Surge gave us a lift back to our house so that we could discuss our plans as a group. My little team plus Surge, Kaela, and Dylan were the only people going. Surge didn’t want to risk anyone else’s life. He wasn’t even willing to let people go if they asked. The AI were no joke.

I marched into the house with Beth, Surge, and Kaela trailing after me. We left Dylan in the cruiser. It wasn’t the best idea, so we wanted to make the meeting quick. That seemed impossible when you considered the subject matter.

Luckily, the encounter with Dylan had taken so long that everyone was up. The living room and kitchen were packed with my friends. Manning and Rebecca were talking as usual, Anderson was chowing down on a sandwich, and Opifex was having cereal. Someone was missing…

“What the heck is he doing here?” demanded Kaela as she pointed at Anderson. He paused mid-bite. “Wander, you’re hanging with two of your enemies? Do you want to be killed in your sleep?”

“Hey! For your information, I slept with him, and I didn’t do a single thing all…never mind.” Anderson slumped in his chair as he realized what he was saying. It was best that he left the talking to me.

“Technically, you Oppressed guys were out to get me too,” I said as I shrugged. “Making friends with jerks is a natural talent of mine. Blame Laura.”

Kaela gasped. “Laura? Wait, didn’t the AI take her to Epsilon? If they still have her, we should have left like yesterday!”

“Kaela?!” exclaimed a voice from the stairs.

I looked up and saw Laura staring down at us. Her jaw had dropped. I glanced at Kaela and saw that hers had dropped as well. This was one reunion that I’d been dying to see.

“Laura.” Kaela backed away from the stairs. “Long time no see. I like your hair.”

Laura touched her hair and snickered. “The dye’s running out. It’s just fading back to brown.”

Kaela cleared her throat. “Is that good, or bad? I think brown looks good on you. Unless you don’t want it to be brown—and I just realized that you wouldn’t have dyed it if you liked it that way, forget I said anything.”

Laura laughed. “Still taking speaking lessons from a rock. Man, I missed you!”

Laura bounded down the stairs and wrapped her arms around Kaela. Her smile spread from ear to ear as she hugged her back. Finally, the wholesome relationship was back in business. Well, they were just friends, but they sure acted like they were more.

Surge cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad that happened. It’s a much needed contrast to the news we’ve come to deliver. Let’s just get it over with: we’re going to Epsilon. Who’s in, and who’s out?”

I couldn’t describe each individual expression, but they all had the same sense of disbelief and horror. The exception was Beth, who looked smugger than a cat on the Internet.

“Last time I went to that death trap of a world, I was nearly murdered by that copper menace!” Rebecca slammed her hands down on the kitchen counter, cracking it. “What makes you think I’d ever go back?”

“Referring to General Peta?” Beth asked. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch any of you this time. That goes for all the AI. I’ll make sure no harm comes to you weaklings.”

“Why would you call them—okay, let me do the talking.” Surge ushered Beth away, much to her dismay. “Here’s the situation…”

Surge explained why we needed to go. No one seemed happy when they heard that the mission was for Dylan. The possibility of a collaboration between us and the AI didn’t go over well either. If Surge was trying to make the trip sound as unappealing as possible, he was succeeding.

“I’d go to keep Wander safe…but he doesn’t need me for that anymore.” Opifex smiled at me. “You’ve got this, little man. As for me? I’m gonna stay here. I wanna check out more of the forge. Being in there makes me feel like I have my old store back.”

“We’ll be staying as well.” Manning gestured to himself and Rebecca, who was still scowling. “The AI have nearly killed us dozens of times, and we’ve destroyed hundreds of them. I don’t think we should all be in a room together.”

Surge nodded. “Understandable. Kids, what about you?”

“I’ll go where Locke goes,” Anderson said. “He’s the reason I’m here. He ain’t getting rid of me.”

Kaela shrugged. “I think it’s a stupid idea, but I already agreed to it.”

I looked at Laura. “Redhead? I’d understand if you don’t want to go back to your prison—”

“The only prison I ever had was my parent’s house,” she said. “Epsilon wasn’t as bad as you’d think, but the AI are another story. I know you’re gonna be looking for answers, and they have all of them.”

“Good, so what’s the problem?”

“They’re not going to paint the picture you want. The stuff they told me about Earth being their home planet is so different from what we were taught. I just don’t know how you’re gonna react.”

“The AI were made on Earth?” Kaela flinched like Laura had slapped her. “How…why? No, how?!”

Laura sighed. “Like I said: we’ve pretty much been lied to all our lives. Now that Frost is acting more like the madwoman she is, it’s safe to say that the AI are the truthful ones here. Are you guys sure you’re ready for them to tear down everything you thought you knew? I wasn’t!”

So the AI knew the true history behind this war? They knew what had happened with Earth and what the deal was with Implants? As someone who’d been wondering about all of this for a month, I wasn’t frightened by the promise of answers. I welcomed it.

“Look, I’m done with being scared of the AI. They’ve been the monsters under my bed for too long. You say that talking to them is going to tear my world apart, but been there, done with that. I’m ready.”

Laura grinned. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to hear you say something cool for a change. I’m ready too.”

“Good,” Beth said. “General Peta would have missed you if you’d stayed behind, Gamma.”

Laura rolled her eyes. She’d made friends with the AI who’d nearly killed her and Rebecca? I wasn’t mad, just confused. What was it about Epsilon that had drastically changed all my friends?

“I think you should invite Nessa,” Surge told me. “And what I mean is that, if you don’t invite her, you’re actively sabotaging your relationship.”

Bring Nessa to Epsilon? No. Enough of my friends were in danger already. Then again, Nessa could handle herself, wheelchair-bound or not. I’d be by her side the whole time. Plus Surge had spoken the truth.

“Fine, I’ll text her. When are we leaving?”

Surge turned toward the exit hallway. “Be at the hangar within an hour. I just need to let the base know that I’m about to make a huge mistake, and then we’ll be good to go. See you kids then.”

Surge disappeared down the hallway. I heard the front door open and close a moment later. I expected my friends to look uncertain about our mission, but I wasn’t expecting the anger in Manning’s eyes. Even worse, it was aimed at me.

“I understand Surge’s reason for going, but you?” Manning balled up his fists. “After what the AI did to my team? My brother? Your grandfather? You?!”

I gripped the stump that was my right arm. “I don’t need a refresher course. I know what they’ve done, and I hate them for it, but I won’t let that get in the way of whatever needs to be done. If we somehow get them on our side, Frost doesn’t stand a chance.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“There are other ways to combat her. We don’t need to align ourselves with murderers.”

“Then what would you suggest, Manning? You’re supposed to be the smart one, but I don’t see you coming up with any answers. What does your brain say about Frost? What do the Implants that the AI gave you suggest we do?”

“Guys!” Laura said, inserting herself between us. “The more we fight with each other, the stronger Frost gets. You really want to hand her victory?”

“She’s right.” Rebecca gripped Manning’s shoulder. Despite that, Manning continued to glare at me. “I’ll fight all day long, but I refuse to fight my friends. Let’s discuss—”

“I won’t be discussing anything with this foolish child!” Manning shrugged Rebecca off. “If you want to go to Epsilon so badly, then do it, but I will never follow you there. Goodbye.”

Manning whipped around and stomped into his and Rebecca’s room. He slammed the door shut behind him. Rebecca sighed, expressing my feelings pretty well. Laura’s gaze fell to the floor. Everyone else looked at anything but me. That had been awkward to say the least.

I had never expected to argue with Manning. He’d been there for me since the beginning. He’d just told me that I was better than Frost but even she wouldn’t go to Epsilon in hopes of a truce. Realizing that was the worst part of the plan.

----------------------------------------

Eight people shuffled into one exploration ship. Their destination was Epsilon, the home of the AI. Some would have called them brave. Even fewer would have called them heroes. As one of the eight, I called us a bunch of idiots who had no idea what they were doing. It wasn’t nice, but it was true.

Surge loomed over the monitor at the front of the cockpit. He must have been punching in the coordinates to Epsilon. This ship was apparently the nicest one the Oppressed had ever secured. It was red and white, squeaky clean, and it smelled like someone had rubbed a rock with fancy soap.

“Theodore will come around,” Nessa said as she rolled herself down the aisle. After the argument at the house, I was glad I’d invited her. She calmed my nerves without even trying. All I had to do was be around her. “He has a valid point of view, but this is bigger than personal preferences. Imagine using the AI’s technology to benefit the galaxy instead of harming it.”

“It’s pretty hard to imagine that, but I’ll keep it in mind,” I said. “Just stay close to me at all times. Don’t talk to any of those robots. If one even looks at you the wrong way, let me know.

Nessa groaned. “Your need to protect me is very…unnecessary, but, if you really wanted me safe, why did you bring him?” She pointed at Anderson, who was seated behind Dylan. Anderson looked over and flinched at Nessa’s gesture. In response, she gritted her teeth. “Yeah, you! You should be glad that I’m in this chair. Otherwise, I’d be at your throat.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Anderson frowned as he avoided Nessa’s furious gaze. “I didn’t mean for you to get so messed up because of me. If I could fix it—”

“Quiet. Just wallow in your guilt, and I’ll let you know if the thought of forgiveness ever crosses my mind.”

Anderson sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Dylan thrashed around in the seat in front of Anderson, oblivious to the conflict unfolding around him. He was glued to his chair by the cement-like material that Surge had shot him with. I’d known that weird slime would come in handy when the Oppressed kids had first used it on me. It was doing a good job of keeping Dylan in place, but it made him even more unpleasant to be around.

I lowered my head beside Nessa’s. “Anderson has a reason for being here just like the rest of us. I won’t ask you to be friends with him. Just…don’t kill him.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll consider it. You can influence my decision by helping me to my seat.”

Transferring from a wheelchair to a seat must have been hard, but I was convinced that Nessa could do it alone. I knew what she was doing; I just hoped I didn’t mess it up. She adopted a smug expression as she leaned back and raised her arms. Time to carry a girl in a metal suit. I crouched down and hooked one arm under her knees. Then I reached under her back with my right arm…and realized that I couldn’t. How was I supposed to do this without—

“It’s okay.” Nessa hooked both of her arms around my collared neck. Since we were both in our space suits, she could hold herself up with her enhanced strength, and my spine wouldn’t get crushed. “Don’t forget that I get it, okay? That’s why we’re a team. Now get to walking before you lose your grip.”

I chuckled to hide my nervousness as I lifted her up. My knees trembled as I waddled over to her aisle seat. Despite how badly I was shaking, I’d never seen Nessa happier. I swore she was seconds away from giggling. The heat of my embarrassment was making this more difficult than it needed to be…despite my simultaneous joy.

I finally lowered Nessa into her seat and inhaled as quietly as I could after she was settled. I didn’t want to give the impression that she was heavy even though she had to be with her suit on. Nessa’s grin subsided as she realized I was no longer holding her.

I smirked. “How did I do?”

Nessa huffed. “The shaking was a bit much, but I enjoyed it, thanks. Would you mind storing my chair in that closet? I’d appreciate it.”

Laura made a gagging sound from the row behind us. “You two are disgusting. I almost hope the AI kill us now.”

Funny that she should say that while sitting next to Kaela, who was snickering. Instead of pointing that out, I just glared at Laura and rolled Nessa’s wheelchair into the closet.

“Done,” Surge said. “The course is all mapped out. We’re ready to go, Beth.”

“Finally.” Beth pushed away from the wall she’d been leaning on. “I’m heading back to my ship. Follow once you see me take off. “

She walked through a sliding door in the back, exiting the cockpit. Now there were just seven of us—six if you didn’t count Dylan—because he wouldn’t be helpful anyway.

“Let me go! Implant me!” Dylan was practically foaming at the mouth as he wiggled around. His efforts were in vain because that cement wasn’t going to budge. I’d learned the hard way.

“What do you think we’re trying to do?!” Surge groaned. He looked at the monitor again. “The parking bay ramp has just opened up, which means that Beth has made it off the ship. Strap yourselves in; we’re leaving.”

Our exploration ship rumbled as we hovered into the air. We zoomed over all the other ships in the hangar, and our vessel was catapulted into the open air. The ship soared straight up into the green sky. A black ship zipped in front of us. It was Beth’s ship. It sped off ahead just as we increased our speed to trail it. Then the green sky gave way to darkness, and twinkling dots appeared to illuminate that darkness.

Surge shouted a warning before he initiated warp. I shut my eyes as my body stretched across the galaxy. Calming numbness swept over me once again. All of my negative emotions were shoved into bubbles, where they could no longer reach me. It made me think about how warping didn’t bother Manning and Rebecca at all. I missed them. What if Manning was right and this was all a big mistake? No. There was no point in thinking about that. Not when we were almost there…

Normalcy returned, restoring my sight and hearing. I was just in time to hear Kaela’s groan, which was loud enough to fill the whole cockpit. My friends still had some warp-related adjusting to do. Nessa held her stomach as she released the tiniest whimpers I’d ever heard. She was doing a great job of hiding her discomfort.

“You feeling okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine.” Nessa turned away from me. “Warping just makes my stomach feel odd. No big deal.”

I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. “That’s one heck of a weakness. You sure I can’t get you some water or anything?”

“I said I’m fine. Besides…we’re here.”

Nessa pointed to the windshield. A giant metallic ball of red and silver loomed over us. Epsilon. We must have flown close enough to pass through the cloaking field.

“That’s Epsilon?” Kaela’s voice trembled as she asked the question. “That’s where all the AI live?”

“It looks like something you’re supposed to blow up in a video game,” Anderson said.

“It’s…amazing.” Nessa lifted a hand to her fallen jaw. “They constructed their own planet? I didn’t know such a thing was even possible, but there’s the proof. I have so many questions.”

That made two of us.

A single black dot stood out. It must have been Beth’s ship. It curved toward the planet, creating a trajectory that we were meant to follow. She must have been taking us to that crazy building we had gone to the last time. Machina Mansion. It was the main headquarters of the AI as well as a building I never wanted to return to.

Once we were closer, the cities and towns became visible. Every building on the planet had a unique color scheme. It was like opening a bag of candy and peeking inside. None of them had windows, just glassless holes. Standing below the buildings were colorful humanoids with no minds of their own. They were too slim for combat, and they never reacted to anything that happened. I had no idea what they were for.

As deadly as Epsilon was, it was also the strangest place in the galaxy.

Beth’s ship touched down in front of the biggest building in the city. It was Machina Mansion: a massive dome that held powerful AI as well as horrible memories. Laura, Rebecca, and I had infiltrated it the last time. Ultimately, I had lost my arm…and Laura there. I hadn’t expected to get out of the dome unscathed. That said, this visit couldn’t possibly turn out worse than that one.

Surge lowered the ship beside Beth’s. We rumbled as we hit the ground. A bundle of butterflies flooded my stomach. I hadn’t been nervous until that moment. Now that I was minutes away from facing the AI again, my fear had come out of hiding. The ship’s monitor dimmed as Surge turned the whole thing off. It was time to go.

“Remember to stick together,” Surge said as he stood up. “Our safety’s been guaranteed, but even that’s not enough of a precaution against the AI. Luckily, we have someone who’s faced them and lived. Any advice, Wander?”

I glanced back at Laura. “Keep an eye on each other. Don’t let any of them get too close. We’re not losing anyone this time.”

“I really don’t think we have anything to worry about, guys,” Laura said. “As soon as they explain everything—”

“Would you cut that out?” I glared at her. “These guys kidnapped you, and you’re defending them? You sound just like Beth.”

“What? I’m nothing like her. I’m just saying the AI aren’t all bad. You’ll see what I mean.”

I didn’t want to see what she meant. I was getting sick of the AI capturing then converting my friends. That wouldn’t be happening to me.

I went to get Nessa’s chair, while Surge sprayed the dissolving fluid on Dylan. Everyone else stepped off the ship. My nerves were getting worse by the minute. There really, really was no turning back this time.

“I’m excited to learn about their technology, but how do you expect this to go?” Nessa asked as I picked her up again. It wasn’t as romantic as it had been the first time. “I know I said I didn’t need protection, but you might. I just want to know what to expect.”

“Don’t worry, I’d rather lose my other arm than let anything bad happen,” I said. “Besides, my powers are fully charged again. I’m ready for anything.”