I flew through space unimpeded. The multitudes of Cruisers, Corvettes and even that one giant Battleship, they all did nothing as I zoomed past them, free as a bird and probably just as stupid.
I realize that the only reason the Fei haven’t shot me down is because they need me alive to solve their problems, but right in my line of sight, I can clearly see they have no intention of letting me have my freedom; They’ve deployed landing crafts too.
When I get on the facility, there will be many of their troops waiting for me, waiting to capture me again. But this time, well, I can also clearly see that the pods have been damaged, there won’t be any escapes that way.
Not that I’d want to. If I escape in a pod again, they’ll just corner me just like Scrakna did and I doubt the same trick with the screwdriver will work twice.
I’ll have to fight my way out…somehow. If Four-Seven is still operational then that’ll be great, but I doubt they haven’t overwhelmed him by now.
With a sigh, I come up the finally miles to the facility. The cosmic hum of my drill buzzes clearly in my ears. I try not to look at it.
It’s an amazing feat of science and engineering, my engineering. But look at what it’s doing. To my home. To Rim.
What it threatens to do to the galaxy at large. And all because I couldn’t see it’s potential, because I was too blinded by what I wanted it to be that I didn’t see or didn’t want to see what it actually could be.
A bridge to the universe. A means of carrying hope and a merit across the galaxy.
But I guess I don’t have to worry about it’s worth anymore, the Fei, Scrakna clearly saw it and she’s turned it into a weapon.
Having the Strike Craft awkwardly lodge itself in the gaping hole from the Fei’s attack earlier, I consider myself safe to land.
The actual landing platform of the facility was blown to smithereens so this weird squeeze will have to do.
Popping the pressurized hood and jumping out of the Craft, I find myself in the centre of chaos.
There’s an eerie, mechanical silence that pervades the chaotic first point of the Fei attack. Ozone seeps into my nostrils, forcing my nose to crinkle at the irritating smell or not breath at all.
Circuits and wires spark and outright burst as I walk the lopsided catwalk leading into the main facility. Below, the dormitories or…cells of the workers are all but destroyed.
The stillness of it all nerve wracks me. To be sure of myself I have the mini-blaster I borrowed from one of Scrakna’s troops. I’m not sure how much protection it’ll give to someone like me who barely knows how to use a pistol, but I’m hoping for the best.
Quite frankly, I’m not sure where to start looking for Four-Seven, last I saw him was at the escape pods and that’s all the way over at the other end of the facility.
I’d like to have him with me before I go ahead and fire point-blank at the drill but…if the encroaching sound of voices, boots and sudden bright light has anything to say about my stay then…
I’ve got to go.
Deftly, or as deftly as I can, I take narrow paths and pass behind walls to avoid running into the Fei troops sent to retrieve me. I can’t let them have the slightest glimpse of my presence else they’ll be on me like flies to honey.
And a mini-blaster I’ve never fired won’t help me in the slightest.
The click and clack sound of their language resound in my ears as I hide in stuffy compartments and the far from comfortable nooks created in the earlier destruction. I spend quite a bit of time playing cat and dog with these Fei until finally, I hear what I hope is an order to move out into another sector of the facility.
To prove my suspicions, the troops move abound in one direction, all of them failing to spot me underneath and behind rubble and debris.
Once they are gone I crawl out of my last hiding place and pull up a map on my band. For the second time today, I’m thankful of my habits as I long downloaded the schematics of this place onto my band.
It was a necessary thing to do as the facility would have to be fitted with my drill to begin testing. The map is old and I haven’t gotten around to updating it, but with the repetitive trips to the glass chamber with Four-Seven and the routine of living up here; I’m confident I can backtrack my steps once I get to my office.
And so, for now that’s the main destination. Fortunately for me, it’s in the opposite direction of where the Fei troopers went, but they’ll certainly be making rounds around this place.
With that in mind, I hurry along and the halls and several catwalks, following the map on my band until I arrive at my office.
Reaching my office and taking a peek in, I find myself overcome with nostalgia and melancholy. I hadn’t realized or even thought about it when I left to fire the Drill with Four-Seven, but this place, this little desk and bed.
It’ll likely be the last of home I’ll be getting for a while.
Walking in and sitting at my desk, my hands drift to the many trinkets that littered the top. Over the several forms and documents filled by the workers and myself for submission back on Rim, I had a little bubble head of my favourite engineers, my role models.
And in front of it, near the edge is a little clock, a stopwatch really. For the random calculations I’d try to solve and theorems I’d try to prove as well as the working on my tiny little robots, the ones I built, upgraded and disassembled for fun.
I stuffed them in the drawer because of Four-Seven, I’m not sure how his AI works but, it felt a bit insensitive to have the out in the open, springs and batteries fallen out and arms not in the right place exactly.
Cornering it all, like a nice picture frame of my life, of my achievements are pictures.
Mostly pictures of Oscar and I, his bright grin, generic blond hair and bright blue eyes; something I always mocked him for.
‘The world is full of different characters, why not look cool and peculiar like everyone else?’
I’d say this while I looked just as plain as he did, black hair, tight shorts and a tank top.
We are happy in out little inconsistencies and hypocrisy.
A gasp escapes my lips as I realize that with the bombardment going on now, Oscar may as well be dead.
I realize I haven’t actually…sat and processed the high possibility that right now he’s stuck under some rumble or huddled up in bunkers waiting for the military to send retrieval crews and get everyone into pods…not that everyone or anyone would make it.
I breathe in deeply and take solace in the fact that my association with the Government extends to him. We’re not officially together, not officially family, but the engagement is enough.
This little shiny rock on my finger is enough.
With haste I wipe away my tears and clean my nose with a sleeve as I hear voices. Fei voices.
Fuck, I’ve wasted too much time here.
Scanning the room, I find there’s not a single place good enough to hide.
I’ve got to make a run for it.
Peeking out the door I find the marching Fei troops are close but some while away from my office. If I sprint, I think I can make it to the Drill instalment and blow it to smithereens.
But after that, without Four-Seven, I’d be captured and taken back to Scrakna.
I’m not sure how worth it this stunt is but…if I can spare Sildor and the Galaxy at large receiving the full brunt force of a surprise Fei invasion then…I think it’s worth it.
With an uneasy breath and a heart that wants to break free I take the first step and sprint to freedom, hopefully, galactic freedom.
My heavy steps and my laboured breath don’t waste any time drawing attention over to me. The Fei quickly round themselves up, giving orders and quick to give chase.
Noticeably, they don’t shoot. However, I’m not so kind.
Full of desperation I come to a full stop, turn aim and let the trigger do all the work.
Bolts of super concentrated light fire out of the barrel, charged to kill, maim and all round bring a world of hell to whomever it hits.
I make sure I have my eyes wide open for this, the Fei ducking for cover, clicking angrily at each other, furious they can’t fire back. A grin mares my face and I spread the fire out, making sure every single Fei in view is ducked under cover before turning and sprinting again.
A problem with these mini-blasters; they over heat way too fast. That little spread of mine and my hand is nearly cooked from holding it.
Still, I persevere and pull my sleeve over so I don’t feel the heat in my hand as much, I’d need the blaster if there are any engineers at the Drill instalment.
Speaking of which, it’s coming up now. I can tell the Fei never really imagined someone would make it up here, there’s no security, not a single person guarding the door.
Still, I kick it down. The hinges are fragile and wobbly from the facility being blasted so it falls down flat with one strike.
“Nobody moves!” I scream, panting and huffing at the white coats at the controls with their clipboards in their faces.
“Back away from the controls or else!” I make a strong demonstration of what else implies by firing at the floor.
They get the idea. But in a turn of events, I never imagined or expected, one of the white coats hisses at me and raises an arm.
Suddenly, I’m weightless again.
My surprise doesn’t last long enough for them to spin me about in the air like the last psychic did, in swift retaliation, I pull my trigger and a laser bolt bores straight through the slick black skull of the white coat.
