Chapter 32: Suffer the Fate of Atlantis
** The planet in Jimmy’s dream draws
near, slowly rotating into view as the center of the universe. Space
and time seem to bend around it, a whirlpool of distorted thoughts
and images streaming toward the event horizon of its perfect sphere.
He gazes down at it sleepily from up in space, his eyes dimly
wandering across its watery expanse. Suddenly he feels air rushing up
on either side of him, and with a lurch of fear he finds himself
plummeting toward the surface. His body fills with the sheer,
exhilarating terror of free fall as he spins faster and faster, the
world turning dizzying corkscrews beneath him. Unable to slow his
descent, he hurtles toward the churning waves. They close over his
head in a blinding spray of black beads, and he sinks down,
paralyzed, pulled into the crushing, airless depths…**
COMPUTER: Proximity alert. Proximity alert. Weapons system grid detected. Course correction recommended.
**Jimmy jolts upright, gasping as he draws in deep breaths. Covered in cold sweat, heart pumping wildly, he looks around in terror and confusion. After a moment his deserted senses return, and he slumps back onto the bean bag chair, holding his hand to his chest as he struggles to slow his breathing**
JIMMY: (still gasping) I can’t believe I fell asleep. What a horrible dream…
NAV: Ah, morning sleepyhead. Glad you enjoyed your nap.
JIMMY: (wiping sweat off his forehead) I don’t know about enjoyed, but… Hey. Where are we?
NAV: Just outside P24-505. Welcome to Fort Evil, kiddo.
**Jimmy snaps upright again, eyes widening**
JIMMY: What? We’re there already?
NAV: See for yourself…
**Jimmy pulls himself up and hurries over to the front of the cockpit, where Nav is reclined in the pilot’s chair, absently munching on what look like strawberries. Nav points out the portal, and Jimmy follows the motion with his eyes. The thick glass distorts the space beyond, channeling his vision past the spirals of stellar debris to the tiny blue planet in the distance**
NAV: It doesn’t look like much, does it?
JIMMY: No, I guess not…
NAV: But you see that huge circle of rubble around it?
JIMMY: Ya?
NAV: That’s the minefield.
JIMMY: Oh.
**There is a crash behind them, and Nav and Jimmy spin around to see Sheen and Carl on the ground, rubbing their heads**
SHEEN: Man, what a rush. I had the craziest dreams.
CARL: Me too. I met my future self, and he had blue hair.
NAV: Weird.
SHEEN: Shyah.
**There is a moment of silence. Sheen looks around, frowning**
SHEEN: Dude…where are all the chicks?
NAV: …Uh, you sure you’re not still dreaming, buddy?
SHEEN: No, no, I mean Libbylicious, April, and Aurora. Not to mention my little chicky-poo Libs…
LIBBY: (sitting up and rubbing her eyes) Your “little chicky-poo” is right here, and I’d really appreciate it if ya’d stop callin’ me stuff like that.
**Libby stifles a yawn, and Sheen reaches out a hand and helps her up. Jimmy gestures at the portal**
JIMMY: We’re here, guys. Take a look.
**The other kids rush up to the control panel and eagerly peer out the window. As they boisterously exchange comments, Jimmy casts a glance back at Cindy where she still lies sleeping on the beanbag chair. Her breaths rise and fall evenly, no trace of anger or defiance visible beneath her serene expression. Her blonde hair has come loose from its ponytail, and her small frame looks strangely delicate amidst the golden tangles. Jimmy’s eyes grow wider as he looks at her**
JIMMY: (softly) She looks…different when she’s sleeping…
**Libby turns around to face him**
LIBBY: Huh?
JIMMY: (blushing slightly) Oh, uh…nothing. I was just thinking that we should probably wake up Cindy.
LIBBY: Oh yeah? Go for it.
**Jimmy fidgets for a minute, then, biting his lip, paces over to the sleeping girl. He stops to gaze down at her, noticing the uncharacteristic gentleness of her slumbering features. Gingerly, he reaches down to touch her. In that brief moment, her eyes snap open, and in one smooth motion she springs up and slams him down against the floor. Pinning him under her own body, she yanks her arm back to punch him, only to stop dead at the last moment**
CINDY: (blinking) N…Neutron?
**There is a moment of silence as they stare at each other, shocked, then Jimmy’s face bunches up in anger**
JIMMY: (yelling) Of course it’s me! And what the heck are you doing? Get off!
**Cindy releases her hold on him and rapidly backs away, blushing furiously**
CINDY: I’m sorry... I was having a dream about you, so when I saw you standing over me like that, I just…
**She whirls away to hide her face, and Jimmy props himself up on one elbow, rubbing his head**
JIMMY: Jeez, that really hurt.
CINDY: (snapping) I said I was sorry!
JIMMY: Then why don’t you try acting like it?
**To Jimmy’s surprise, she offers him her hand, cheeks burning. He takes it, and she pulls him up off the floor**
JIMMY: Thanks.
**She turns away again, this time snatching up her ponytail holder from the bean bag chair. She pulls her hair through it and tightens the knot, then turns back to him. He looks down at the ground, red-faced, and shuffles his feet nervously**
JIMMY: Sorry.
**There is a moment of awkward silence**
CINDY: Me too.
**Jimmy peers up, smiling unsurely**
JIMMY: Wait, so…you were having a dream with me in it? What was it about?
**Cindy flushes again, but before she can answer, the conversation is interrupted by a snicker from Nav. Cindy and Jimmy shoot a glance over at the pilot’s chair, and their lovelorn expressions instantly vanish. Libby and the Numerian are whispering conspiratorially, making sure to keep their voices just loud enough so everyone around them can hear**
NAV: Man, you were right, they are cute! Look at ‘em shamelessly flirting like that, oblivious to everybody else in the room!
LIBBY: I know, right? I just don’t get it. Why won’t they admit their feelings?
NAV: (dramatically) Sad, so sad. I can feel it now…the pain of unrequited love!
**He flips a thumbs-up in their direction and yells out, voice full of mock hope**
NAV: Don’t worry you two, I’m rootin’ for ya! Remember that! Cindy and Jimmy forever!
**Libby breaks into a giggle fit, and Nav bursts out laughing, slapping his chair riotously. A dark cloud seems to simmer around Cindy and Jimmy as they glare over at them**
CINDY: I’ll kill him.
JIMMY: Me first.
**A whoosh of air snaps Nav out of hysterics, and he looks over to find Future Libby, Aurora, and April standing inside the sliding doors. Future Libby waves as April adjusts the gun holsters on her hips**
SHEEN: Hey look, it’s the posse of looooove!~
**Nav high-fives Sheen**
NAV: (still laughing) Right on, man!
AURORA: (coldly) Well, I’m glad to see that our imminent life and death venture is so hilarious to you. Or maybe you’d like to shut up for a minute?
**The room goes silent at these words**
AURORA: It’s time to get serious. I need you all to concentrate. Understand?
**The kids nod solemnly. Aurora lords over them, green eyes glittering**
AURORA: Then let’s head down to the cargo bay. The fighters are ready.
**Nav tosses back one more strawberry before joining the rest of the group as they head down the corridor to the cargo bay. Cindy eyes the dirty, peeling walls with disdain, as Sheen points enthusiastically at a patch of particularly offensive graffiti**
SHEEN: Whoa-ho! That word’s a doozy! Not even my crazy cousin Floyd uses that one!
**Carl covers his eyes**
CARL: Ahh! That’s a no-no word!
SHEEN: A no-no word? Carl, you’ve gotta be kidding me! That right there is the spice of life! The second I turn 18, every other word that comes out of my mouth is gonna sound just like that!
**Libby rolls her eyes**
LIBBY: (sarcastically) I’ll look forward to that…
**Cindy nearly trips over a piece of junk lying on the floor, and she turns around to glare at the ship’s owner**
CINDY: Jeez, Nav, when was the last time you cleaned this heap?
NAV: You know, I’m not really sure…
**April shrugs**
APRIL: Nav likes the Shahada to feel homey and lived-in…am I right, dear?
NAV: (winking) You betcha, hotcakes.
AURORA: Heh. If by “homey and lived-in”, you mean “a complete dump”, then ya…
**The doors at the end of the hall swing open upon their approach, and the kids squint as they enter into a high-ceilinged, brightly lit room. Scrap metal and pools of oil dot the black linoleum floor, and the acrid smell of rubber tires permeates the recycled air. Three small ships await them in the center of the room. Each fighter is a different model, but they all share the same angular, cutting design. They’re not much bigger than an average SUV – but their deadly, streamlined edges are a far cry from the clunky design of a land rover**
AURORA: (indicating the ships) I ran a thorough systems check on all three fighters, and they seem to be perfectly operational. Unfortunately, the one closest to us wasn’t designed to be piloted by an organism with humanoid anatomy. Operating it will be very tricky, so I’ll take that one. April will pilot the second ship, and Nav will take the third.
NAV: Got it.
AURORA: Now, a quick repeat of our mission objectives. We will primarily be using evasive flight maneuvers to navigate the orbital defense, and we’ll try to avoid contact with the Half Life if possible. Once we reach the planet’s surface, we’ll leave our ships in low thruster mode above the ocean. After chewing Jimmy’s Air Gum, we’ll swim down to the base and enter through the water ducts. We will go in three teams: Libby and me, April and Nav, and Goddard and the kids. We will exit the ducts where they come to a joint with the main control room. Once inside the base, you must rely on Fabian tactics - that is, exercise extreme caution, and don’t squander your time fighting with the robotic soldiers or various other nasties you might run into. The Dictator is the only target that matters. Now, for the problem of the antidote…
**She motions to April, who hands her the two glass vials**
AURORA: Since Lady Jaya took our third copy of the antidote, one of our teams will have to go in without it. This is clearly a serious disadvantage. To be fair, April, Future Libby and I drew lots earlier for the three groups. April drew the short straw, so she and Nav will be entering without it. Everyone clear? Good.
**She slams her palm down on the hood of the nearest ship, and the hatch swings open, revealing an oddly-shaped, leather-upholstered cockpit. She climbs into the pilot’s seat and begins punching buttons as April and Nav head to their respective stations**
AURORA: (Adjusting the controls) Jimmy and young Libby, you’re with me. Cindy and my Libby, please go with April. Nav, I regret to inform you that you’re stuck with Carl and Sheen. Get on board, everyone…
JIMMY: Wait, that’s it? We’re leaving now? Already?
AURORA: What did you expect? A tearful goodbye party? From this second onward, our operation becomes a ticking time bomb. Now get in the back.
**With some difficulty, the passengers manage to clamber into the spaces behind each of the pilots’ chairs. There is very little room to spare; the top of Future Libby’s head almost touches the ceiling as the hatch lowers and clicks into place. Nav’s star roof closes a moment later with a grinding mechanical noise, sealing a widely smiling Sheen and profusely sweating Carl inside. Aurora stands and yanks her ship’s top down manually. It bangs shut, rocking the whole interior and almost unseating a startled Jimmy and Libby in the process. Aurora settles herself into the pilot’s chair, which was clearly made for a creature with at least one extra pair of arms, if not more. She fishes out a trio of headsets and hands two of them to the kids, then dons the remaining one herself. Adjusting the microphone, she flicks a switch on the earpiece, and all their headsets come online in a rush of static**
AURORA: Testing, one, two, three…Can everyone hear me?
APRIL: Affirmative.
NAV: Loud and clear.
AURORA: All right. We’ll be using these subspace links to communicate between ships…
**Sheen’s grating, excited voice breaks over the comm. link**
SHEEN: Man, it’s just like having walkie talkies, only cooler! Testing, testing! Echo! Echo!
AURORA: (wincing) Sheen, we’re all on this channel, so try to keep your comments to yourself.
** She slides the seat forward and places her feet inside two compartments under the dashboard, then grabs hold of what look like dual handbrakes. She leans back in the chair and yanks them all the way back, and the ship’s engine roars to life**
AURORA: OK everyone, strap in. Unfortunately, it’ll be impossible for me to steer this ship and control weapons at the same time with only two arms, so April, I’ll need you to cover me. I’ll just have to rely on maneuverability to avoid the seeker drones and other weapons. Oh, and Nav? Your right auxiliary thruster sticks for some reason, so be mindful of that.
NAV: Yup, I just noticed that. I’ll compensate.
AURORA: Are there any questions?
**Sheen’s voice cuts in yet again**
SHEEN: Are we gonna have code names or something? If so, I call “el hombre morado”, and I vote “gangstress of love” for Libby.
NAV: Ooh, can I be Captain Kirk? Picard? Hans Solo? Heck, I’ll even settle for Captain Janeway…
AURORA: You can call yourself Attila the Hun for all I care! We’re wasting time! April, open the bay doors!
APRIL: Way ahead of you. I started the opening sequence. T minus 10 till deployment…
AURORA: Status?
NAV: All systems go.
APRIL: T minus 5 seconds…4…3…
AURORA: All Systems check out. Buckle your seat belts, ladies and gents…
**The cargo bay fills with a phenomenal creaking sound as the bay doors shudder open. The room pops and hisses as it decompresses, and Libby chews her lower lip nervously as she watches Aurora adjusting knobs in the front of the spacecraft**
AURORA: Contact.
**All at once, the floor drops out beneath them, and the three ships plummet downward into open space. Aurora jams the thruster forward, and the ship streaks off, leaving a trail of sparkling exhaust in its wake. April and Nav’s ships fall into formation behind it a moment later, the form of the Shahada quickly shrinking behind them**
AURORA: Successful takeoff achieved. Approximately 2 minutes until we reach the outer minefield. April, can you scan for any anomalies?
APRIL: Roger that. Scanning…
**Nav’s voice crackles over the link**
NAV: I always hated that Roger guy…
**A moment or two later, a data bit appears on all their screens, showing a slightly thinner patch in the giant cloud of mines**
APRIL: The elliptical shape of the planetary sphere has caused a gravity anomaly at 5 degrees on the ecliptic. We should exploit it.
NAV: …For those of us who don’t feel like using our brains today?
APRIL: There is a section of the minefield that will be easier to navigate. We should go that way.
NAV: I knew that, I was just testing you.
**The space up ahead wears a necklace of mines; they glisten in the cold of space like dew on a spider’s web. The mines spin gently, slumbering in suspended animation, waiting for trespassers brave or stupid enough to wake them. As the field grows closer, Aurora reaches under her seat and pulls out her silver mask. Without taking her eyes off her flight path, she hands the mask back to Jimmy, who accepts it quizzically**
JIMMY: Why am I…?
AURORA: Hold onto this until we reach the surface. I can’t wear it while I’m piloting.
JIMMY: Um. …OK…
**He wavers for a moment, then passes it off to Libby, who tucks it into the space beside her seat**
AURORA: Minefield penetration in T minus 5. Flight pattern Theta, I’ll take lead. Clear?
NAV: Clear!
APRIL: Clear.
NAV: Hold onto your butts…
CARL: Holding!
**Immediately ahead, the minefield is a beaded curtain, a vertical partition dividing the nothingness**
AURORA: Break!
**Aurora’s ship crosses the threshold of the minefield. At the precise moment of entry, she taps the main throttle, throwing the ship into a sickening corkscrew. The wings swing round, zipping through the geometry of the field in dizzying elegance. April and Nav copy the maneuver a moment later and roll in opposite directions, spreading the three ships out across the minefield. The pilots even out their course, their passengers feeling a bit woozy from the speed of the movement**
AURORA: (adjusting her headset) Successful entry. What’s your status?
APRIL: All systems go.
NAV: Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap! I’ve got two mines tailing me…
**April slams on the brakes, stopping so abruptly that the nose flips up and forces the whole ship into a 360 degree backwards flip. Cindy and Future Libby smack into each other as Nav’s ship rockets past. With two perfectly timed shots, April blasts the mines trailing Nav, and they burst into a confetti-like sprinkle of soundless explosions. She takes out a few more in front of Aurora, then jams her thruster forward, streaking ahead at maximum speed until she breaks even with Nav’s ship**
NAV: Hot damn, that was a sexy move! What a shot!
**In response, she targets a few more mines just ahead, and they burst into crackling, fizzing plasma**
NAV: OK, now you’re just showing off…
** In the back of April’s fighter, Future Libby covers her mouth, her face greenish with nausea**
FUTURE LIBBY: Ugh…I think I’m gonna be sick…
**Cindy scoots away from the older woman**
CINDY: Not in here you’re not!
**April steals a quick glance back at her passengers**
APRIL: Slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It helps with the motion sickness.
**Future Libby folds her legs under her and assumes a meditative stance, and then slowly calms her breathing. Her steady, evenly-spaced breaths echo over the comm. link, and Sheen bursts out laughing at the sound**
SHEEN: Hey Libbalicious, wanna do me a favor? Say “I am your father” in a really sinister voice, OK?
**Nav cracks up, and their raucous laughter mingles together in grating cacophony. Carl joins in a moment later, chuckling uncertainly**
CINDY: I don’t believe it! I’m in an alternate universe, out in space, in the middle of a life and death situation, and I’m STILL surrounded by morons!
AURORA: They’re a multi-universal constant, believe me.
**A red light starts to flicker on Aurora’s dashboard, and she squints down at it sharply**
AURORA: What the…?
**A diagram pops up on the display, showing a netlike lattice of mines tightening in around their position**
AURORA: Nav, April, are you reading this? Something weird is going on. There seems to be a net movement of the mines toward our position…
NAV: Ya, I see it too. It’s like the individual mines are behaving under the constraints of some kind of collective programming. It’s the freakiest thing ever. Any ideas?
AURORA: We should proceed ahead at max speed and clear the field – it’ll call for some tight maneuvers, but we can do it…
JIMMY: (leaning forward) No! We need to split up. The field is probably set up to gravitate toward our collective magnetic signature. If we fan out, the mines will be pulled in three directions, and the field will be easier to traverse.
AURORA: April?
APRIL: Copy that!
**The three fighters break formation and diverge, heading off in opposite directions. Like a flock of birds changing direction in unison, the mines immediately split into three sections and trail after them. April takes a few potshots at the cloud closing in around Nav, and the resulting explosions throw Sheen and Carl from their seats. A panel on the dashboard overloads from the energy discharge and blows out, sending a fountain of sparks popping onto Nav’s lap. He lifts his leg and slams his boot against the panel, containing the shower**
NAV: Hey, take it easy April! The mines are too close to the ship for you to go all trigger-happy! Your weapons fire could fry the essential systems!
APRIL: You are not going to have any essential systems LEFT to fry if you don’t lose those mines!
NAV: What do you think I’m doing? Painting my fingernails? I’m TRYING to lose them! My damn auxiliary thruster is on the fritz!
**The computer flickers on a second later with the following message**
COMPUTER: Gravitational anomaly detected. Position indeterminate. Identification indeterminate. Likelihood of black hole is 80%. Evasive action recommended.
NAV: Crap! As if we didn’t have enough to deal with! The computer can’t pinpoint the black hole, and I’m about to get blown to kingdom come!
APRIL: Aurora, do something!
**In response, Aurora rolls her ship to the side. Jimmy and Libby cling to one another in nauseous terror as the vessel careens sideways, passing only a few meters over the top of April’s ship – and stealing a larger number of April’s mines along the way. Aurora continues to spin wildly to the right, heading for Nav and the boys. With precise timing, their flight paths intersect. Aurora yanks her ship clear at the last minute, slamming her cloud of mines into Nav’s. They collide and are obliterated in a terrific explosion of silent, blinding light. As the light travels outward, some of it gets caught up in the black hole’s gravitational field, and it spirals downward into oblivion. Nav and Aurora swerve wide to avoid the tiny event horizon, and the three ships cruise past together, the number of mines in close proximity to their vessels now greatly reduced**
FUTURE LIBBY: (cheering) Spectacular, Aurora! That was amazin’!
NAV: Seriously! You just saved my lily-white arse! When this is over, I am so getting your autograph…
**Libby holds her stomach, hiccupping queasily**
LIBBY: You wouldn’t think it was so “spectacular” if you were in my place right now…
JIMMY: Really, Aurora…is there any way to make this flight LESS like a rollercoaster? I feel like my thoughts are being put through a blender.
AURORA: Just be thankful that we have inertial dampeners, or you’d probably have bloody noses right now.
LIBBY: (holding her nose) Charming…
**The group proceeds onward, trails of dust glittering off the exhaust in their wake. April takes out a few more mines along the way, and Nav flips the bird out the side window**
NAV: Kiss my ass, minefield! Woohoohoo!
APRIL: Nav, your language! The children…
SHEEN: Haha! A-S-S! I get to ride in a crazy spaceship AND hear swear words! This day just got awesome!
**Carl plugs his ears as Sheen lets loose with a stream of incoherent and misspelled profanities**
CINDY: Sheen, you moron, everyone can hear you! The headphones, remember?
LIBBY: (cringing) Someone should put a bleep filter on these things…
**Nav shrugs**
NAV: Meh, you’re gonna hear it sooner or later anyway. Might as well desensitize you while you’re still young and impressionable.
APRIL: Nav…
NAV: Or, if it’d make April happy, I could swear in Numerian for the remainder of the trip.
AURORA: Guys, pay attention! The field is contracting again!
NAV: Don’t worry about it! We’re almost through, see?
**Sure enough, the end of the minefield is visible up ahead. Aurora squints into the distance, then breathes in sharply**
JIMMY: What is it?
AURORA: We’ve got a problem…
**The computer flashes on a second later and zooms out to a 3-D image of their position, and then rotates to show their trajectory. At the edge of the minefield, hundreds of tiny energy signatures zip about erratically, dipping, rising, and doubling back on themselves**
NAV: Aurora, what the hell are those?
AURORA: Seeker drones…but there’s way more of them than there were three years ago.
NAV: There’s no way we can make it through that. We’d be toast as soon as we left the minefield.
APRIL: We have another problem…the mines are closing in again. If we slow our course, I’m not sure we’ll be able to evade them.
**Aurora’s grip tightens on the chair’s dual thrusters, anger and shame coloring her cheeks**
AURORA: Damn it, I miscalculated! I didn’t expect there to be such a large increase in the number of drones! He must have tightened the barrier…
APRIL: We have 120 seconds Aurora. What do you want us to do?
**There is a moment of silence as she considers, her face drawn tight in agonizing thought**
AURORA: If we could just get through the first line of seekers, we might be able to make it. The seeker drones work by locking onto your heat signal. If we could distract them somehow, we could pass through. Unfortunately it would take quite a bit of energy to attract them away from our position…and short of a suicide mission, I can’t think of any way to generate that kind of heat.
APRIL: 90 seconds, Aurora.
AURORA: (thinking aloud) I don’t think detonating mines would work…maybe if we laid down some sort of weapons-fire grid…but my ship doesn’t have weapons…
JIMMY: Wait a minute. Before…did you say ‘suicide mission’?
AURORA: Let’s not even consider that option just yet…
JIMMY: No, no, you don’t understand! I just had an idea. What if I sent Goddard ahead of us and had him ‘play dead’? The resulting explosion should produce enough energy to overshadow our own heat signatures. We’d be able to get through the seeker drone barrier, provided we move quickly enough.
AURORA: (snapping her fingers) That would work! Ah man, and it wouldn’t be the first time that little trick has saved our necks …But are you sure you’re willing to risk Goddard like that? He could easily be destroyed, and losing him now could jeopardize the rest of our mission.
APRIL: 60 seconds.
JIMMY: I understand the risk. But this is our only option. Goddard, you’d be willing to do this for me, right boy?
**He looks over his shoulder at his pet, who whimpers in the affirmative**
JIMMY: All right. You know what to do, right? Make sure to wait until we’ve reached the threshold of the field. As soon as we’re through, reassemble and meet us down on the planet.
GODDARD: Bark bark!
**Jimmy reaches out and pets him affectionately, his eyes sad**
JIMMY: (turning around) All right, Aurora, how do we deploy him?
AURORA: Have him crawl into the back. I’ll seal it off and open the hatch.
**Jimmy nudges Goddard, who shuffles into the tiny compartment behind the seats, tail between his legs. Aurora opens a panel on the side of the cockpit and punches a purple button, and an instant later a sliding pane whooshes down, releasing Goddard into the cold emptiness. He floats directionless for a moment, disoriented, and nearly collides with a wayward mine. Jimmy presses himself against the glass, shouting out a useless warning**
JIMMY: Goddard, look out!
**At the last second, Goddard rights himself and narrowly avoids the mine. Changing direction, he zips out of the belly of the minefield and toward the lines of zigzagging seeker drones**
APRIL: 30 seconds…
NAV: Wait! What the heck is going on? I’m really confused!
AURORA: Stay your course! Just keep your current heading!
NAV: All right, but if I end up with a missile up my butt, it’s your fault…
AURORA: I know.
**The three ships cruise toward the end of the field, Goddard’s shiny metal form gleaming just ahead. He increases his speed, blue thrusters glowing bright against the velvety black backdrop. He veers off far to the right, the edge of the minefield growing ever nearer. Jimmy shuts his eyes tight, and Goddard shoots out of the cloud of mines, exploding into a hundred pieces in a flash of heat and light. Instantly, a horde of seeker drones changes direction and heads toward the disturbance, leaving a tantalizing gap just big enough to permit the entry of a few small ships. The fighters streak past, clearing the front line and hurtling toward the blue planet at breakneck speed. The drones detect their presence a moment later, and with eerie synchronization, reverse direction and pursue their new quarry**
AURORA: Maximum speed ahead! We have to outrun them!
**Aurora slams the thruster into a higher gear with her foot while simultaneously reaching up and yanking open a panel on the roof of the cockpit. She grabs at a mass of tangled green and red cords, and, climbing precariously onto the arms of her chair, hotwires a few of the cables together. She drops back down and jams the thruster all the way forward, sending a stream of sparks spouting from the roof. She grits her teeth, and the ship rockets forward at a bone-jarring pace, the hull straining under the force of the engines April’s frantic voice crackles over the comm. link as Aurora pushes the craft to its limit**
APRIL: Aurora, what are you doing? Did you just hotwire your ship? You will burn out your engines! These things cannot sustain that level of energy output!
AURORA: It’ll hold! We just have to make it to the atmosphere where the seeker drones can’t follow!
**April shoots her plasma weapons in a fan pattern, wiping out the line of drones approaching their position**
APRIL: (yelling into her headpiece) What about our escape? Shouldn’t we be preserving the integrity of our ships so we can get away afterwards?
AURORA: Survival is our main priority right now! There won’t BE an afterwards if we don’t get down to the surface. Now hotwire your damn engines!
**There is a moment of static over the headphones, and then both Nav and April’s ships sputter forward, careening toward the exosphere alongside Aurora’s. Jimmy looks back toward the minefield anxiously, eyebrows furrowed, searching the speckled debris for signs of Goddard**
NAV: It’s not working, Aurora! I’ve got a conga line of these suckers a mile long behind me!
AURORA: (yelling, eyes shut tight) Shut up and go faster!
NAV: My ship isn’t as fast as yours, numbskull! The auxiliary thruster is busted, remember? I can’t keep up!
**Sheen holds tight to the chair, hair standing on end from the stray electrical charges spit out by the engines**
SHEEN: Ah man, we’re about to be turned into chunky salsa…AGAIN!
NAV: Actually, more like sub-atomic space toast…not that we’d be able to tell…
CARL: Space toast? AAH! Mommy!
SHEEN: (peering out the window) Where?
**As the drones slowly close the gap, Aurora twists around to look at the kids, flying the ship with her foot**
AURORA: Guys, hold on tight. We’re about to hit the atmosphere, and with this angle of descent, it’s gonna be rough.
LIBBY: (quaking) Um…could you maybe…fly the ship please?
**Aurora whirls back around, grabbing the controls firmly. She leans forward and, narrowing her eyes, aims the fighter straight for the wispy outer vestiges of atmosphere**
APRIL: We should slow down or change direction! At this speed, we could burn up in the mesosphere!
AURORA: Negative! Hit it straight on…the drones will burn up before we do! Besides, if we deviate too much from a single course, the Half Life will be more likely to detect us. I don’t see it now, so it’s probably on the other side of the planet. We should…
**At that moment, a blinding ray of blue energy pierces through the hull of Aurora’s ship, blowing off the right wing and flooding the cockpit with plumes of choking gray smoke**
FUTURE LIBBY: AURORA!
NAV: (gasping, voice strained) Aurora! Holy shit, are you OK?
**Inside the damaged ship, Aurora pulls herself up, shoulder muscles straining as she coughs on the fumes. She wipes a blob of engine grease from her cheek, leaving behind an unsightly black smear on her porcelain skin. She squints back at her two passengers, who are hacking loudly on smoke that is heavy with toxic fumes and the odor of burnt electronics. She spits out blood, then slowly turns to glare out her cracked front portal**
AURORA: (in a low voice) I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.
APRIL: Aurora?
AURORA: (breathless)…I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming…
**The Half Life rises ominously over the shining curve of the planet, menacing and terrible in its perfection. Its streamlined silver curves glint in the light of the distant blue sun, and Aurora stares it down, fury burning in her eyes, as if the force of her anger and consternation alone could halt its cold movements. She slams her fist down on the control panel, which fizzles weakly as the crippled ship plummets toward the planet below. She screams at the Half Life, sending chills down Jimmy and Libby’s spines as they wait in agonized suspense**
AURORA: Well, what are you waiting for! Go on, I dare you! Shoot me! Shoot me out of the sky! Do it!
**The Half Life hovers motionless, its eerie silence magnified by the intensity of Aurora’s voice. It begins charging its main weapons, but before it can release the killing shot, the atmosphere of the planet roars up on all sides of them, engulfing the fighters in a cocoon of blazing fire. Aurora’s ship rattles uncontrollably as friction rips off bits of the hull; they float off elegantly, handfuls of spangled dust thrown to the wind. The sensation of free fall fills them up and oozes through their veins like a creeping black tar, and Future Libby lets loose an irrational, terrified scream**
FUTURE LIBBY: Stoooop! Make it stop!
**They continue to spiral downward, senses overwhelmed as the blue waves spin dizzily beneath them. Aurora searches the cockpit frantically, tossing aside ruined bits of plastic and metal as she digs around**
AURORA: Eject…eject…where’s the eject? Where is it? …Ah!
** She slams her palm down on the flat button, but the system doesn’t respond. Instead, the computer flickers on and issues a garbled, pathetic warning**
COMPUTER: Warn..g…plan..tary…impact in…sixt….econds…
AURORA: What the?…work, damn you!
**She pounds on the button a few times more, but to no avail**
AURORA: Oh, this is bad. This is very bad. We need to get out of this heap, NOW. It’s gonna crash, no question.
**April and Nav zoom up alongside her, reverse thrusters slowing their entry**
APRIL: Aurora, abandon ship! There is breathable atmosphere now.
AURORA: (desperately) I know, I’m trying! But the eject pod isn’t working, and we can’t jump from this height…
NAV: I could try to catch you in my ship…
AURORA: You’ve been watching too many bad action movies, Nav! We’d end up splattered against your windshield. No, no…that wouldn’t work…Aaah, Neutron, now would be a really good time for a brilliant idea on your end!
**Jimmy blanches for a moment, but then something outside the ship catches his attention, and he breaks into an ear-to-ear grin**
LIBBY: (edging away) What’s up with the creepy smile?
JIMMY: (laughing) Not creepy! Look!
**He points out the window past the smoldering wing, and Libby’s eyes light up. There, newly reassembled and completely unharmed, is Goddard, zipping airily through the tiered white clouds**
LIBBY: Goddard!
**Aurora grabs hold of her seat and leans around to face Jimmy**
AURORA: Neutron, could Goddard carry the three of us down to the ocean’s surface?
JIMMY: My thoughts exactly! Give me the radio – I’ll try to reconfigure it and hail his frequency.
AURORA: No time! I have a simpler idea…
APRIL: Whatever you are planning to do, you had better do it soon! You are about to hit the water!
**Aurora closes her eyes, and torrents of green light spill down her arms and coalesce around her fingers. She swings her fists upward, blasting a hole in the roof of the ship. Chunks of molten metal fly off, and instantly a river of clawing air bursts into the cockpit. She throws off her headset and vaults into the back seat, pulling the two kids close to her**
AURORA: Hold onto my waist!
**They obey, and she grabs hold of the fractured edge and hoists herself up, hair whipping wildly in the deafening wind. She helps up Jimmy and Libby behind her, and crouching perilously on the rooftop, she waves frantically to Goddard**
JIMMY: (shouting) Goddard! Execute rescue maneuver delta delta seven!
**The whole world seems to plunge past them as the metallic canine veers in their direction. The streaming air cuts lines around Aurora’s blue space suit, her ponytail standing straight on end. As he approaches, Goddard’s back compartment opens up and transforms into a long, wide panel. He pulls up alongside the doomed craft, and Aurora yanks Jimmy and Libby from their desperate perch and places them carefully onto Goddard’s back. They grip the edge of their seat until their knuckles ache, eyes shut tight against the tugging air. Aurora tumbles forward onto Goddard, and he swerves away from the burning fighter, gradually slowing the pace of their descent**
AURORA: Goddard, fly up!
**He obeys, and they shoot up, the air running down them in icy rivulets. The fighter plummets seaward, smoke pouring from the remains of its right wing. Aurora gazes down past her feet, watching in grim silence as the craft screeches to its death. It slams violently into the water and catapults sideways, skipping wildly across the surface in a maelstrom of smoke, fire, and cascading spray. At last it skitters to a stop, and a mushroom cloud of dark orange fire bursts out over the charred, twisted remains**
JIMMY: (exhaling) That was way, way too close…
**The raging fire slowly dies down, and Goddard and the two ships gradually descend to sea level. They shift the fighters into low power, hovering a few feet above the lapping waves. A gentle whirring sound fills the air as April and Nav retract their rooftops. Aurora pulls up alongside, and Nav chucks his headset over his shoulder, smacking Carl in the face. He hops out of the pilot’s seat and runs across the wing to meet her, exhilaration and terror written plainly on his face**
NAV: Holy buckets of bullshit, Aurora! When that plasma beam hit you, I thought you were a goner for sure!
**He spreads his arms for a hug, but when she doesn’t respond, he reaches out and rubs Goddard’s head, smiling gratefully**
NAV: Good thing you were there, eh, tinny? That would not have been a pleasant way for our intrepid heroine to go.
**Aurora hands Libby and Jimmy over to Nav, who plunks them unceremoniously onto the wing beside him. April unbuckles her safety belt and helps Future Libby and Cindy extricate themselves from the backseat. She stands and stretches, bouncing a little to get her blood flowing again**
APRIL: That was exciting, wasn’t it? And I am very glad you are unharmed, Aurora…
**Future Libby groans, stumbling out onto the wing of the ship**
FUTURE LIBBY: (holding her stomach) Ugh. I’ve never felt so sick in my life…
**Future Libby plops down ungracefully, clearly forgetting the fact that she is wearing a very short dress. She buries her face in her hands as she recovers**
FUTURE LIBBY: How can you guys be so unaffected? And April…you seem like you actually had fun narrowly avoidin’ death!
NAV: Ya, that’s April. As for Aurora and I – well, we’re pretty desensitized to this sort of thing.
FUTURE LIBBY: Ugh…
NAV: Ahh, what are you griping about? You should be proud of yourself, girl! Considering you didn’t blow chunks, I’d say you did incredibly well for a first timer.
CARL: Um, I might not be so lucky…Oh no…
**He throws up noisily over the side, and the others look away in disgust**
CINDY: Eeew.
LIBBY: Ya…I’d really like to be on April’s ship right now…
**Sheen leaps from his chair, claws his way out of the cockpit, and darts up behind Nav**
SHEEN: Wooooo! Man, that was WICKED! I feel just like I did that time when I got stuck upside down for 5 hours on the Bat Outta Heck ride at Retroland!
**He jumps up and down in place beside Nav, his orange Ultralord spacesuit sequined with reflections cast up by the waves. He tugs on the tall man’s dark gray coat, babbling a mile a minute**
SHEEN: Hey Nav, I just realized…how the heck are you gonna swim in that DRESS?
**Nav looks down at his floor-length trench coat, then shifts his weight to one hip**
NAV: Ya know, you’ve got a point. This thing would be kind of cumbersome underwater. Well, I guess there’s only one thing to do. Ladies, you might want to avert your eyes…
**He reaches down and dramatically rips off the bottom half of the garment, and the tearing noise echoes out loudly over the open ocean. He holds the torn segment aloft like a triumphant banner, then chucks it to the side. It flutters gently to the water’s surface, before sinking into darkness amid a host of tiny bubbles. He plants his hands on his hips, superhero-style, his giant studded boots shining in the sun. Future Libby giggles noisily, punch-drunk on adrenaline and motion sickness**
FUTURE LIBBY: Nice boots! And are those…space chaps?
**Nav slaps his thighs, then tugs on the dark pair of chaps that are layered over his normal pants**
NAV: Sort of, but not exactly. More like a leg-length gun holster, or a really big storage compartment…
**He slides his hand down his leg, yanking out knives, shiny baubles and unidentifiable trinkets from hidden pockets in the leathery fabric**
NAV: Perfect for stashing stolen items!
**A couple of shiny coins seem to jump out of nowhere into his hand, and he flashes them at Cindy and Libby**
NAV: Here is the money you lovely girls thought you stole from me.
**Their surprised gapes give way to embarrassed blushes, and in a flash Nav tosses the coins into the air, catches them, and rolls them through his fingers. He closes his fists, and in an instant, they’re gone**
NAV: Sweet, huh? I’m like a walking bank vault. I never lose stuff this way…
**Aurora, who had up until that moment been standing silently on Goddard, reaches down and touches his ear**
AURORA: Speaking of losing stuff…Goddard, would you please take me closer to the wreckage?
**Goddard yips in response, then speeds away, Aurora balanced in a low crouch on his back**
APRIL: Wait, Aurora! Where are you going?
AURORA: I’ll be back in a minute!
**Goddard nears the floating Sargasso of smoldering, twisted metal. Patches of oil and engine fluid still burn on the surface of the water, filling the air with plumes of hanging smoke. He flies lower, and Aurora squints into the metallic flotsam, searching. At last she spots her target, and Goddard brings her down. She leans over and scoops her silver mask from among a tangle of sparking wires, careful to avoid being electrocuted. She holds it up and gazes at it in dismay. The force of the explosion has ripped the mask in two, leaving only the lower portion intact. She barely notices as Nav and April, back behind the wheels of their respective ships, pull up alongside her**
JIMMY: What is it?
**She turns to face them, fitting the mask onto her face as she does so. While her nose and mouth are safely hidden, the damage leaves the upper half of her face – and her stern green eyes – uncovered. Nav lets out a trilling, sympathetic whistle**
NAV: Aww, bummer! That sucks, Aurora. On the bright side, now you look like a crazy badass space ninja. Or maybe a deranged surgeon. Either way, I dig.
**Aurora whirls away, neurotically combing her fingers through her blonde bangs**
AURORA: (voice uneven) You don’t get it! The whole point of the mask is to hide my face. How can I…without the whole thing…
**Goddard whimpers a little, and the others look on, eyebrows furrowed as they wait for her to regain control. At last she clicks back into her normal steely posture, her voice robotic and low**
AURORA: Set the ship’s coordinates to 35 degrees, 12 minutes, 30 seconds North by 123 degrees, 2 minutes, 18 seconds West. That’s where his base is.
**April hurriedly punches in the coordinates, then calls out to Aurora**
APRIL: We’re actually very close already. We can make it there in about 2 minutes at low propulsion.
AURORA: I was afraid of that. At that distance, he probably detected us when my ship crashed.
APRIL: What should we do?
**There is a moment of silence, then Aurora turns back to face her friends**
AURORA: It doesn’t matter. We should proceed according to plan.
NAV: Copy that.
**Nav kicks the thruster forward, and his ship zooms off like a speedboat, churning the waves beneath him into a frenzy of bubbling, frothy white-caps. April and Goddard follow him, the cool sea breeze blowing pleasantly over them. The air is fresh and salty, the sun sparkles off the clean water, and from a distance the whole scene seems to fit perfectly with the image of a youthful summer joyride**
NAV: (leaning back, bobbing his head) Check me out, cruisin’ in my convertible, pickin’ up chicks…
CINDY: Man, you really HAVE been watching too many movies…
**The navigational computer pings to signal their arrival at their destination, and the travelers slow to a halt. April switches off her vital systems, leaving only a low-energy hover protocol online. Nav copies her action, then turns around and hoists Libby, Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl from the back seat. He clambers up onto the nose of the ship, hooting enthusiastically**
NAV: All right! Are you guys ready to GET WET?
APRIL: …Nav, your innuendo does not impress anyone.
NAV: Um, that wasn’t meant to be innuendo…
APRIL: …
**Aurora jumps off Goddard and lands on Nav’s ship, and the mechanical canine folds back into his original shape and touches down beside her. She cups her hands around her mouth and shouts to summon the others**
AURORA: All right, everyone gather around!
**April stomps out onto the hood of her fighter, motioning for Future Libby and Cindy to follow. The two girls climb over the front seat and join April, who shocks the lot of them by grabbing Cindy, hoisting her into the air, and pitching her across the gap between the two ships**
APRIL: Nav, catch!
**Cindy squeals as she sails in a wide arc, legs pumping furiously. Like a falling cat, she twists to change her trajectory, only to plow face-first into Nav’s waiting arms. She reels back and gasps for air, her cheeks burning with surprise and anger. She scowls up at Nav, who responds by cuddling her obnoxiously, with the clear intent of irritating her as much as possible. She squirms, and he laughs nastily**
AURORA: (sternly) Put her down, Nav, or I’ll put you down.
NAV: Fine, fine…
**Still smiling, he plunks a red-faced Cindy down next to Jimmy. She frantically attempts to straighten her disheveled hair before leveling a death glare at the boy genius, who laughs nervously and inches away a couple of steps**
APRIL: (turning to Libby) All right, up we go…
**Future Libby jumps back, watching April warily**
FUTURE LIBBY: I uh…I’d really rather not be thrown, thanks…
APRIL: All right then. I will carry you.
**April scoops up the smaller woman, who squeaks and wraps her arms tight around the Gorlock’s neck. April backs up a few feet, then takes a running jump off the tip of the nose. She barrels through the air and thumps loudly onto the other ship’s fuselage, leaving a slight dent in the metal beneath her feet. April sets Future Libby down, who quickly pulls down her skirt, which has migrated north during the course of the jump**
SHEEN: (blinking) Man…that was kind of hot.
**The others choose not to comment on April’s mode of travel, and instead cluster around Aurora. She pulls out her vial of antidote, and Cindy pulls out the kids’ copy**
AURORA: OK. We have two chances to make this work. Once we’re inside the base, things will get very dangerous. You kids need to stick together, and if possible, remain undetected. Jimmy, you will probably be able to hack into some of the systems and clear the base for the rest of us. I’d rather not have you engage in combat unless absolutely necessary. I’m not trying to create child soldiers here. If you encounter the Dictator, use the antidote – but make sure to wait until you have a clean shot, or he could catch onto our whole plan. Nav and April, your prerogative will be to cause as much destruction as you can.
**The pair grin at each other in fiendish delight, and April cocks one of her weapons noisily**
AURORA: Keep the guard bots busy, and take out as much of the weapons arsenal as you can. Libby will be with me – if she dies, I do too. Now, Jimmy, where is the air gum?
**Jimmy removes a handful of the gum from Goddard’s rear compartment, then pulls another set of pieces from his back pocket. He hands them out to the group**
JIMMY: Once you start chewing the gum, you will be able to breathe and talk underwater as well as tolerate extreme pressure. The effect will last between 15 and 20 minutes, so make sure to get onto dry land before then.
AURORA: (nodding at Jimmy) OK guys, this is it. Say a prayer, close your eyes, and down the hatch…
**She pops the gum into her mouth, and
the others do the same. After a couple of seconds, the world seems to
take on a fuzzy, lightweight quality. The daylight, which suddenly
seems ten times brighter, blurs their edges like
soft-touch-filtering. Aurora gestures at the water, fitting her mask
over her face as she does so. April, Nav, Aurora, Future Libby, and
the kids turn and walk in unison to the edge of the ship. Lined up
side by side, they stand like a row of stone effigies against the
cheery blue sky. A moment later, and without another word, they all
jump. After a brief drop, the sickeningly warm water closes over
their heads, sealing out the sunlit world above…**
