve got bots to destroy!”
I jogged back down the hall. I was halfway back before I realized that none of the gremlins were following. Jogging in place, I glanced between them and the other room, where my friends were fighting for their lives. I didn’t have time for confusion. I took a deep breath, pointed at the room, and fired a bolt of electricity from my finger. The gremlins’ eyes lit up as they scurried after the light. I smiled to myself. My endurance was fading. I could hardly move.
The gremlins sped past me like a stampede. I grinned as I tiptoed after them. It was like trying to walk around a pack of small dogs.
The second we reentered the war zone, the mudballs began to fly. One struck a Dwarf that had been charging up its barrel. The energy fizzled out into nothing. Beth then shot it, knocking it away. I beamed as mud filled the air. The mud rained down on the robots, weakening them enough to bring them down. This felt right. In the end, it wasn’t us stopping Frost from taking another world. It was the world’s inhabitants defending their home.
“How are you holding up?” I asked Anderson as I patted his back. He flinched, which gave me an idea of his injuries.
“Doesn’t matter how I am. Where’s Ben?” Anderson scanned the room.
There were fallen robots caked in mud, a pillar of flame in the corner where that Hybrid dude was, scorch marks decorating the floor, and Beth repeatedly stabbing a robot even though its eyes had stopped glowing. There was no sign of Frost, Alhabor, or the White Dwarfs.
I sighed. “I wish I knew, dude. We need to figure out where Frost went, but first—I think he’s had enough, Killer!”
Beth had raised her rifle for another stab but groaned and put it on her back instead. She marched over to us as her scary helmet disassembled around her head. Her golden-brown hair was tied up in a bun. Her blue eyes were less cruel than they had been the last time, but they were still full of hatred. While her face was covered in bruises, there was no sign of the electrical scars that plagued Anderson. At least I hadn’t scarred my own sister, if I could still call her that. I didn’t want to.
“We saw the beam of light that shot into the sky; that’s how we found you.” Beth shook her head as if she had just stated an obvious fact. I didn’t even ask. “As for why we were here in the first place? The AI have known about Frost’s interest in this planet for a while. They would have come themselves, but that muddy substance would have been a hindrance to the Kilos, maybe even the Megas. That’s why they sent me instead.”
“Make sure you tell the AI to back off. We just chased Frost away, and I don’t want to deal with any more robots. Next…who’s that guy?”
I pointed to the dying flames in the corner. They faded entirely, leaving just the Hybrid in the red and black space suit. His back was to us, so I couldn’t see his face yet. Without the fire’s dark lighting, I saw that the suit was partly green as well. A red and green suit? In addition to them wielding fire…and Manning gasping behind me, I thought I knew who this was. Except…that was impossible. My heart sped up as the guy’s helmet retreated back into his suit. It revealed a head of short red hair. Mostly red, because part of it was fading back to brown.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“About time! It was so hard not to talk while I was working my magic, but I had to commit.” Laura Genki turned around, wearing a smirk worthy of her smugness. “I can’t believe you didn’t figure it out sooner, dummy.”
Reality slowed to a halt. My eyes had to be tricking me. The universe would never give me what I wanted. Every present had just been a tragedy in disguise. Now, standing before me was the one victory I’d been begging for. There was only one thing to do: enjoy it while it lasted.
“Genki? No wonder that fire was out to get me.” Anderson hovered a hand over his burn. “At least this is good news for you, Locke—”
I darted forward and practically tackled Laura. My one-armed hug wasn’t much, but she giggled as she returned it anyway. She smelled like metal, which was one of my favorite scents. She felt as warm as a light bulb, which was unnerving, but not enough to stop the hug.
“I’m sorry!” I choked out despite the emotion building in my throat. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you in time. I thought I’d lost you forever. I was so—”
“This is cause for celebration only. Everything else can wait.” Manning hugged both of us, and beamed as he did so.
I couldn’t argue with that. Laura, Manning, and I were the original trio. Before the Oppressed and the Hybrid stuff, we had just been three people on a mission for their president. We’d all had our reasons, but…none of them existed anymore. We didn’t need Frost to accomplish our goals because now the goal was to end Frost’s reign of terror.
“Are you…crying?” Laura asked as we all let go of each other.
Was I? I disassembled my helmet and wiped my eyes. My finger was wet, and so was my face. It wasn’t the first or last time I’d cry, but at least these were tears of joy.
“Forget about me. Are you a freaking Hybrid?!” I motioned to her. “What happened? Did the AI do this to you?”
“Who else could have done it, dummy? Don’t worry, I…kind of agreed to it.
“What?! Why would you ever give them what they wanted?”
“Because this was what I wanted. I know Hybrids have a bad rep because of the AI, but having powers? I’ve dreamed of that ever since I was a little girl imagining all the ways I could torture my parents…I mean, help society. Anyway, my power is awesome. Check it out!” She snapped her fingers, creating a puff of fire that made me flinch. Laura’s eyes widened at my reaction. “Sorry! I was just showing it off. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s cool.” I forced a grin. My best friend wielded the one element I had a problem with. The universe hadn’t been able to resist, had it? “I’m thrilled to see you, Redhead, but we need to keep moving. Where did Beth go?”
Laura looked around but then scoffed. “Who cares? That jerk was my ‘sparring partner’ when I was getting used to my powers. I felt more like a punching bag. She’s got way more issues to work out than she thinks.”
Now that she mentioned it, her face had a few new bruises like Beth’s. They were additional to the scar that Beth had given her a few months before. That one had healed by now. After everything I’d been through because of her, Beth thought she had issues?
“Nothing!” Beth stomped up to us. She had the frown of someone who’d just failed a job interview. “I searched the building, and there’s absolutely nothing here! All I found were chambers for the robots, but they’re all empty now.”
“Of course, she wouldn’t store anything suspicious here,” I said. “Frost wanted to colonize this world. She probably has plans to wreck this place after everyone settles in. I could search this huge screen but I’m pretty sure it’s just for communication. Plus it’s all scorched now.”
Anderson groaned. “That means we’re done here, right? So let’s figure out where Frost went and go after her already!”
Laura furrowed her brow. “Would anyone like to explain what one of our worst enemies is doing here? I’m sure I’m going to hate the explanation, but it’d be nice.”
“Wander can explain on the way, because I think I know where President Frost went. I’ve known for a while.” Manning stared at the floor, as if he were ashamed.
“What?” I said. “How do you—never mind, just tell us.”
“I’ve been…thinking.” Manning’s golden eyes flickered. “It doesn’t make sense for President Frost to go so out of her way to keep you from discovering the Dwarfs…especially since you’d find out about them eventually. She wants us out of the way for a specific event. I’m thinking it has something to do with a location that’s important to you.”
Somewhere important? That could mean places like Red City or Earth, but I didn’t think so. There was only one place in the galaxy that I knew like the back of my hand.
“You think Frost went to the Moon? Why? Wait, we don’t even have a ship. The Dwarfs blew a few holes through the Canis Major. Which means…Beth, you need to pilot us to New Selene.”
She grimaced. “Over my dead body, which is supposedly what lies in that town. No one there knows I’m alive, and I’m keeping it that way.”
“For all we know, Frost may be dropping a bomb on the place!” Laura said. “Every person in this room lived in New Selene. It used to be our home, so if there’s the slightest chance that it’s in trouble, we should check.”
Beth frowned like she wanted to argue more, but she ultimately just shut her eyes. She must have been thinking it over. Despite her new cold attitude (which I couldn’t stand), she had loved our home. She’d liked taking walks to clear her head and would get teary-eyed at the homeless people hanging around the fast food joints. Then she’d ask me for my allowance so that she could donate it to them. No wonder I could never afford the newest tools…
“Fine!” Beth’s eyes snapped open. “If Frost might be at New Selene, then it’s my job to follow her and get information on these robots anyway. Follow me, and don’t be slow.”
I could have told Beth everything Frost had told us about the robots, but that could have lost us the ride. I’d tell her later…although I had no idea what would happen after New Selene. I couldn’t imagine that Beth would just let Laura stay with us. Would I have to fight her for custody of my best friend? It sounded crazy, but it’d be a pretty normal chapter in my life. Before we left, there was something I had to do…
I knelt down beside a gremlin and extended the back of my hand to it. “Good job, little weirdo. You saved your home. Now it’s my job to make sure those jerks don’t come back. Nice working with you, partner.”
The alien licked my hand and scurried away. The other gremlins followed it down the hallway. Their job was done. This planet was safe, and I had to keep it that way.
----------------------------------------
Beth’s ship smelled like it was fresh out of the factory. It was dark, but a set of blue lights on the ceiling kept it sufficiently lit. I was guessing that was how she liked it. I sat in a chair with a high backrest and glowing blue armrests. It was like I was resting my arms on lamps. What was the point of this?
A medic bracelet flooded my arm with soothing waves, almost like it was massaging me. Thank goodness Beth had some on her. Anderson had one strapped to his left arm, and, hopefully, it was doing something about the burn on his cheek.
Laura sat beside me, which made it feel like old times. I was usually in the captain’s seat, but I knew better than to ask Beth for permission to fly her ship.
“You had better be sitting because I’m taking off.” Beth leaned back in her chair as she went to work on the dashboard. “We’re warping to the Moon. Hold on to your seats and your lunch. Anyone who vomits in my ship will be thrown out immediately. Doesn’t matter if we’re over a star.”
Anderson scoffed from his seat beside Manning and across the aisle. “I’d like to see you try.”
“What was that?!” Beth snapped.
“Nothing!”
Laura and I snickered at that. Seeing Anderson be the intimidated one made this mess worth it. Almost. I frowned out the window as the ship rumbled. The forest shrunk into a formless green blur. I assumed all the gray spots I saw were patches of marshy water. I wouldn’t miss them.
“Hey, I’m really sorry about…this.” Laura motioned to my right stump. I had not gotten my bionic arm back from Alhabor, so it seemed I was stuck in that condition. “I saw what Exo did before Peta took me into the elevator. It never would have happened if you weren’t trying to save me.”
“What? Don’t talk like me; you’re better than that. This isn’t your fault, and everything turned out okay. You have powers now! I was rushing to Epsilon to save you, but you ended up saving me. I should have seen it coming. How did you even join Beth’s mission?”
She sighed. “A lot of crazy stuff happened on Epsilon. Mostly just stuff that the AI told me. Let’s just say that I was a good little prisoner and earned their trust.”
“They told you stuff, and you listened? What the heck did they have to say?”
I didn’t catch what she said because all the sound had been sucked out of the cockpit. I was thrown against my seat, and then I stretched through it. I stretched across the whole galaxy. We were warping. I wasn’t ready for it, but the numbness still set in. I had previously relied on the numbness but not anymore. Not when there was work to be done.
I gasped for air as everything came back. A piercing light to my left nearly blinded me. I rubbed my fuzzy eyes and peered out the window. The Moon’s surface glowed, shining through the dark. My home. It had been anyway. I didn’t know what counted as home nowadays.
The ship’s monitor flashed green as Beth lowered us into the atmosphere. It flickered before going dark. Beth grunted in confusion and smacked the monitor. I was guessing that wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Something’s wrong.” Beth tugged on the ship’s wheel, but it barely turned. “Something’s interfering with the ship…Alpha, if this is your doing, I swear—”
“Why would I sabotage the ship I’m riding in? Hold on.” I willed my helmet to activate. The metal pieces inched out of my collar and awkwardly clacked as they struggled to get above my chin. My suit was obviously struggling. It was like something was holding it back. I allowed the partially-formed helmet to collapse back into my suit. “I can’t get my helmet to work. Something’s messing with it too.”
“It sounds like a weak electromagnetic pulse is at work,” Manning said. Basically, someone had set off an EMP. Not a strong one, but an annoying one. “As for how and why—”
“Shut up, I need to focus.” Beth gripped the wheel as half of New Selene showed up in the windshield.
The little houses, glowing white surface, and lack of any building taller than three stories identified it as my hometown. It didn’t look like Frost had nuked it, so that was good. Still, there had to be a reason why our technology wasn’t working. What had she done?
Beth’s ship rumbled again, but much harder than before. My stomach churned as if I was on a roller coaster drop. I sensed that Beth had just lost all remaining control…and we were plummeting to our doom.
“Helmets on!” I commanded. “Again.”
The cockpit filled with clacking as everyone struggled with their suits. Whatever this interference was, it was determined to kill us. New Selene inched closer as Beth’s ship whistled through the air. I’d barely gotten my helmet over my ears when I looked up. I saw nothing but white. We were seconds away from crashing. I threw myself at Laura, shielding her. Manning and Anderson curled up to protect themselves.
I shut my eyes as a clunk burst into my ears…and my head smacked against something solid. The pain came rushing in, followed by the darkness. I was so used to this…