The yellow emergency lights in the Cinder's busted engine room threw long, creepy shadows. All you could hear was the Core Collapse Alarm screaming – a countdown that started at five minutes and was now booking it to zero. The ship was toast, thanks to Garth's handiwork.
Veridian stood there with the captured rifles, Elara was flashing all kinds of frantic blue light, and Garth, looking like he was about to fall apart, was clutching a huge wrench he'd torn loose. They'd won, but it was a total mess.
3 MINUTES 45 SECONDS 'til this thing breaks apart, Elara said, her voice cutting through the noise. She was now figuring out the math for the Core's final meltdown.
Lyra said they busted into the medbay! Veridian shouted, pointing her rifle at the catwalks above. They'll be coming through the vents and hallways! We need a sub, now!
Nope. The Directorate Breaching Team (DBT) is using the emergency vent shaft, Kappa-2. They're almost for sure headed to the MACH-A platform, Elara shot back. They know the quickest way to the Manifest is through the ship's power center.
Elara's eyes flicked to the MACH-A platform – that high, skinny ledge Garth had just left, hanging over the wrecked reactor core. It was the obvious, most defended way to the ship's important stuff.
Then we hit 'em from the side! Veridian started moving toward the hallway.
Bad plan. Getting out of here is more important than fighting. Elara moved fast, stopping Veridian. The fact they picked Kappa-2 means a smart leader. We need to avoid them.
Where's the closest escape pod? Garth croaked, leaning against the wall.
The main escape pods on the left side are locked. Lyra's orders. Need bridge authorization. We gotta use the cargo bay.
I. The Cargo Bay Run
Veridian checked the time: 3 MINUTES 10 SECONDS.
Elara, you go first. Garth, stick with me. Let's go!
They bolted out of the engine room and down the main hallway, the only light coming from the dim emergency lights.
When they got to the reinforced door of the Cargo Bay, they heard a thudding sound from the vents above – the Directorate team was on the move.
That door's sealed. We need the code! Veridian said, aiming her rifle.
Elara put her hand on the magnetic seal. Code won't matter. The Arc Core is going down. The stress will crack the seal.
Elara's blue light pulsed as she used a low vibration. The door seals started groaning like crazy under the pressure.
Krrrrr-CHUNNNKK!
The seals broke, and the door popped open with a sound of ripping metal. They rushed into the Cargo Bay – a huge space packed with Arc tech Lyra was hauling.
The exit's in the back! The Emergency Egress Hatch! Garth yelled, remembering the plans.
They ran past huge cargo crates.
Suddenly, a plasma shot whizzed past Veridian's head, melting the metal on a crate.
DBT! UP TOP! Veridian yelled, firing back.
Three Directorate agents – in black armor suits – were on the upper catwalk, coming down fast. They had big Plasma Rifles that could cut through anything. They were there to kill them and get the Manifest.
DBT Agents. Heavily armored. Not easy to hurt. Elara said, raising her hands.
Elara didn't shoot. She put her energy into the crates nearest the agents – huge boxes held by mag-clamps.
Elara found the center of the mag-clamps' energy and flipped it.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The mag-clamps broke at the same time. The crates – tons of metal and unstable energy – fell off the catwalks onto the DBT agents.
Two agents were crushed. The third jumped away, but his Plasma Rifle was busted, leaving him stuck.
2 MINUTES 30 SECONDS, Elara said, not caring about the dead guys.
Veridian grabbed the extra rifles and tossed one to Garth. Keep moving! Final hatch!
They got to the Emergency Egress Hatch – a small door to the outside. It would only open into water, but it was the only way out.
II. Last Ditch Stand
Garth was trying to open the hatch, when three more DBT agents – who took a longer way – burst into the cargo bay. The leader was a huge agent in a Command Suit.
STOP, ROGUE! GIVE US THE MANIFEST! the Commander yelled.
Veridian pushed Garth behind some crates. Go, Garth! Open that hatch!
Veridian and Elara stood together, Elara's blue light against the red alarm.
COMMANDER. They outnumber us. We need to defend. The Manifest is what they want. Elara said.
Then give them something to shoot at! Veridian shouted.
Veridian shot at the Commander, making him raise a shield. Elara used the chance to start something risky.
Elara focused on the cargo stabilizer – a spinning thing with its own power. She found its spin point.
GYROSCOPE FLIPPED!
Elara reversed the gyroscope's spin. The thing went crazy, making the whole cargo bay shake.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVMMMMMMMM!
The floor shook so hard the crates slid around and the agents fell. They slid into the spinning gyroscope and were crushed.
The Commander stayed standing, but struggled to keep his balance.
You're wasting your time, the Commander yelled, raising his Plasma Rifle at Elara.
2 MINUTES 00 SECONDS.
Garth almost had the hatch open. IT'S OPEN! LET'S GO!
Veridian grabbed Elara and dove toward the hatch. ELARA! NOW! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
The Commander fired. The plasma hit the hatch, melting the wheel.
You're trapped, the Commander said, walking closer. Give us the Manifest.
III. Elara's Last Play
They were stuck. The hatch was sealed, the core was about to blow, and the Commander was coming.
No good. Can't escape this way. Elara said, standing up, her blue light bright.
Veridian grabbed her arm. Elara, we fight back to the bridge, or we die!
Nope. One other trick.
Elara looked up at the MACH platform, where Garth messed with reactor.
COMMANDER. Core's melting down. That gives us a chance.
What are you doing? Veridian asked.
GARTH broke the Arc Core loose from the ship. Won't explode. It will be a solid lump of Arc stuff.
Elara was planning to use the exploding reactor as a getaway.
That's nuts! It's a bomb! Garth yelled.
Won't be. I can mess with the geometry. Elara raised her hands, powering up the Core. Veridian. Garth. Get to the platform. 45 SECONDS.
The Commander fired, hitting the crate Veridian was behind.
Go! I'll cover you! Veridian yelled, shooting at the Commander's head.
Garth, followed Elara's orders, and climbed up the ladder to the MACH-A platform. Veridian followed, pulling Elara.
1 MINUTE 30 SECONDS.
They got to the platform. The alarm was screaming.
The Commander was below, aiming. You'll die with the ship!
Elara wasn't looking at him. She was staring at the Core. Its titanium case was glowing red.
GARTH. Final task. Your wire. Shove it in the Core's port. Now.
Garth, shaking, shoved the wire into the port.
Elara released all her power.
The blue light shot down the wire to the core. Elara was messing with its insides turning it into a temporary engine.
The Core's case started glowing with blue and orange light.
VERIDIAN. Grab the wire! Hold on to Garth! This is how we get out! Elara yelled.
The Commander, realizing what was happening, fired at the platform. It hit the support strut.
K-CRACK! The platform started to break.
NOW!
Elara launched power down the wire.
WHOOOOOOM!
The Core didn't explode outwards. It shot straight up, blowing through the ship. The platform, with Elara, Veridian, and Garth, shot through the ship's decks.
The core wasn't a bomb; it was a cannon.
They were shot out of the Cinder in a blast of water and steam, protected by the reactor core.
The broken ship flooded and sank into the Dead Zone. The Commander was trapped inside.
V. Open Sea
Hours later.
The wrecked Arc Core floated in the water. The field Elara made held them, but it was going down.
Veridian was hardly awake, holding on to the metal. Garth was tied, alive but beat. Elara was dead, her blue light gone. She used all her power to do that inversion and make that shield.
The Manifest was safe, inside Veridian's coat.
A sound echoed across the water. A ship was coming. Not a Syndicate ship, but a small Interceptor, cloaked.
A woman on deck was looking through binoculars. Not Syndicate. She was from the Silent Collective, the resistance Veridian was trying to reach.
The woman saw the wreckage and yelled something. The Interceptor pulled up.
Veridian looked at the dead machine, then at the sea. It was over. They had the machine and the Manifest, but now they were at war.