Hyrum left the Photon Production facilities as fast as he could. He found the other Hydrogen’s evacuating and followed them out of the floating platforms area. Nothing shot at him as he left, nor did anyone try to chase him down.

He carried his bag and the canister as quickly as he could until he found a more open area. Factory machines worked and people busied themselves on them. He wandered around the facility until he could get directions out of there. It took some time for him to leave after a few missed turns, but he eventually found his way to Liam. Liam thanked him and took the items from him.

“Thanks for grabbing it. I was wondering if you were going to make it or not. If you didn’t get here in a few more hours I was going to assume that you hadn’t made it.”

“I almost didn’t. You didn’t tell me how dangerous some of their experiments were.”

“But I did tell you that it was dangerous. Nearly everything in the deep labs of the sun is dangerous. What did they have set up down there? I haven’t been down there in nearly a decade. Do they still have that electron waterfall?”

“Yeah, they have that and so much more. They were pulling the electrons from it and using it to power machinery or something. I didn’t get a good look. Whatever they were doing is destroyed now. The whole building dropped into the void.”

“Holy shit. How did you manage that?”

“One of their experiments get activated I think and then it just started destroying everything. Pretty soon the pipes pumping the electrons got damaged and flooded the building pulling everything down with them.”

“I wish I could have seen that when it happened. I will miss that building. I also miss when I was first kicked out of that building. The second time too. It holds a lot of memories. Did you get everything on the list at least? Right?”

“I got everything.”

“Well let us head back, and I can sort through this stuff.”

Hyrum and Liam hurried their pace and returned to Liam’s basement. When they got there Hyrum changed out of his disguise and Liam started going through the items. He put the canister away to one side. The unused items Hyrum had brought went back in their places while the pile of new items sat on the table. Liam first took the microscope and moved it into the second room. On his workbench sat an older model of microscope and he threw it in a pile of junk. In the position of the old microscope, he set the new clean model. The old one cracked and broke apart on the ground but Liam paid it no mind.

Liam then moved on to the keycard. He looked it over in the microscope. He used it as a test to adjust the settings for the microscope. After confirming the authenticity of the card, he set it aside. As he did so Benny returned to the base once again.

“Oh, you’re alive.”

“It would seem so,” said Hyrum.

“Well, congratulations. What is Liam up to?”

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“No idea. He just started going everything I brought back. What is he doing with all that stuff?”

“The canister acts as a power source for the machine we will activate to save the sun. The key card will get us access to that machine. As for most of the other stuff it will be used to break into the next place or replace some of our old junk in here?”

“So, I didn’t need to get all that stuff, and what is this machine?”

“All of the items are useful to us even if they won’t be useful to you directly. That old microscope was already busted and needed repairs. It will be great to use the new one. The machine we are using to destroy that planet is a solar flare gun, but it doesn’t usually have the power to destroy planets. That’s why we need these items. We need to hijack one of these guns maybe a few attached to the solar flare ride and super power it. Usually, the safety systems will kick in and stop what we are doing but we have a way around it.”

“I see know why you need stuff from both the Photon Production and Magnetic Field Farm. Stuff from there is what creates solar flares.”

“Exactly. These guns are fired regularly. We will just be tweaking the parameters for a few of them.”

“So, what is the next mission.”

“Let us see I have the list around here somewhere.” Benny got up and started searching through the papers and junk. “Oh, here it is.”

She passed him papers with furiously written scribbles. Hyrum tried delivering them, but he could not tell what was on them.

“I can’t read this,” he said handing it back. She looked at it.

“Oh. My bad this is the wrong side. Flip it over.”

He read it over. “1. Magnetic Field Farm Key Card 2. Infused Proton Canister 3. Wiring tools 4. Any additional wiring / hacking / cool-looking stuff that can fit in your bag 5. Pastrami Sandwich.”

“Sorry I thought the list was my grocery list. You can ignore the last one.”

“Ok then. Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, there is just the process of how to get in. I work in the Magnetic Field Factory regularly so I can sneak you in. I sadly haven’t been in as many places in there as Liam has his place of work. Because of this, you may wander a bit after the initial instructions and map I give you. I know you can get most of the stuff in the areas I work but some stuff I don’t have access to as a Metal. But with your measly qualifications, you should be able to skip past some of the areas. The main thing that I can’t find for you is the canisters and a key card. It is above my grade. You will have to find the stuff yourself and then make your way back.”

“What are the dangers?”

“The first areas shouldn’t be too bad. You have to be careful of some stuff, but you’ll be fine. After you find a way into the restricted areas that I can’t go through… Good luck.”

“I will see what I can do. It can’t be any worse than the electron flood.”

“The what?”

“I might have destroyed some stuff on my way out of the Photon Production. Liam can tell you the long story. I am so tired from running around all day.”

“Of course. You can take a nap on the pull-out couch. We won’t have anything for you to do for a bit anyway. Let me get it set up for you.”

She left for the other room where Liam was still working. She started moving boxes and junk around until the couch was uncovered and accessible. She opened it up into bed form. Hyrum thanked her before quickly falling asleep on the bed.

As he slept he heard Henry’s voice in his dreams.

“Hey, Hyrum. How are you doing? You’ve been missing for a while. I came looking for you, but I could find you for a while. I missed you buddy, but you are in so much trouble. I don’t care for your adventures or misadventures usually, but you are going to get us in so much trouble. Too much trouble.”

“Leave me alone,” said Hyrum. “I want to do this. It is one of the few things I can do.”

He continued to mumble things he could barely pay attention to as he slept.

“I guess I should go,” said Henry. “Bye Hyrum. See ya around.”

“Don’t go.” Hyrum’s eyes shot open.

His eyes were still half-closed but standing over him he saw Henry standing in their base.

“Am I still dreaming?”

“I don’t know bud. You are always half in space. How was your nap,” said Henry.

“Just great.”