《Smoke and Mirrors》 1 - Hall of Mirrors Chapter One The cardboard box sat in the mover¡¯s van, and though I¡¯d tried to move it. I couldn¡¯t. Now, I stood over it defeated, panting and sweating. This move had been the worst. I mean, what move wasn¡¯t? None of them had ever gone to plan, but this one¡­ well, I¡¯d three flights of stairs and the smallest doorway in the world to get this monstrosity through. What on Earth had I got in it? I didn¡¯t even remember packing this one¡­. Oh yeah, this one, this was over ten years old. One I¡¯d never unpacked from moving out of my parents. ¡°Come on, Kade, the movers want to get the van back!¡± Alli called from the top of the first set of stairs. I rolled my sleeves up, ready to tackle it once again. This box was not going to win. Three. Two. One! With a heave, it was in the air, and I was staggering up the pathway to our new apartment block. Just three flights. Just three! I could do this. Alli ran up ahead of me, fresh as a daisy, all full of beans. No wonder she hadn¡¯t been carrying boxes up! ¡°Don¡¯t you dare drop that,¡± she ordered. Right now, I wanted to launch it into space. One. Two. Three. My arms screamed at me. Nothing prepared me for this, no matter how much I was lifting in the gym. Just nothing. Alli stood in the main living room, hand on her hips, as I struggled with the huge box. She then turned to pay the movers. I mean, they¡¯d done their job. They deserved the pay. They¡¯d moved almost everything in. This box. This was mine, even if the movers had offered. Casually pretending my arms weren¡¯t about to give way and my back wouldn¡¯t snap in two, I dodged the other boxes and bags and deftly got the box into the spare bedroom. There I sank into a crouch and set it down with a light thud. Nothing in there was ever going to break. It had been wrapped up for a decade. My heart raced, and I collapsed, finally done. It wasn¡¯t long before the door slammed shut, and I could hear Alli moving around. When I looked up, she stood in the doorway, hand on her hip, her smile so wide no one would miss it. ¡°We did it,¡± she squealed. ¡°We did,¡± I replied, pushing myself up to go to her. Alli bounced into the room and jumped up into my arms. Kinda the last thing they needed right now. But she was tiny. ¡°Our own place,¡± she whispered, kissing my neck, then me. I let her joy swallow me whole. I¡¯d never dreamed in a million years we¡¯d get this place. But no one else had bid on it. Now it was ours. The top floor of the old Bakwatt Hotelier. Now some of the most luxurious apartments in the town. I let Alli slip from my grip without suddenly dropping her, and she took off like a whir into the living space. ¡°It¡¯s just so beautiful.¡± It really was. Everything about this place. Felt like home. Two bedrooms, ensuite, luxury kitchen, living room, offices, and¡­ Allie flung the patio door open. Somewhere to sit as the sun set in the distance. This was perfect. The breeze from outside cooled the sweat on my skin. I moved behind Alli and wrapped my arms around her to see what lay beyond. Rolling hills, the sea in the distance. Alli let out a long sigh, and I kissed the side of her face. ¡°You stink,¡± she said and laughed as she pushed me away. ¡°So, would you shift a hundred boxes up those stairs?¡± ¡°Worth it, though, yeah?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I dragged her back to me. ¡°Go shower,¡± she said. The box is already in there; it should have everything you need. I¡¯ll unpack the dishes and order some takeaway.¡± On cue, my stomach growled. ¡°Wonderful,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s a bottle of wine by the door too. Off one of the neighbors.¡± I could have stared out here all night and not showered, but Alli moved away and pointed at the door. ¡°Go!¡± The master bedroom¡¯s ensuite was the size of my old apartment in Grotty Town. White and blue marble and¡­ fuck. I stopped dead in the doorway. The largest bathroom mirror I¡¯d ever seen. My foot caught the bathroom box, and I almost stumbled backward. Quickly I leaned down, opened it, and pulled out a towel. That would do for now.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I closed my eyes and approached the mirror, deftly hanging the towel over it. I could shower and not worry, and I didn¡¯t. I¡¯d get it removed or painted. But it was not staying, that was for sure. The water was hot, and the power to the head jettisoned all my aches away. The idea was to eliminate my stink, but the relief on tired muscles was better. Movement caught my eye, and I saw Alli, hand on hip, staring at the towered mirror through the steam. I watched her shake her head, and then she was gone. But by the time I was done, I heard the doorbell go, and Alli¡¯s soft voice answered it. Dinner was here. I, however, had no clean clothes and only that towel¡­ I drip-dried a little, staring at it, knowing what was beneath it. Sucking in a breath, I grabbed it, turned around, and stomped out. I¡¯d deal with it tomorrow. Tonight, was for us. *** ¡°You really want to blindfold me?¡± I said as Alli stood by the driver¡¯s door, bandanna in hand. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if I didn¡¯t,¡± she protested. It had been two weeks since we¡¯d moved into our new place. Now it looked perfect, and so did Alli. Sundress, freshly washed hair that shone in the waning light. No one could resist. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°Go for it, but you better hope this is worth it.¡± Alli giggled, that incredible tinkling sound I could never get enough of. ¡°I promise,¡± she made me bend down slightly so she could tie it. It wasn¡¯t totally dark enough. But it made seeing anything impossible. ¡°We¡¯re not going far, right?¡± Alli helped me into the passenger side of her car. The heat here was just awful, so she started the engine immediately and walked the air con on full. It blew out hot air, and soon I was sweating again. ¡°Not far, no.¡± The gears crunched as she popped it in reverse. I¡¯d have to get that looked at. Seemed the clutch was on its way out. Either that, or she¡¯d forgotten how to drive over the last two weeks lounging around at home. Being driven about with a blindfold on was terrifying. Slight images of things, filtered under the bandanna, flickering light, then darkness. We were heading out into the forest behind our apartment. ¡°I know you¡¯ve had a hard time,¡± Alli said. ¡°Works been hard,¡± I replied to her and reached over the gearstick for her hand. Alli took it and squeezed, the softness of her skin, her warmth lit me on the inside. ¡°You work so hard. I thought a nice walk out here would be good. There¡¯s this amazing old place I want to show you.¡± ¡°The surprise?¡± All went silent, and then, a good few moments later, the car pulled up and stopped. Ending idling. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked. The sheer excitement in her voice spread through me. What was it? I couldn¡¯t wait to see either. Alli had to help me out into wherever we were. I shivered. Was it excitement or cold? A bit of both. We walked forward, the ground crunching underfoot. Gravel? Then it went soft, so grassy¡­. I tried to picture where it was, she was taking me. I couldn¡¯t. There weren¡¯t many places I¡¯d not been around here. It had been my hometown before I moved out to the city. Now, I was glad I was back. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± she said. ¡°Good, I was starting to get worried we¡¯d be in the next city.¡± ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡± I could see Alli¡¯s shoes from under the bandanna as she came around to take it off. With a flourish and a ¡®tada,¡¯ the semi-darkness vanished. I focused on the wall before me at first. Not realizing what it was. My eyes drifted up, and the faded, rotten hanging sign appeared. Marshall¡¯s Fun Fair. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing,¡± Alli said. I froze. It couldn¡¯t still be here. It couldn¡¯t. The sign swung a little in the breeze. Light rain dusted my face. I wanted to fucking bolt. Run faster than I ever had and get the hell out of here. No, no, no, no. No ¡°Ugh, they said it wouldn¡¯t rain!¡± Alli said and, grabbing my hand, dragged me toward a set of barricaded double doors. ¡°You can¡¯t go in there,¡± I protested. ¡°Sure we can. There¡¯s no one here. I triple checked.¡± I could not stop her from sliding inside a gap, and she pulled me with her. Memories flooded through me. Images I had never wanted to recall. Smells like I had blocked it. Fresh baking donuts, the sweet, almost burnt scent of candy floss. Bile rose up my stomach as Alli turned toward another building. Just as dilapidated as the wall was. Outside, the overgrown climbers crawled over it, the clown-faced monster on the door staring at me. Tormenting me¡­. Over the doorway, painted in red. Hall of mirrors. My feet stopped moving. ¡°Come on,¡± she begged. ¡°You have to do this, you have to face this problem head on.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± I stepped backward. ¡°What part of I hate mirrors did you not understand? What part of its not just a problem but a fucking phobia did you forget?¡± I was honestly dumbstruck. How had Alli even found this place? Alli wasn¡¯t giving in, though. ¡°You just need to come inside, with me,¡± she said. In the next breath, she had the door open, and the darkness inside swallowed her. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I couldn¡¯t move. Time slipped into that forever, never moving nightmare of my dreams. Memories of laughter and¡ª Steve. Kids were everywhere, running and screaming. Music blared inside my mind. I tried to stop it¡­ stop the noise. My hands covered my ears. The kids screaming, turned into my screaming. No, no, no, no. No Then Steve ran past me¡­ How could he? Steve was dead¡­. It wasn¡¯t Alli dragging me inside now. It was Steve. Steve, who hadn¡¯t changed in ten years, wearing khaki shorts, a holy t-shirt and muddy trainers. Steve, whose face was covered in sugar and smiles. ¡°You have to come in,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to. I didn¡¯t like the idea of so many mirrors in one place. ¡°They¡¯re bad luck,¡± I said. ¡°No, they¡¯re not,¡± he laughed. Steve tugged me inside. ¡°What are you so scared of,¡± Steve asked. ¡°It¡¯s harmless fun!¡± Harmless¡­. Mirrors were everywhere. I tried to turn around and was faced with several images of myself, of him, of us together. But not the me I knew now. The thirteen-year-old me. The pudgy kid with the spotty face, the clothes that never fit. Every version of myself was laughing at me. The skinny one. The fat one, The one where my head was longer than my body. They all laughed. I covered my eyes, but all I could hear was that awful, awful laugh. I couldn¡¯t look anymore. ¡°What are you so scared of?¡± Steve asked again. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± The voice in my mind echoed, and then I started laughing. ¡°Can¡¯t catch me!¡± Steve shouted. I barely opened my eyes to see the bouncing rollicking image of him running away from me. My biggest fear. ¡°Steve!¡± I shouted. ¡°Come back!¡± Time never moved. ¡°Alli!¡± I called. Nothing. No laughter. No music. ¡°What are you so scared of?¡± Steve asked. ¡°Mirrors can¡¯t eat people!¡± But they had. I curled into myself. Tears streaming down my face. My chest fit to burst. ¡°Kade?¡± a voice came to me. ¡°Kade?¡± I tried to block it. Turn away. ¡°Kade,¡± Alli said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I looked up into the distraught eyes of the woman I loved. ¡°Mirrors can¡¯t eat people!¡± Steve¡¯s voice echoed all around me. I stood up. ¡°Mirrors do eat people!¡± I shouted back at him. The mirrors all around me vibrated and shimmered. All the images of my childhood, running everywhere, trying to find him. All the pain and loss of no one being able to. The police were at my house. The police at school. The tape was all around the fairground doors. The news headlines. ¡°Thirteen-year-old child goes missing.¡± ¡°Thirteen-year-old Steve Rash, presumed kidnapped.¡± Weeks later. Months later. ¡°Kade, I¡¯m sorry,¡± was all I could hear in the background. I could only watch the scenes before me unfold. Those memories I¡¯d buried for years. The mirrors around me vibrated with the words. ¡°Mirrors can¡¯t eat people!¡± Steve was mocking me. The mirrors changed, though; they started to glow. Something was there. Something moving that wasn¡¯t a memory. The surface rippled, and I took a step toward it. A hand shot from the center, grabbed my shirt and yanked me toward it. A face I barely recognized pixelated in front of me. ¡°Mirrors can¡¯t eat people!¡± Steve said and then dragged me inside. ¡°KADE!¡± Alli screamed behind me. ¡°KADE!¡± Her voice faded, as did the brightness of the mirrors. Then another said, "You are Kade Webster?" "Yes," I confirmed. Relocating body mass in three¡­. Two¡­. 2 - Space Battle Chapter Two Everything went dark, then swirling, then my stomach twisted¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it. Sickness was not a thing I could ever stand. I vomited where I had no idea. The bottom of my ass tingled, and that tingle ran up my spine to the back of my neck. It turned from tingling to stabbing, and my whole body spasmed. I tried to fight the hands that had grabbed me. It couldn¡¯t be. It just couldn¡¯t. I was getting eaten! This was the mirror¡¯s stomach. One The sickness settled, and the hand held onto me tightly. ¡°I got you.¡± I knew that voice¡­ I did. Transfer complete. Alarms blared, and my eyes struggled with the bright lights above me. I tried to focus. The room around me spun wildly, and nausea washed over me again. ¡°What the?¡± ¡°Kade?¡± a gruff voice asked. ¡°You with me?¡± The room still spun, those bright lights assaulting my vision. I tried to shield them, to see. ¡°What? What is this¡­ Steve?¡± Boxes of text filled my vision. I tried to blink them away but couldn¡¯t. It made the view in front of me even more difficult. ¡°The system¡¯s trying to figure you out. Swipe the notices away. We don¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± I struggled to even comprehend anything he was saying. ¡°What is this?¡± I tried swiping the boxes away, and to my surprise, I got them. They slid out of the way, just a blinking icon in the corner of my vision. Then I could see¡­ Steve¡­. Holy shit¡­ Where the fuck was I. This¡­ I scanned the room. It was not a room. It was the deck of a spaceship. Was this some kinda VR? ¡°Incoming Missiles Detected.¡± A somewhat robotic female voice said. Steve turned away and shouted over the alarms. ¡°Evasive manoeuvres, Jen, now.¡± Then he was back in my face. ¡°Did you carry on playing SpaceShips Online?¡± What a question¡­ I shook my head. ¡°No, Steve, what is this?¡± The floor vanished from underneath us as explosion after explosion blasted my ear drums. ¡°Fuck!¡± Steve said and let go of me. Then he floated away¡­ I was surprised when I didn¡¯t hit the floor myself. I stayed floating. Steve, however, had done it. He¡¯d pushed away from me and was moving to what looked like the command chair¡ª Then I saw the rest of it¡­ in front of us on a screen as wide as the room. That wasn¡¯t glass, right? Fuck, if it was glass! In front of us was the largest, well, the only spaceship I¡¯d ever seen that wasn¡¯t in a game. It came into view with lasers sparking, and its sights were centered straight at us. ¡°Steve¡­¡± My voice was shaking¡­ I was shaking. No, the whole fucking ship was shaking! ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± he said. Though he was frantically smashing buttons on the arms of his chair. It didn¡¯t look like he got this at all. The spark turned into a beam, and it fired. Then it stopped dead, lighting space before us in firey death. ¡°Shield holding,¡± the robot woman said. ¡°Not for long,¡± Steve said, his hands working faster than I had ever seen anyone move. That wasn¡¯t humanly possible. That was too fast. ¡°Shields at sixty percent.¡± The red hot burning flame stayed on the shield but sparked blue lightening all around it. ¡°Shields at fifty percent.¡± ¡°Come on, Steve, do something!¡± I said, even if floating around here made me want to throw up again. ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± ¡°Shields at thirty-two percent.¡± ¡°Dammit,¡± Steve said, standing and moving to another console, again smashing keys. ¡°Missile¡¯s launching.¡± The man before me straightened himself up as several rockets launched from somewhere, speeding towards the ship before us. I could do nothing but try and slow my breathing. It wasn¡¯t working. ¡°Missile strike in thirty seconds.¡± ¡°Shields at eighteen percent.¡± ¡°Where will it hit?¡± Steve asked. ¡°Engineering bay two.¡± ¡°I need to get down there.¡± ¡°You cannot leave the bridge,¡± the voice said. Steve made to move, though, yet as I turned, doors behind me closed. ¡°Jen,¡± open the doors. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I order you to¡ª¡± Was he arguing with a computer? ¡°I said no,¡± Jen said. ¡°Shields at four percent.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Steve turned to see, his face paled. We both watched in horror as that laser tore through our shields with a massive blast of excess sparks and flames. There was no explosion this time, as it obviously hit the ship. ¡°Engineering Bay two is hit.¡± Steve¡¯s shoulder fell, but the missiles he sent in retaliation at the ship struck hard. It literally blew everything that ship was into a million pieces. The debris shooting everywhere. ¡°Damage report,¡± Steve said, sitting back in his chair. ¡°We have taken significant damage to all systems. System failure in twenty-four hours.¡± He looked up at me. The teenager I once knew was gone. ¡°Restore gravity to the bridge.¡± ¡°That will reduce life expectancy¡ª¡± ¡°Jen,¡± he said, his voice cold. ¡°Do it now.¡± ¡°Gravity will increase over the next five minutes.¡± It did. It was a gentle, pleasant, and steady drift back down to the floor, ugh, the deck. I stood, though my back was complaining still from moving into our new apartment. Steve carried on with his assessment of the ship. Though I knew nothing of what he was doing. I watched Steve for a minute, his left hand rubbing his face. Was he older than me? He had more than a couple of gray hairs, a stubbly gray beard, and he was dressed in what I could only describe as a skin-tight uniform. There were no other identifying markers to him, only the fact I knew his voice, that twinkle in his eyes. ¡°Steve?¡± I probed gently. He looked up at me and stopped rubbing his face. ¡°Kade,¡± he said and stood. To my surprise, he came at me and threw his arms around me, hugging me tight. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯ve done to get back here to you.¡± I swallowed and awkwardly hugged him back. ¡°If we only have twenty-four hours and ten years to catch up on¡­¡± I cajoled. ¡°Better get started now.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a bit,¡± he said, stepping back and looking me up and down. ¡°Liar. I know I have,¡± I pushed out my chest, my muscles¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve gone grey.¡± ¡°Dick,¡± he said. Then he laughed, though softly. ¡°You really haven¡¯t changed.¡± Silence spread between us¡­ ¡°Come on,¡± he indicated the doors behind us. ¡°I need to see the damage below. I¡¯ll try and explain on the way.¡± I blew out a breath, and when he moved, I followed. ¡°Just ask; I don¡¯t know where to begin,¡± he said. ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked first. ¡°How?¡± The corridor out from the bridge was vaguely reminiscent of a hospital corridor. Just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. ¡°You¡¯re on my ship, the last remaining vessel of the Hollow Division.¡± He patted the wall as he passed a closed doorway. A soft red light blinked above it, and he frowned. ¡°The computer system, Jen, manages most of the tasks, but the¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the ships named Goliath?¡± His lip curled into a smile, then a grin. ¡°Things really don¡¯t change much, you remember?¡± ¡°Of course I do. You would never have it any other way, no matter what faction we played..¡± ¡°Yes, Jen manages the Goliath. Though he¡¯s not much of a giant against their ships.¡± ¡°Who are they, are more coming? My heart rate sped up¡­ I could see it in the dam corner of my view¡­. 98bpm. This was so weird. ¡°The Railis,¡± Steve said, tapping the side of his head. ¡°Those who created the system.¡± ¡°So, those boxes in my head are real?¡± ¡°Yes, and they are part of the system they use to govern and manage all of us.¡± Steve stopped by a door, put his palm to a panel, and waited. ¡°The System? You mean it¡¯s really like a computer game?¡± Steve slammed the panel again. ¡°Jen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s coming; we¡¯re struggling for power.¡± Steve cursed. At least, I thought it was a curse. It wasn¡¯t a language I knew. ¡°Save as much as you can,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll take the aqueduct.¡± The light on the door stopped blinking. Steve moved to the other side of the corridor where and opened a panel. When he turned to climb inside, he stared at me. ¡°Still don¡¯t like heights either?¡± I shook my head; not if it¡¯s as deep as I think.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be okay. It¡¯s not too far down. Just take your time. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± He vanished from sight then, and I moved to peer into the duct. It wasn¡¯t a long way down my arse¡­. If you recall those movies where it zooms in and out the more you look. Yeah, that¡¯s what I face now¡­ I had to force myself to look at Steve instead as he climbed down, slow and steady. I watched him move further away from me, giving me no choice but to follow. I edged over, fear gripping me, and my hands shook. Slowly I dropped to the ladder, then rung by rung crept down. It took me forever, but pretty sure it wasn¡¯t much more than a few minutes till I reached the bottom, and like he said, Steve stood waiting for me. ¡°What¡¯s in Engineering Bay 2?¡± I asked. Steve¡¯s face fell once more. This time it paled, and he looked as if he were going to throw up. When he spun around and gagged, I didn¡¯t want to see, but I also couldn¡¯t turn away. He was my friend. His vomit struck the deck and splattered everywhere. Lights at the side of the corridor lit. ¡°Leave it, Jen, later.¡± He pushed himself up and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Ugh. ¡°My friends are in there,¡± he said, turned, and opened the panel before him. This was a different corridor with only one doorway at the end. Once we were moving again and the door behind us closed, it was clear that something was severely off down here. Steve moved quickly to another panel and pulled it off. ¡°Engineering is compromised. I can seal down here so we don¡¯t lose too much extra atmosphere, but you¡¯ll have to suit up.¡± ¡°As in an EMU?¡± ¡°Extravehicular mobility unit,¡± Steve nodded. ¡°Games never failed us, right?¡± I laughed at that. ¡°I have no idea how to do that.¡± ¡°They¡¯re pretty easy. I¡¯ll help. Don¡¯t worry.¡± I watched him pull out what looked like a sizeable old-fashioned boiler suit. ¡°Just unzip and climb in like a plastic rain suit.¡± I watched as he did just that. He unzipped it from the collar and stepped inside, boots and all. I was only in jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and trainers. But I guessed that was okay. Once inside it, it surprised me by making awful sucking sounds and compressing around me. ¡°Yikes,¡± I said. Steve moved his hand up to the collar. ¡°Touch here; it will then encompass your head, like this¡­¡± he did so though I couldn¡¯t see anything till he moved in the light. ¡°See it now?¡± I nodded and did as he¡¯d said. Cold spread up my neck, then all over my head, but it didn¡¯t seem like anything visually had changed till I moved too. There was a slight sheen to the world around us. Blue, not greenish. ¡°Gloves are here,¡± Steve returned to the panel and handed me a pair. I slipped them on. I mean, who didn¡¯t know how to put those on¡­. ¡°You should be good to go; there¡¯s only one way to check. Think the words - System - Check suit. Then tell me what you see?¡± I thought the words, and they screened across in front of me. System checking EMU - Wait. System check complete - EMU is 100%. Steve raised his thumbs up at me, and I did the same even if I could talk to him, though I¡¯d no idea how. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked. ¡°There will be no gravity here, but the boots keep you on the deck. I just have to see and then work out what we need to do to fix things.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± I really wasn¡¯t. Who the fuck was I kidding? He was taking me into a room that had just been laser blasted that had his friends inside? What were we entering? What devastation. It was less than five seconds, and I had a full view of that devastation. The ample space opened up before us, the atmosphere rushing past, I presumed, just straight out into space. Nothing stopped it if the shields were down. Steve shot off into the center of the room to what looked like a large circular table. He put his hand to it, even with gloves on, and it came to life. A large flat keyboard in some kind of weird language popped up? He didn¡¯t have any issues using it, though. The room around us, I presume, had been smoke-filled, even if it was heading straight out the hole in the hull, lit up. I turned around slowly, not able to turn my neck to see. The room was¡­ the size of a stadium¡­ holy moly. We were at the center in what also looked a little like a bubble? It had several wall units to one side of it, not wall units, pods? I¡¯d seen enough Sci-Fi movies and played enough games to know what they were. Life pods. I counted them, thirteen. Though the last one I got to wasn¡¯t the same color as the others. Where they had a nice blue tinge to them, this one was red. ¡°Steve?¡± I probed, looking back at him. Steve looked at the pod. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do,¡± he said his voice barely a whisper. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°She?¡± I hadn¡¯t been able to tell. There was the basic image of something inside; that was all. Steve crumpled to the deck, and I wondered what the hell to do. I didn¡¯t know this man. I didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d been through in the last ten years, almost as much as he knew nothing of my life. But seeing his hands on the deck in such distress. I went to him, and I knelt at his side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. ¡°I promised them,¡± he said. ¡°I promised them I¡¯d get them somewhere safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you did your best,¡± I said. He always did that. One thing I did know, he never gave up. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I knew they were following us, but I saw your beacon light up. I¡¯ve waited for that for so long¡­. I never thought I¡¯d see you again.¡± I didn¡¯t understand. Steve just nodded at me. Closed his eyes a moment. ¡°Stopping to let the mirror lock in on the ship gave them time to catch us.¡± I just listened. ¡°Then I¡¯m the one that should be sorry.¡± ¡°No,¡± he said and pushed himself up. ¡°Give me a minute. Let me try diverting some power from one of our generators to shields. At least I can try and patch the hole for now.¡± I glanced at the dead pop, ¡°What about your friends?¡± He moved back to the keyboard and started typing. ¡°They¡¯re okay for now. If I can stabilize us, I can see what other things we need and take it from there.¡± ¡°What can I do?¡± I had no idea. I was out of my depth, any depth. He looked at me and feigned a smile. ¡°Not much till I get you some basic upgrades. You can¡¯t read the language, right?¡± I looked at his screens and shook my head. ¡°Yeah, just all look like aliens to me.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat. Look through your system. Figure out what you want to ask me?¡± He pointed to a seat at the other side of the desk. ¡°I guess, so I¡¯d probably just annoy you if I started jabbering now.¡± He smiled. ¡°Once the rooms are stable, I¡¯ll answer anything you wish.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I sat, and though I watched him, I thought about what I¡¯d said before to access the system. ¡°System,¡± I paused. ¡°View my details?¡± I waited. When the boxes popped back into view, I could at least read them without worrying about what was blowing up around me. 3-First Mission Chapter Three Nothing happened, and then it did. The screen flashed and then changed. Showing my just my name. I had to laugh at that. I needed some more instruction here, but I didn¡¯t want to ask, not yet. Steve looked busy, very busy, and very upset. As much as I needed to know everything right now. I also wanted to give him space. Yeah, this just seemed like any other game I¡¯d played with Steve as a kid. I read over my name again and again. My mind drifted, to Alli, to home. How far am I from home? You are in the Alpha Centauri system, approximately 5 light years from Earth. I wasn¡¯t expecting an answer¡­ that just made me want to ask more questions. ¡°Kade?¡± Steve said. I looked up at him. He¡¯d stripped himself out of the suit. His eyes were soft, though his face was tear-stained. ¡°How we doing?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re okay for now,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re stable. You can take the suit off.¡± I shrugged, ¡°How?¡± He stepped forward and clicked my collar. ¡°Pretty much the same as you did putting it on.¡± There was a hint of smoke when I breathed in this time. ¡°We¡¯re not on fire?¡± ¡°Not anymore. A few core systems are fried, though.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I looked around, stood, and slipped out of the suit, instinctively moving to put it back where I¡¯d gotten it from. ¡°Still like to keep things clean?¡± he asked. I turned back to him. ¡°I guess so. Still like to keep things dirty?¡± I motioned to his suit on the circular desk. He moved, picked it up, and returned it to the panel too. ¡°Yeah, bad habits.¡± He stood there and looked at me. ¡°Your clothes are weird,¡± he said. ¡°I can say the same about yours. What are you, a Captain?¡± ¡°Technically, I was. Now we¡¯re the last of the Hollow Division. I¡¯m technically Overseer for the division.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Somewhere we can get a drink. While you explain more?¡± ¡°Mess halls back that way, foods all automated by Jen, so anytime you want to eat, just head there. A couple of units are dotted around the ship for fluids, basically water or herc juice.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so nice.¡± ¡°Enhanced nanite water,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. You¡¯ll need it if you get tech.¡± ¡°Tech?¡± Steve tapped his arm, and to my horror, his hand shot forward, and inside was a pure metal bone¡­ ¡°Yeah, I lost my arm a few years ago. This is nite fuelled.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cyborg? Fuck, that¡¯s wild. Does it feel exactly like your real one?¡± He smiled at me, ¡°Better than the real one.¡± Steve approached a door ahead, and this one opened automatically, exposing a nice-sized room with several tables. He moved to what looked like a large fridge at the far end of it and spoke clearly. ¡°Two strong coffees, triple stacked bacon and cheese barms, and some fresh toki fruit with cream.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing.¡± I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been here, but I¡¯m starving. Feels like forever since I ate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the travel between universes,¡± he said as the trays of food appeared, the steaming mugs of coffee on another. ¡°Essentially, it takes over a day from one side to the other, so yeah, you haven¡¯t eaten in a while or drank. Which is why I gave you that other before.¡± ¡°Water as well, then, please. Don¡¯t want to overdose on your coffee before I know what¡¯s in it.¡± He laughed, and we waited as a pitcher of water appeared on the tray with two glasses. Then he directed me to one of the several tables and sat. I sat opposite him, still not believing anything about what we¡¯d just been through. The food won, though. ¡°Where do I start,¡± Steve said, pouring us a glass of water. I picked the coffee up first and drank. It wasn¡¯t too hot, but damn, it had a rich, full-bodied flavor. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Only the best stored in Jen¡¯s memories.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not real?¡± Steve shook his head. ¡°Just be glad it tastes like it is.¡± I drank more and let out a sigh. ¡°Oh, I am glad, just don¡¯t tell me if it¡¯s made out of insects or something.¡± He choked. ¡°It¡¯s made out of insects, isn¡¯t it?¡± I almost died coughing. Steve laughed then and couldn¡¯t stop himself from turning bright red. ¡°You should see your face.¡± ¡°Asshole,¡± I said, picking up the water to down it. While we both calmed down, I couldn¡¯t help but see the man in front of me, warts and all. It was clear he¡¯d been through so much. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked this time; I meant it. My tone was totally serious. Steve pulled some bacon off his barm and popped it in his mouth; he chewed before he answered. ¡°You¡¯ve never been back to the fun fair, have you?¡± The smell of bacon won, and I had to take a huge bit myself. I could then, of course, only shake my head. I swallowed the bit down too fast and had to drink to get it to settle. ¡°I couldn¡¯t. There was no way you could have got out of the hall of mirrors. They¡¯d cameras everywhere. But you never came out. The police eventually said someone had disguised you, gotten away with you, kidnapped you, and the hunt continued for months. Eventually, they and everyone around us presumed you were¡­.¡± The barm didn¡¯t seem a good idea right now, but I knew I needed it. ¡°I got counseling for a while, my parents insisted. But they never let me go back. In the end, I screamed at every mirror we came across. I then pushed it to the back of my mind. I was there by¡­ my fianc¨¦ forced me.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad she did,¡± he said. ¡°Basically, and take it as you will. The stars aligned, and one of the mirrors in there is planted, and only certain people can activate it. It did so when we were there together, but it wouldn¡¯t activate again till you came back. When they do, those who control the mirrors know there¡¯s people on that planet that can be harvested.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°That sounds awful.¡± ¡°Usually, yes. I was very lucky. The Hollow Division intercepted the signal that gave Earth some time.¡± ¡°But now¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s blown that. And as last of the Hollow Division, the system has given us one chance to stop the Rallis getting to Earth.¡± ¡°The system¡­ one chance?¡± I picked up my barm and ate some more, needing to swallow his words as much as the food before me. ¡°Imagine the whole of our planet plunged into a world where fantasy monsters lived, and you had to fight them to survive.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± I said, chewing my food even though nausea spread through me. ¡°Yeah, like your worst games on steroids.¡± ¡°I liked fantasy¡­. You liked¡ª¡° ¡°Sci fi,¡± he chimed in. ¡°That would suck,¡± I could only agree. ¡°What does it mean for me, though, now?¡± ¡°According to the Captain, I took over from, there¡¯s usually only one chance to stop the Rallis, one person that can cross to them who can stop the invasion by becoming their champion.¡± He shrugged. ¡°They thought that was me. They were clearly wrong. We were losing against them. Today was the final chase, and we were getting away. There¡¯s usually not another mirror alert¡­ but I hoped¡­, and I had to see if you were there. ¡°You didn¡¯t just see,¡± I said. ¡°You dragged me through it.¡± ¡°I helped, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had nightmares for years about those mirrors,¡± I said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ever catch my reflection, let alone go back there¡­ Those last words you ever said to me, do you remember?¡± ¡°Mirrors can¡¯t eat people?¡± he paled. ¡°Shit, you¡¯ve never looked in a mirror since?¡± ¡°Oh, they tried to force me, but I couldn¡¯t. Every time I thought about it, all I could see was some horrible monster coming out of the mirror to do exactly that and eat me.¡± ¡°You need to see what your mission requests are. I can bring them up for you.¡± I nodded and carried on eating. Steve reached out, took one hand off my barm, and put my wrist to his. A little silver spike shot out, and though I never felt it, it connected with skin and then vanished inside. ¡°There we go,¡± he said and smiled. ¡°Now, this might feel weird, but I¡¯ll run through it as I would check off things. Show you the most important bits.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s like most games, health, mana?¡± ¡°You think there¡¯s magic here?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Is there?¡± He nodded. ¡°Not quite what you would find in a computer game or how you¡¯d think it might work for real, but there is. Let me take it one step at a time.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°Help?¡± My HUD flashed up with a screen over it we both read. Name - Kade Webster Species - Human Class - Druid Level = ?? Respawns = 3 Health = 89% Mana = 4% Nanites x 1 Healing Speed = Nil Engineer = Level Ten. System Acclimatisation = 8% System Knowledge Level = 5% System Disadvantage 1 88% Aligned with - Steve Rash and the Goliath, Bound to the Renegages - The Hollow Division Crew members - Fourteen Alive - 1 Deceased That seemed easy enough. He glanced me up and down. ¡°So you really twenty-three?¡± I cocked my head at him. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I lost sight of that a long time ago,¡± I thought it was a lie; something else was going on there. But he just shrugged and finished his coffee off. ¡°Engineering?¡± ¡°Scientific Engineering, really.¡± ¡°Designing?¡± ¡°Yeah, I work for¡­¡± ¡°Hopefully, Nasa,¡± he said with a wicked grin. I laughed, ¡°I wish. I mean, maybe I could have one day.¡± ¡°Your level will show, and all the other details when your body has got up to 100% acclimatization. It¡¯s so you¡¯re not overwhelmed.¡± ¡°Makes sense, so will I see all the usual stats, Strength, Dexterity¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but they won¡¯t move too much. You can improve them, but mostly you¡¯ll concentrate on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution. Everything that will push you further up that design ladder.¡± Steve let out a sigh. ¡°Could do with a space engineer or two.¡± ¡°Your friends?¡± ¡°They had to be put in stasis a while ago; we¡¯ve had some issues for a while. The tech that feeds into the atmosphere, the extra component they breathe, failed. We had no choice but to stasis them while I tried to figure out what was going on.¡± ¡°And then this.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he sighed and pushed his plate away. ¡°I feel sick.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± I said, but I forced the rest of the food down. I needed it. I knew I did. ¡°How can I help here, now. You have twenty-four hours to fix everything?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said and deflated even more. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Components to fix the ship,¡± ¡°You can get them from around here?¡± ¡°No, only one place we can get them now.¡± ¡°Earth?¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± ¡°You think that mirror will work again so I can return.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hoping so both of us can go back.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay, though?¡± ¡°Hell no, with what might come for it, not a chance. I¡¯m getting this fixed up and back out there if I can.¡± I thought to all the people I knew, my job. My friends, only one person mattered, though. ¡°We can¡¯t bring anyone else?¡± Steve frowned. ¡°Got someone on the other side you love?¡± I nodded, then I thought about what she¡¯d done to me. What kind of person forces the one they love to face their fears like that? If I saw her, I¡¯d like to ask that at the least. Right now, though. I was beyond pissed. ¡°We only have twenty-four hours, though, we don¡¯t have time for visiting, and she¡¯d probably have me locked up if I started sprouting the mirror ate me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Steve said. ¡°I never meant to do any of this.¡± I looked at him, really looked at him. He wasn¡¯t a big man by any means, tall and thin. Maybe just not a lot of protein out here? But he was 100% still Steve. When he joked, his eyes had that shine, that humor. ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°I do, it¡¯s not your fault at all, and it¡¯s not your fault now.¡± He went quiet again, then something else flashed up. First Mission Arc - tasked to Steve Rash and Kade Webster. Join with Steve and the Goliath to stop the Rellis from invading Earth Use any means possible. Yes/No I didn¡¯t need to be told what to do there. I said - Yes. Steve let out a sigh there. ¡°Thank you. I wasn¡¯t sure you would.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, my best friend in trouble. My fianc¨¦ on Earth¡­ I¡¯m never going to say no.¡± Held his other hand out to me, and I almost growled and put my food down. We shook. ¡°Welcome aboard, goliath, and to the team.¡± ¡°Thanks, next.¡± He hesitated and pulled the little silver needle out of my wrist, withdrawing his hand. ¡°Do you have anything you want to ask me?¡± ¡°Only a billion questions,¡± I said. ¡°I want to know everything you¡¯ve done for the last fifteen years.¡± ¡°Same,¡± he smiled. ¡°You have a Fianc¨¦?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°But, complicated.¡± ¡°Been with her long?¡± ¡°Nearly eighteen months.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s fast, isn¡¯t it, to propose?¡± ¡°I guess when you think you love someone, it matters little.¡± Steve looked down. ¡°Someone you like in those pods?¡± He flushed. ¡°Yeah, though she doesn¡¯t know.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but I had to ask. ¡°Is she human?¡± ¡°No,¡± he frowned. ¡°Not at all. I think that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been a little hesitant.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t wait to meet her.¡± Steve stood. ¡°If we go to Earth like this, what do you think will happen?¡± ¡°You look like you¡¯re off a Sci-Fi film set, and I prob look like I¡¯ve been up all night.¡± ¡°You do,¡± he replied, giving me the once over. ¡°So I¡¯ve been here how long?¡± Steve checked his wrist. The time flashed up, and I could see it. Two digital numbers. ¡°4.30.¡± ¡°Four and a half hours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s long enough for Alli to get home and scream bloody murder at the police.¡± ¡°If I recall, they don¡¯t do anything if you¡¯ve been missing for less than 24 hours?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll take notes, etc.; push it to forty-eight hours. They only took yours so seriously because of your grades, and you were thirteen.¡± Steve indicated the dishes to be moved and showed me how to clear them. ¡°Yeah, my parents?¡± ¡°They moved on long ago; sorry, they split up too.¡± ¡°I always thought they would well before I even went missing.¡± ¡°Yeah, you got a few hidings off your ma,¡± I said. I hated that for him. ¡°Was it really better here?¡± I observed his reaction. His brows furrowed. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to talk about. Was it better? Maybe. But it took a lot of work, a lot of communication issues. I¡¯d sooner forget some of it from both sides, if you get me?¡± ¡°I do,¡± I said. ¡°I get it. I won¡¯t ask again. But if you want to, I¡¯m here.¡± Steve nodded, but his shoulders weren¡¯t as straight as before. If that was what you could call it, the bridge showed the view out into space. I just stood there while he sat down. ¡°I¡¯ll work through the rest of Jen¡¯s reports, and then we¡¯ll see about finding that mirror hole again.¡± ¡°It moves?¡± ¡°No, now you¡¯re here though. It means I can activate it from this side. Once I¡¯ve a little more energy off the ship.¡± ¡°I have managed to secure you another six hours. I might be able to get more by the time you go through back to Earth.¡± Jen said. ¡°Twenty-four hours is not a lot of time,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s all I can do,¡± Jen replied. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can get what we need then.¡± ¡°Get me a list,¡± I said, turning to Steve. ¡°Already got it. The rest of the ship isn¡¯t too bad. If we can get some more time after we¡¯ve picked up the items off Earth, I can move systems and pick up the rest. It says at a planet nearer here.¡± ¡°What will you need to do when you get the items back here?¡± ¡°A little space welding, some engineering marvels you¡¯ll have only dreamed about.¡± ¡°That I¡¯d really like to see.¡± ¡°Then you shall.¡± Steve stood. ¡°Jen, you have conn. Look after him.¡± ¡°Of course, hurry back. Captain.¡± Steve motioned to the doorway where I thought I¡¯d come through when he grabbed me. ¡°Is it there?¡± I asked. ¡°It will be, yes. Give it a moment.¡± The wall shimmered, and another box appeared in front of my face. Mission log - pick up all the missing and required items to fix up Goliath. Reward - Basic understanding of the Hollow Division vessel. Hidden Rewards - Will be revealed when complete. Y/N Again I clicked the yes. ¡°Then let¡¯s see how much Earth has changed,¡± Steve said. And in the blink of an eye, he vanished. What faced me though was that mirror, again. Memories flooded through me, how could I go back through it. "Mirror''s can''t eat people," the voices.... they were everything of my nightmare. Could I follow.... 4- Earth Chapter Four But of course I did. I hesitated so much stepping through that mirror again. I thought he might come back for me, but he waited. There were so many questions in my mind as the world around me faded. Wondering if how many times I went through it would it alter my DNA, would I mutate? So many silly things. This wasn¡¯t the first time that I felt just disorientated. This I processed a lot better. My vision swam with twinkling stars. Bright lights that for one moment made me try and shield my eyes. Of course, that didn¡¯t really work because I wasn¡¯t actually corporeal. We exited the mirror, and I turned to look at it, seeing the brief image of the spaceship through the swirling blue colors. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a ride.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember much from my first, but everyone after gets a lot more detailed,¡± Steve said. I glanced around. It was just as I¡¯d left it. I cringed. Mirrors. I still hated them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Steve asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t like them. Not sure I ever will, even if I know you aren¡¯t dead ¡¯cause nothing actually ate you.¡± ¡°Do you think your fianc¨¦ is about?¡± I never expected her to still be there. But I looked around and saw dusty footprints in and out of the hall of mirrors. ¡°I guess not. It¡¯s a bit of a walk from here if I recall.¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t mind walking; it will give me some chance to see if I can cope with the gravity. I have a few tricks up my sleeve if I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Does it feel different at the moment?¡± ¡°Did you feel different on Goliath?¡± I had to think about that for a little while. ¡°No, I guess I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m hoping there¡¯s really not been much difference between us, and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± We started walking, first out of the fair. ¡°This has really fallen apart,¡± Steve said. ¡°Yeah, after you vanished, things fell apart for them, the police cordoned it off for a few days, but then people didn¡¯t want their kids to come; it because a ghost park before long, and then no one even traveled for it, despite the stories that encouraged people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame we spent a lot of time here.¡± Seeing his face as we walked back to the wall was sad. ¡°Cold, though,¡± Steve said. I tugged my jacket off and handed it to him. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°It was hot on the ship, I can say that much.¡± ¡°Down to the laser and fires, I think.¡± He frowned but put my jacket on. That¡¯s when I saw Alli¡¯s car was still in the lot. ¡°What is she still doing here?¡± I said aloud. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Alli. My fiance.¡± ¡°You think that might complicate things?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°How am I going to explain where I¡¯ve been, like at all.¡± It didn¡¯t take her long to spot me, either. The headlights of the car shot on, and then, in the next moment, we were bared down upon by the fast-moving vehicle. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Steve said as he jumped out of the way, ¡°She¡¯s cra¡ª¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Alli opened the doors and jumped out, running for me. ¡°Kade, Kade, oh my god, you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve still try for your phone. Where, what? She literally trembled in my arms. She was terrified. I¡¯m glad she was okay, but to not have gone home? That was crazy. ¡°Why are you still here? It¡¯s late, really late.¡± She looked at me none plussed and I glanced to Steve¡­ ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be, I couldn¡¯t leave you¡­ I don¡¯t know where you went.¡± There were other headlights I saw in the distance. ¡°Who else is coming?¡± I asked her. Glancing again at Steve. ¡°I needed help searching. The police, they wouldn¡¯t believe me, they¡­ they said you were pranking me. But I knew, I saw you go through that mirror! I needed someone else to come, to look.¡± ¡°Who did you call?¡± ¡°My brother and his friends.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I thought you were just playing with me. I know how much you¡ª¡± That¡¯s when she saw Steve. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; who is your friend.¡± I had no clue what to say here. ¡°That¡¯s Steve,¡± I said in the end. I couldn¡¯t lie to her either. ¡°Steve? As in the Steve that went missing ten years ago?¡± Steve nodded and came a step closer. Even I could see the reflection of his uniform in her car lights. It shimmered and sparkled. ¡°Steve Rash,¡± he said and held his hand out. Alli took his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been missing for ten years, you look¡ª¡± ¡°Haggard?¡± I said. ¡°No,¡± Alli slapped me. ¡°Just older, wasn¡¯t he supposed to be your age?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Steve said. ¡°Things are different were I¡¯ve been, call it stress¡± ¡°Different? How is that even possible.¡± ¡°Where I¡¯ve been, well its complicated.¡± The headlights from the cars were drawing in closer up the forest path. ¡°Alli,¡± I pulled her to me. ¡°You can¡¯t talk to them about Steve. He can hide back inside till I¡¯ve sent them off.¡± ¡°You want me to lie to him?¡± ¡°I just need to talk to you properly with Steve for a while, without them and their questions. Can we just get rid of them?¡± ¡°Kade? That¡¯s not really fair. They¡¯ve driven a few hours to get here.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I knew that Chris did really live a fair trek away. And so did his friends. ¡°Just let them know how much you appreciate it. We¡¯ll meet them in the morning at Sally Orbits for breakfast. I¡¯ll refill all their tanks and pay for them to stay at the hotel if they go and let us sort it out.¡± Alli stared at Steve. ¡°You¡¯re really him?¡± Steve nodded, ¡°I am, and we don¡¯t need other people finding out right now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded but there was real sceptisism there. ¡°Go and hide, Kade can come and shout at you when we¡¯re done, and they¡¯ve gone.¡± Steve moved back to the wall and slipped inside. ¡°You¡¯re sure about this?¡± I held onto her. ¡°No, but I know I need to talk with you and work things through without them here.¡± She had tears in her eyes, and I wiped them away. ¡°I love you,¡± I said. ¡°I really love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too, more than I even thought possible. When you vanished, I thought about all the stories you told me about how Steve disappeared, that you never found him or his body.¡± The cars drew into the parking lot and were over to us within the next ten seconds. Chris got out, and with him, one of his friends. I knew they were both bouncers at one of the city¡¯s highest-rated X clubs. They were both tall, and easily twice my weight. Alli went to him, and he stared my way. I never even heard what she said to them, but she pulled her wallet out and gave him her credit card. Looking at the other two cars, with at least three guys in each. This was going to be one expensive night at the hotel for me. What else could I do, though? It took her a lot more words for him to chase his friend back in the car. Then he came to me. I almost expected to end up on the floor. ¡°You ever, ever do anything as stupid again, I will not hesitate to smack you upside down, understood.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant to be like this one on either side,¡± Alli placated. ¡°Its as much as my fault as his, I shouldn¡¯t have, I shouldn¡¯t have forced him to face them.¡± That was as heartfelt as it was going to be from her, she was looking at me those tears in her eyes still there. Chris glanced at her. ¡°I get it. We all have our phobias.¡± Then he turned, got in his car, and all of them left. ¡°Phobia?¡± I asked. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe it if I said it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Spiders,¡± she said with just the hint of a smile. ¡°You¡¯re kidding. He¡¯s been hiding all these years he doesn¡¯t like spiders?¡± ¡°Screams like a girl and will jump on the couch if he sees one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad¡­¡± ¡°Totally I am sorry. I used to take the piss out of him when we were younger. I think I get my aversion to phobias because I can¡¯t accept that he really is scared.¡± ¡°I really am scared of mirrors.¡± I replied. ¡°I know, I¡ª tears sprung from her eyes once again. I yanked her to me and held her. ¡°We¡¯ll be okay,¡± I said. ¡°I promise you we will.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have been making that kind of promise, but she was so upset. I wanted to wipe the slate clean and start again. I didn¡¯t care if Steve didn¡¯t want her involved. I needed her, and there was no way I would let her go now. Not ever. I moved to the wall and shouted to Steve. Alli frowned. ¡°I thought for a moment this had all been some weird dream.¡± ¡°Not a dream I said. Or a nightmare, any of it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think that is one of the worst things about it. This really is something I wish I could wake up from.¡± ¡°I wished I could have too,¡± Steve said. I pointed to Alli¡¯s car. ¡°We should go, at least drive back to ours, talk, and have a drink. Make a plan for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Plan?¡± ¡°You mean apart from the hotel breakfast.¡± ¡°We might not make that,¡± Steve said. "We have so much to do." Alli gasped. And I had to say. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to talk.¡± ¡°You really¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll drive. You sit in the back, Steve.¡± He nodded and climbed in, then I put it in gear, and we set off. By the time we arrive back at our new flat. I had explained everything that had happened to me and Steve had filled in a few blanks. It was much easier for me to listen to Steve and drive than actually question him myself. I liked how Alli asked things. She had the right mindset. I was all emotional but still very emotional. ¡°What did you train for?¡± Steve asked. ¡°She¡¯s a psychiatrist,¡± I replied. ¡°Cant you tell.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I remember one of my mom¡¯s doctors sounding so great. They could have gotten anything out of me there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our job. But also our job to see how much damage there¡¯s been done.¡± ¡°So you have a professional opinion of me?¡± ¡°Yes, you really believe all of this,¡± Alli gave me a worried side glance. ¡°So does Kade. That worried me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just struggling, you vanished in front of my eyes, no matter how much the police say it was a prank. I looked everywhere I could. I can¡¯t see how you¡¯d prank that.¡± I rested a hand on hers as the engine ticked cooling off. ¡°Let¡¯s get upstairs, have some drinks, and sit down for real.¡± ¡°I could eat,¡± I said. My stomach growling. ¡°You really weren¡¯t kidding about traveling between worlds making my metabolism work harder.¡± Steve got out of the car. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m hungry too. It really does make a difference.¡± We took the lift upstairs and then went inside. ¡°This is amazing,¡± Steve said. ¡°How can so much have changed in ten years.¡± ¡°We both have good jobs,¡± I said. ¡°We really worked hard for this.¡± Steve moved to the TV and cabinet display. ¡°I remember TV¡¯s and phones. Computers you could hold in your hands. Gaming systems you could take from room to room. Did VR develop anymore at all? ¡°Yes,¡± Alli said and moved to the fridge. She pulled it open and brought out a six-pack. ¡°Presuming you have alcohol where you¡¯ve been.¡± Steve actually shook his head. ¡°Not in the sense of what we had here.¡± ¡°Then maybe I won¡¯t give you the beer.¡± She made to pull it back, and he snatched it the frothing top spilling over. ¡°No way.¡± Steve instantly sucked it up. Then coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to not try it. I might never get another chance.¡± ¡°I can put some pizza in the oven,¡± she said. ¡°Is that okay, bit late for making something fresh.¡± ¡°Oh my god. Pizza, you¡¯re kidding me?¡± Steve¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I haven¡¯t had pizza in forever.¡± ¡°Over ten years,¡± I reminded him. When his face wrinkled I knew something more was going on. Alli moved to get all the things out, and we sat at the breakfast bar while I popped the lids. The first taste of beer tonight had my throat on fire. ¡°Why does it taste weird?¡± I asked. ¡°If you call the system log up, you can see. Our food has no real taste. It¡¯s just memories enhanced by the system. But this, this is real, and it¡¯s never had real food or drink before.¡± ¡°Holy shit.¡± I said. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°This is the first time for it to experience anything on Earth.¡± ¡°Is that a good or bad thing?¡± ¡°Maybe both. Like when you were with Alli, how you feel about her, and her kissing and touching you.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± I felt my face flush. Yes, so I guess no hanky-panky if you don¡¯t want them to be watching.¡± ¡°Fuck that,¡± I said. ¡°You ever try and refuse your girlfriend while she¡¯s rubbing all over you.¡± Steve flushed this time, and I cringed on the inside. ¡°What is she like?¡± I asked after another mouthful of beer. ¡°Intelligent, passionate, resourceful. They¡¯re called Flimats,¡± he said. ¡°Technically not human, but humanoid. They¡¯ve soft downy feathers all over and wear very light clothes. The ship was over warm, not just because of the lasers. They actually like it like that.¡± Ha, I laughed. ¡°So it really wasn¡¯t just me.¡± ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°They do like it to be fairly moist as well. Hence most of the time, I stay in this suit as well. It keeps my temperature on the right side of human.¡± ¡°I really hope we can help them.¡± I said. Alli came back to us, sitting next to me and popping her beer open. She took a swig. ¡°So what kind of materials are we looking at buying, and how much of.¡± Steve pulled his arm out and tapped his wrist. Alli stared at it as a long list of materials flashed up. ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± she said. ¡°Do you even have any idea how much all of that will cost?¡± Steve shook his head. ¡°I have no idea of any prices on Earth at the moment. Even when I was a child, I never paid attention to things like Rock salt or aluminum.¡± Alli chuckled. ¡°I can only imagine what kinds of friends you would have had if you did.¡± ¡°Me,¡± I said. ¡°He would still have been friends with me.¡± She smiled and leaned on me. ¡°This really is a bit bizarre.¡± ¡°Tell me about it; I never expected to be here,¡± I said. ¡°Especially with you and my x dead best friend. ¡°No,¡± Steve said. ¡°Missing ex-best friend.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hope that we can move on from that.¡± ¡°I hope so too.¡± The smell of pizza drifted to us all as we conversed. Alli had brought her laptop up to the bench, and we¡¯d started to make a list of things and prices. So far, the total was literally in the thousands. I¡¯d never have that kind of money even on my credit card. In fact using all of them, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d have enough. ¡°We¡¯ve never going to get all of this,¡± she said. ¡°I know,¡± I frowned. ¡°Not to mention it¡¯s in quantities; I don¡¯t think we could ever order in online.¡± ¡°Your right. This might take days.¡± ¡°Is there anything you can do without, what¡¯s the minimum you could do with?¡± Steve talked about his wrists a few more times, and then the prices on the laptop were reduced by half. That was a lot more manageable. ¡°You were over estimating?¡± ¡°I just wanted to be sure, yeah.¡± ¡°But this time, that¡¯s the absolute min you could take.¡± ¡°Yes, we need every drop of grain or salt for this.¡± I pulled my phone out of my pocket. And tapped the screen, making sure I was okay to hit my bank up. I checked all my accounts. ¡°Alli,¡± I said. ¡°I know,¡± she groaned. ¡°What?¡± Steve asked glancing to the both of us and back again. He looked so innocent, and this was as fucking bonkers as it came. Space ships, aliens coming to earth¡­. I sighed. ¡°This is our wedding fund,¡± I said and showed him the balance. ¡°You can¡¯t spend that,¡± Steve said, ¡°Thats¡­¡± ¡°With that and the credit cards, we have enough to buy the lot.¡± Alli just nodded. Steve swallowed. ¡°How about getting it to the fair.¡± ¡°That might still be a bit of a challenge.¡± ¡°Yeah, a few things have to come in, but if we call them first thing in the morning, they might get a super shipment out to us.¡± ¡°How long do you think that might take.¡± ¡°Twenty-four hours.¡± ¡°That is bad. So tight. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hope Jen can shave some more time for us. Like a lot more time.¡± The clock really was ticking. 5 - Believe it or not, the final jump. Chapter Five I really did hope Steve was right. We talked a little about things until early morning. The pizza was done and devoured in minutes. Steve ate one all by himself, and so did I. Alli picked apart one, and then Steve and I finished it. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you eat so much,¡± she said. ¡°Like ever.¡± ¡°Side effect, Steve said, ¡°From travel.¡± ¡°Shave any fat off?¡± ¡°Of course, if you¡¯ve no stores to take, ie, sugar or carbs, it will eat anything it can get its hand on while you move.¡± ¡°That sounds like every woman¡¯s dream come true.¡± I had to laugh at that. As she then went to pick up another slice of pizza. ¡°Alli,¡± Steve said and he looked at me. ¡°If we leave here, we¡¯re not coming back.¡± She swallowed the pizza quick, but garbled out. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What¡¯s coming for Earth can¡¯t be beaten. It will integrate with the planet. It will take over everything you love and know. We can¡¯t be a part of that. We have to reach the other races and prepare for the fact humans are coming into this war.¡± ¡°What about my friends, my brother.¡± ¡°Your brother would likely tell everyone he knew, and then we¡¯d have 1000 people at the door.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°He has no friends.¡± ¡°What about those he was with tonight?¡± ¡°More than likely, Hafi is his only friend. He¡¯d have probably just called in favor of the others. Or paid them.¡± ¡°So what are you saying, you want to bring with you, Chris, and Hafi?¡± Alli nodded, and I could see the strain in her mind. Her parents, my parents. Even Steve¡¯s there just wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you leave me here,¡± she said, then her voice cracked. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me here.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but pull her into my lap. ¡°This is a lot bigger than all of us. We can¡¯t stop it.¡± ¡°I know, but I can be with you if you die. I die.¡± ¡°Alli.¡± ¡°It really might come to that,¡± Steve said. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee I can put the ship back together in time, even with Jen¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Do you need more help?¡± Alli asked. ¡°May¡ª¡± Steve cut her off. ¡°What I need is my crew awake. They can do all the labor. We can¡¯t take anyone else, I¡¯m sorry. Even taking you wasn¡¯t on the cards.¡± Alli looked horrified and I just squeezed her to me. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have just left me would you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hate me for saying this,¡± I whispered and Steve looked away. ¡°But if I had no choice, and you could live a life safe on Earth, even without me. Yes, I would.¡± Alli threw her arms around me and I just held her. ¡°I love you,¡± she said. ¡°I hate you, but I love you.¡± When her eyes met mine and her lips touched mine. I kissed her, and finally she settled. ¡°I get it,¡± she said. ¡°I do, this is fast, so fast.¡± Watching Alli¡¯s resolve straighten her back, and wipe her face of emotion she looked to Steve again. ¡°What exactly do you need to wake them, and how much?¡± ¡°This would be their list,¡± it flashed up. ¡°It would take Kade and I a few hours. We need to fix several systems. They¡¯re complicated, but Jen¡¯s good at teaching.¡± ¡°Jen can guide me then too,¡± Alli said. ¡°That makes another set of hands, right?¡± Steve reluctantly nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Add in Chris and Hafi,¡± I said. ¡°That would more than double our chances.¡± ¡°What about the guys that were with him?¡± I risked. ¡°Do you think they could make it even better? Could Jen manage to talk all of us through this?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know who they are?¡± I can ask my brother. See what he thinks. Maybe call in some others if they¡¯re no good.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Steve stood. We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°We have time. Alli stood. ¡°It¡¯s almost breakfast time at the hotel if we walk over.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to drive?¡± She looked at the empty beers. ¡°You don¡¯t drink that much either. So no, you¡¯re not driving. If you clear it out of your system, we can drive it back. Or we¡¯ll get in with my brother.¡± ¡°One in each car; you know how big those lads were, right.¡± Alli laughed. ¡°My brother has been training all his life for that role. Of course, I know. Let¡¯s walk,¡± I said. ¡°You can call him. Explain some of this before we get there.¡± ¡°No one monitors your calls, do they?¡± Steve asked. ¡°No, not a chance. ¡°Then that¡¯s good. Call him.¡± Steve said. ¡°But let me know his honest opinion of his friends.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you.¡± That was good. I knew if she said it, she wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Do we need anything out of the apartment?¡± I asked Steve. ¡°I don¡¯t know, do you? If there¡¯s something you want, bring it; you might not get another chance.¡± Alli ran off and started throwing a few things in a bag. I followed her. ¡°You really okay with this,¡± I said as she shoved some clothes into a bag. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°But¡­ our parents both yours and mine. Well we¡¯ve all had our differences. I might not get to see them to say goodbye, but I hope that we can save them, you know?¡± ¡°I do,¡± I said and I swallowed. Pulling out some of my own things. I didn¡¯t have a lot I wanted to bring, my phone had lots of memories. But on the bedside set of drawers was one thing I knew Steve had to see and I had to take with me. A picture of us at my thirteenth birthday two weeks before the fair. ¡°We need to move,¡± Steve said poking his head through the doorway. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Alli said, ¡°that¡¯s all I want to bring. ¡°Good. Me too.¡± We both had a backpack full, but it wasn¡¯t overfull. Alli went to the fridge and cupboards. ¡°We might not get anything to eat like this ever again, right?¡± On Steve¡¯s nod she dumped the contents of our chocolate drawer and protein shelf into it. I took the few things I thought she couldn¡¯t get in. Then a couple of energy drinks out of the fridge. I handed her one and Steve.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I never had one of these either,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a shame. You¡¯ll be buzzing or throwing up.¡± ¡°Throwing up,¡± he said more than likely. While we walked, I drank the energy drink, and Steve popped his, But he gagged. ¡°Do you like this stuff? ¡° ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s vile.¡± I drank mine down, though, and opened a chocolate bar, handing him half. Try this. Steve knew what it was and wolfed it down. ¡°That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± ¡°I know, the local brands have extra protein in they¡¯re great.¡± While we ate the rest and I drank my energy drink. We listened to Alli talking to her brother. In the next breath, she came to my side. ¡°Chris wants to talk to you.¡± I sucked in a breath. ¡°Hey,¡± I said and took the phone off her. ¡°We¡¯re getting dressed now,¡± he said. ¡°We.¡± ¡°Me and Hafi.¡± ¡°You trust him?¡± I heard him cough. ¡°I love him,¡± he said. ¡°Then added. Alli doesn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I had no idea.¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s recent,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯m not leaving him either.¡± ¡°The others.¡± ¡°They¡¯re good guys. We can trust them. But I don¡¯t know if they have any other family, they¡¯d want to stay behind for.¡± ¡°Do you think you can give them a choice without blowing it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What if they want to go home.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll let them I won¡¯t say a thing. Are you really sure we won¡¯t be back. Ever.¡± ¡°No, I very much doubt it.¡± ¡°So any kind of pay?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°We¡¯d be risking our lives?¡± ¡°If you stay, you¡¯re risking your lives even more.¡± ¡°I get that.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk to them. We¡¯ll either all meet you at the breakfast bar or just me and Hafi.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± I hung up and I turned to Alli ¡°You were right; just Hafi coming.¡± ¡°Did he tell you anything specific?¡± She asked. ¡°What kinds of specific.¡± I fished. ¡°He¡¯s gay, isn¡¯t he?¡± I smiled at her. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dumb. He¡¯s twenty-one, prime of his life, and he¡¯s not once brought a girl home.¡± ¡°No one said anything to him, asked?¡± ¡°No, I never want to make him feel bad for it. He¡¯d say when the time was right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he was just waiting for the right time,¡± I said, and hugged her. ¡°So your gay brother, his friend, and maybe the others?¡± Steve asked. ¡°Yeah, if they will agree to never ever come back here.¡± ¡°Tough one.¡± Yeah, I have no idea if they¡¯ll agree to it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll soon see.¡± For the next ten minutes, we walked in mostly silence. Steve though he never shut up. It was hilarious, and Alli answered every question, from cars to electric cars, to bikes and newspapers not being in shops anymore. Everything was digital. That was different for him. Apparently, there was a main system for his friends¡¯ species. But not as open as the internet, just his species. When we got to the hotel. Chris was standing there with Hafi. This time when we approached, Chris moved in front of me. He crossed his arms over his chest, and I could only stare at those muscles¡­ I swallowed and looked up at him. ¡°You really mean we can¡¯t come back. This job¡¯s that special.¡± I nodded. ¡°Shall we go eat and talk just a little?¡± ¡°Foods good,¡± Steve said. ¡°Make the most of it.¡± Chris moved to his sister. ¡°I want to talk to you,¡± he said. Alli put her hand on his, looking up at him. ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡®I love you, and I know.¡± Chris then waved Hafi over to us all. ¡°This is Alli,¡± he said to the other burly man. ¡°My sister and her fiance, Kade. This is Steve, Kade¡¯s old friend. Everyone, this is Hafi, my boyfriend.¡± Hafi grinned at that. ¡°How does that feel?¡± he asked and moved to kiss the side of his face. ¡°It feels good to finally say it to family, friends.¡± I held my hand out. ¡°Chris, Hafi, good to have you with us.¡± Steve did the same. ¡°I hope you like flying,¡± he said. ¡°Not really; Hafi frowned and shivered. ¡°But I¡¯d do anything for Chris, including flying.¡± I looked at his sister. What had she actually told them? They weren¡¯t going to believe any of this, were they? We ate; well we all watched Chris and Hafi eat almost the whole menu. ¡°They¡¯re going to be a problem on the ship,¡± Steve mumbled to me. ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can keep up with their nutritional needs. They are huge guys.¡± ¡°Yes, they are. Is there anything we can bring with us to help?¡± ¡°Meat?¡± ¡°Alli,¡± I said. ¡°Think we could add a few frozen cows to that order?¡± She thought about it for a while before she spoke up again. ¡°I can sort it and get it there in time. But it will cost a bit more. It¡¯s also not frozen, can you¡ª¡± ¡°Jen can sort that,¡± Steve said. ¡°Won¡¯t be the first time we¡¯ve put food in stasis.¡± I saw Chris and Hafi¡¯s exchange looks, but she just waved them off. ¡°You fit us all in one car?¡± Alli said. ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Back where you came last night to find us.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s a fair way, you¡¯ve got rucksacs, and the car boot has got some of our gear from the gym. Changes of clothes.¡± ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± Steve asked, ¡°that might complicate our timeline.¡± But both guys shook their heads. ¡°If you can provide the basics, we¡¯re good. Everything we need is with us most of the time.¡± ¡°What kind of gear¡¯s in the boot?¡± I asked. ¡°Haif sells protein bars,¡± Chris said. ¡°Good, we can take those with us.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s shop stock.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll worry about that. I¡¯ll send them the funds where we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Hafi said. ¡°I can deal with that. At least if I do come back, I won¡¯t get arrested.¡± I laughed. ¡°We can squeeze into going back for our car,¡± Alli said. It really was a squeeze too. We didn¡¯t fit at all. But we managed, Alli across both Steve and my lap. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Steve said. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m in places I shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± Alli said, ¡°really.¡± We were out and in her car, and she was driving this time while we talked. She set up a call to Chris so we could talk car to car through the speakers, he and Hafi has all of us laughing at Chris¡¯s antics over their first few dates. ¡°I never knew my brother could be so damn cute.¡± Alli said. ¡°I like him like that,¡± I added. She beamed at me, and it lit my heart too. There was no way I couldn¡¯t have brought her or them. When we arrived at the car park, a couple of pallets of stuff had already been delivered. ¡°How are we going to do this?¡± I asked Steve. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to go in first, and open the gate. I can bring it to those doors?¡± ¡°Will that work if you can drag it to the doors?¡± Hafi looked about. ¡°There¡¯s no pallet truck.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get one off the next load,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll buy it off them if I need to.¡± I did need to buy it. They weren¡¯t going to leave it. Fortunately, Hafi was quite the charmer; they parted with it for a box of high-quality protein bars and enough extra pointers in their local gym that they were grinning and laughing all the way back to the wagon. I wished we could have kept those bars, but needs must. I got the first pallet on just as Steve came out the doors. I mean, I came out. ¡°I¡¯m going to need more pizza,¡± he said and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± He really frowned. ¡°I know, but damn, I¡¯ll never forget today.¡± ¡°How do you think we should do this? With the pallets?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to be starving after this.¡± ¡°I think you and Alli can go through twice. I can do a couple more I¡¯m used to it, but those two. He pointed to Chris and Hafi. I will say once until we see how much energy it takes off them.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°They can go through first, then if they recover¡­ we have three more pallets to come yet,¡± Alli said. ¡°Yeah, We¡¯ll have to push it to get them on.¡± ¡°Just eat as much as you can when you cross.¡± ¡°Everything in sight?¡± Alli asked. ¡°Everything you can,¡± Steve added. ¡°I mean it.¡± Alli laughed, ¡°it can¡¯t be that bad¡­.¡± She watched as Hafi loaded the first pallet truck up. So did Chris. ¡°One in, and I¡¯ll follow, then I¡¯ll come back once he¡¯s settled. Okay?¡± ¡°All we can do.¡± I said. ¡°Settled?¡± ¡°You have no idea what¡¯s on the other side of that door.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon as I can,¡± Steve said. With that, he and Hafi went with two pallet loads. We waited. And it took a long while for him to come back. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Steve just loaded two more pallets up fast. ¡°He¡¯s scared, he want¡¯s Chris. He¡¯s okay, but I¡¯m going now. You¡¯re next, Alli.¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We watched them leave, and then two minutes later, he was back. ¡°So fast?¡± ¡°We have to move.¡± he said. ¡°The portals destabilising.¡± It was just then that the next truck came in. Alli and Steve vanished, and the truck was unloaded. They needed the time to eat. I knew they did. It seemed forever till Alli came back. The trucks had gone. We got two more loads ready. ¡°Steve¡¯s not so good.¡± She admitted. ¡°He will be, though, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I guess.¡± ¡°Just one at a time, then¡± I said, ¡°For a bit.¡± I looked at the remaining pallets not sure if we could do this. ¡°Agreed,¡± she said. ¡°Lets go, faster. We did just that. I tag-teamed with Alli until we had the last of them. She did more than she should have, and so did I. I fell over on the pallet as I dragged it inside the hanger Steve had directed us all to. We all exchanged looks. Chris and Hafi held hands. And I moved to Alli. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. We¡¯re all okay.¡± She nodded at Chris. ¡°We are okay.¡± He said. ¡°I admit this wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. Not at all.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I turned to Steve. ¡°Will the system?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll have gone through their first change like you did.¡± ¡°Have you seen this,¡± Hafi said. ¡°My IQ, my body stats.¡± Chris laughed. ¡°Have you seen mine?¡± Hafi looked him up and down. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve seen it.¡± Alli blushed when I looked at her. I could see these two were going to be fun to have around. I looked at Steve. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Tired.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± I said. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°We have to get this to the nanite bays; they¡¯ll take it all apart and rebuild what we need; Jen can then instruct us as it¡¯s made. Then we can get this thing safe and moving for real.¡± ¡°How far is the nanite bay?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Only across the hall,¡± Steve said. To his thank fuck. We took that in turns too. He said the last two pallets with the meat need to go down Engineer Bay 2. ¡°You want to come with me while Alli and the others rest.¡± I nodded. By the time we got down there this time, Steve really was exhausted. He fell over in front of me, and I nearly ran him over with the truck and pallet. Helping him out of the way, I shoved some protein bars at him, and we both sat and ate while Jen took care of the pallets. Her robot helpers were cool. I¡¯d never seen anything like these move around. The best thing though, they were fast. ¡°They¡¯re amazing,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re very helpful, but they can¡¯t go and do the welding outside.¡± ¡°Just won¡¯t work. A bit too technical if something goes wrong.¡± ¡°Can I do it? You¡¯ll need to rest.¡± ¡°No.¡± Steve said. Jen appeared then. She wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. A shorter woman, covered in tiny down white and brown speckled feathers. ¡°None of us are good if you are dead. Kade can do it.¡± ¡®There you go,¡± I said. ¡°You have your orders, and I have mine.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t let her boss you about,¡± Steve said his voice stern. ¡°She¡¯s still a computer.¡± ¡°She looks like a very smart computer,¡± I replied. Jen smiled at me. ¡°Thank you for noticing. He never does.¡± ¡°I do,¡± he said. ¡°But you¡¯re always so bossy. You never let me live.¡± ¡°You always push yourself. If you¡ª¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t do as I did,¡± he glared at her. ¡°You and your crew would have died fucking years ago.¡±