Bob's antenna twitched as the alien ship's corridors echoed with footsteps—metallic, heavy, and oh-so-not-friendly. The dim red lights cast long shadows, making every corner feel like a trap. Perfect for a cockroach like him.
"We're deep inside The Collector," Maya's voice buzzed softly through Bob's comm. "Satellite feed shows the Resistance is holding their ground down below. But you? You're the real wild card now."
Bob scoffed. "Wild card? More like wild roach."
Ahead, a squad of robotic sentries rounded the corner. Bob flattened himself against the wall. One bot's glowing eye scanned past him, missing the tiny hero by millimeters.
"Phew. Close one," Bob whispered.
Maya interrupted, "You've got to reach the Core Chamber and plant that jammer. We don't have long before they initiate the Assimilation sequence."
Bob grinned, "No pressure then."
---
Infiltrating the Core
The Core Chamber was a massive dome pulsing with eerie blue energy. Wires snaked from the ceiling like alien vines, connecting to a giant neural interface glowing at its center.
Bob's heart—or whatever passed for one in a cockroach—pounded. "Alright, time to do the impossible."
He sprinted across the floor, dodging electrified barriers and robotic arms. One sentry spotted him and fired a stun ray, but Bob flipped backward into a small vent.
"Close call," he muttered. From inside the vent, he launched himself onto the neural interface.
---
The Jammer Installation
Bob began chewing through the wiring, his mandibles buzzing with determination. Suddenly, the interface flickered. The neural field destabilized.
"Nice one, Bob!" Maya cheered through the comm.
But alarms blared instantly. The Collector's AI realized what was happening.
"Alert! Intruder detected!"
Sentries converged on the chamber, their metal feet pounding like thunder.
Bob bit faster.
---
The Great Escape
With the jammer activated, the Core Chamber began to shut down. The neural pulses faded, and the ship trembled.
Bob grabbed a loose wire, swung himself like a tiny Tarzan, and landed on a control panel. With a swift kick, he hit the emergency evacuation button.
An escape pod burst open.
"Time to skedaddle," Bob said, hopping inside just as the chamber exploded behind him.
The pod shot out of the ship, tumbling through space.
---
Back on Earth
Bob's pod landed in a scrapyard. He crawled out, antenna twitching, victorious.
The Resistance cheered over comms.
"Mission accomplished," Maya said.
Bob smirked. "Told you. Never underestimate the power of a cockroach."