Page 39 of Torn from the Alien Commander

As the bolt is destroyed, Hyanxa snaps flush to the wall, spreading her arms wide, freezing in place, even muting her breathing. My pulse races and I struggle to watch, knowing she’s only a quarter of the way down the lethal corridor. Any misstep, any unnecessary mistake spells death.

“Throw!” she shouts again, and another bolt flies down the corridor, triggering the lasers. She ducks and rolls, narrowly avoiding the deadly beams. When the bolt is snuffed out, Hyanxa balances on her hands and the tip of her toes, prone to the ground.

My heart pounds as I watch her, every muscle in my body tense. Hyanxa continues this dangerous dance, shouting commands, and dodging the lasers with incredible agility. With each bolt thrown, she gains precious time for her next move.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Hyanxa reaches the end of the corridor, breathless but unscathed. She turns back to us, a triumphant smile lighting up her face as she loosens her long red hair, letting it cascade past her shoulders.

We all cheer, a heady mixture of relieved laughter and awe for Hyanxa’s stunning bravery and skill. She laughs before darting to the control center room. “Good work, Job,” I congratulate the Glaseroid who’s returning his assortment of objects into his pockets with shaking hands.

“I merely throw away precious materials. Yes?” Job replies, causing me to frown, once again wondering if he’s ever happy.

My eyes scan the room, hoping to glean any indication that Hyanxa has disabled the laser grid, but I find nothing. “All clear!” Hyanxa calls out after a moment.

Quad steps forward, but Felixus stops him with a hand. “Better to be sure, lad,” he intones as he tosses a small object down the corridor. We all watch with bated breath as the item hurtles through the air unmolested, emitting a beautiful clang as it bounces unharmed along the ground.

Like blissful music to my ears!

Elated, we all hurry down the corridor to join Hyanxa. Entering the room, I’m struck by the sheer number of large computers aligning the walls. They reach floor to ceiling, white and blinking with multi-colored lights, emitting a collective whirling buzz. Hyanxa scratches her head with a grimace, standing over the red-colored holographic console in the center.

“That was incredible,” I tell Hyanxa, my voice filled with genuine awe.

She shrugs, a modest grin on her face. “Easy, just like the old days.” Hyanxa’s attention soon shifts back to the console, her smile turning to a grimace. “Except in the old days, computers voiding worked!” She slaps the terminal in frustration.

“Don’t bloody break it!” Felixus interjects, rushing over to shove Hyanxa out of the way with surprising force. “I spent months getting this set up, networking each terminal in this whole fortress together. Cost a clean fortune, just to have some blockhead hit my beautiful lady,” he laments, darting his hands over the console.

Sounds like he’s spent too much time alone with it.

“Oh, stop, you’re making me jealous,” Hyanxa retorts, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she rubs her arm.

Felixus scoffs, his hands continuing to fly over the controls with impressive speed. “Good, we haven’t been discovered yet, but it won’t be long until someone finds the mess we’ve left atthe last checkpoint.” His gaze shifts between me and Hyanxa. “I could seal the outer doors. It might tip them off sooner, but will be another barrier for them to force open.”

“Seal them,” I say without hesitation. “It’ll buy us more time, and it might look like system failure, rather than two naked guards jammed into a container and a melted door.”

Felixus chuckles, his hands working quickly. “Done.” The crimson holographic morphs, showing a massive layout of the entire palace. “I’ve just shut down all the other security systems and doors.”

My eyes dart over the glowing map, barely hearing Felixus, only wanting to know the location of the cells. “Where are the bastards keeping him?” I ask, unable to hide my desperation. I reach out through our bond, feeling my stomach churn with frantic worry, knowing he’s in such pain, weak and fading fast. “Somewhere below.” I point downward and to the left.

“Yeah,” Felixus confirms, exchanging a look with Hyanxa, who only shrugs. “How’d you know?” he asks incredulously.

“Blockheaded Klendathian superstition,” I reply absently, looking for the location of the stairs as Felixus scoffs.

“Hmm, ventilation control nearby. Could deploy flesh-eater virus? No?” Mod chimes in, stroking the area below his mouth.

“Voidsons!” Felixus recoils as if struck. “We’re trying to rescue Xandor. Not exterminate all life!” He rounds on Mod, disdain etched on his face. “And that reminds me. Set your weapons to non-lethal. I don’t want this turning into a bloodbath if it can be helped. These are my people, after all.”

Hyanxa sighs, but I lead the way, flicking the switch on my laser rifle. I’m not keen to kill potential friends of Felixus, but whoever’s been tormenting my Xandor—they will suffer.My hands curl into fists, shaking of their own accord.

“Use nerve agent instead. Produces unconsciousness; aftereffect perhaps mild headache? No?” Mod persists, his antennae fluttering.

“No!” I snap back. “It might hurt, Xandor.” Mod’s antennae droop as he lets out a sigh.

“What’s that room, Tiniest?” Quad booms nearby, stiffening my spine. “Room with fist, means bashing?” He glares at Felixus, open-mouthed.

Felixus squints at the red projection. “Kind of. It’s the armory not far from the stairwell,” he answers, wincing as if he regrets the words.

“Bashing!” Quad declares, smashing his meaty fists together, causing Felixus to flinch backwards. “We grab red tech, we bash many tiny’s.” He looks at Felixus with a bowed head. “No offense.”

“What’s a sprinkle more offense upon the megaton of others!” Felixus declares, rubbing his thick brows. “I said I didn’t want this turning into a bloodbath.”

---