Manny was all business as he looked at the holomap, which displayed the meteor above them. “Getting rid of the creatures surrounding the meteor was a great idea,” he started. “Now you have a direct path to the hole Team Boundless created.”
“And what good is a hole if we don’t know what’s inside it?”
“We’ve sent our best drones to try to get an idea of what we’re up against. We haven’t received anything back yet.”
Alex listened to Toppinir and Roy discuss possibilities with Manny. Their concern revolved around not knowing what was within the meteor. That was when Alex had an idea. “Hey, Manny, can I borrow your eyes?” she asked.
Manny did a double-take as one of his tentacled eyes whipped around and stared at Alex. “What do you mean?”
Alex motioned for Manny to follow her as she headed toward the ship’s exit. Once outside, Alex asked Manny again if she could borrow his eyes. This time the Beholder didn’t bother replying. Alex closed her eyes and focused.
When Alex opened her eyes, she was seeing with Manny’s abilities. She saw the heat signatures of everyone around her, along with their bones and a weird energy as well. Interesting but not what she cared about.
Alex looked up at the meteor and focused on zooming in while concentrating on Manny’s x-ray vision.
As Alex stared up at the meteor, its outside edges blurred. She focused until finally, she saw into the interior of the meteor. The interior of the meteor was hollow, but other than that, Alex couldn’t make out any more details. That seemed like enough, though.
Manny was growing irritated and bored. “You just wanted to take a look at the same thing we’ve all been looking at for the last few months?”
Alex headed back toward the bridge. “You can never have too many eyes, you know,” she murmured.
When Alex got back to the bridge, she told Toppinir and Roy the meteor was hollow. She had been unable to see what was inside, but there was definitely room to move around.
Toppinir and Roy exchanged glances, then Toppinir said, “That’s what we were thinking. Looks like our plan might work.”
“What would that be?” Alex asked.
“We’re going to infiltrate the meteor and blow it up from the inside, using a combination of Roy’s nuclear reactor and my dragon’s ether fire.”
“Doesn’t leave you guys with a lot of escape options.”
“Nothing we aren’t aware of.”
The reality of what Toppinir was saying hit Alex. They were talking about sacrificing themselves to take out the meteor. Alex couldn’t believe they would think of something so stupid. The war effort needed them. That was when another plan started forming in Alex’s head.
Instead of speaking her mind, Alex asked, “What do you need from Boundless?”
Roy seemed taken aback by Alex’s willingness to follow orders. “That’s a new note for you.”
“Well, we’re here to help. No matter the cost.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll devise a strategy and relay it to you to give to your team. Dismissed, Bound.”
Alex nodded politely before heading to the ship’s exit. She hit her comm button and patched into Jollies. “Hey, I need you to listen very carefully to what I’m going to tell you right now.”
Chapter Five
Alex took her time rejoining her team. She relayed what Roy and Toppinir had said inside the ship. Both of them were ready to sacrifice themselves to take out the meteor, which seemed like a stupid idea. Two of the best fighters in the war, gone within seconds because they were supposed to be heroes.
What the hell was a hero, anyway? Who was asking them to do this? Was it just understood that they would sacrifice their lives for Middang3ard?
It was a waste, pure and simple, and it was exactly what Alex had come on this mission to try to avoid. Keeping track of what she was supposed to be doing had been hard since the mission had gotten so hectic, but now it was crystal clear.
The mission had been to save Roy and Toppinir. Two veterans blowing themselves up in a giant meteor would be nothing short of failure.
Alex hoped Jollies had paid close attention to the instructions she had been given. There wasn’t a reason to doubt Jollies’ competence. The pixie hadn’t disappointed Alex or the team one time yet. The only reason Alex was worried was that she was asking her teammate to do something that could possibly end up badly for everyone.
Alex’s comm dinged, and she pulled up her HUD to see what she had received. The briefing for Roy and Toppinir’s mission had gone out. It included details for what everyone was expected to do and, in no uncertain terms, informed them of Roy’s and Toppinir’s decision.
There were no replies. This wasn’t a discussion. The three squads were expected to arrive at the rendezvous and watch the fireworks. Alex wondered if Roy and Toppinir had really thought this plan through. There had to be another option.
Alex laughed to herself. If there had been another option, she might have thought of it, but she had drawn as much of a blank as the veterans had. It was a very extreme situation, and she guessed it warranted extreme measures.
The rest of the squads would be heading over to the rendezvous about now. Alex wasn’t ready to go yet. She didn’t think she was ever going to be ready.
Alex sat down on the grassy hill, leaned back, and looked up at the meteor. The thing was swelling, growing larger. She knew it. Yet it was also the same, unchanged. Whatever was in the meteor was responsible.
Even though it held signs of death, of destruction, the sky was rather beautiful. The red and black clouds had finally disappeared. In their place was a blue and blank sky with a thin green hue. The meteor stood in for the sun, covered in a hazy jade cloud.
For the first time in her life, Alex thought of taking a picture. She laughed at having such a
