“Okay, that should work.”
I try to sound confident as we crowd around Magellan’s battered shell on the workbench, heads bowed like a med team over a critical patient. We’ve got the lab to ourselves right now—the team who should be here is off getting treatment for a dose of radiation. We’re probably scoring one ourselves, but we’ll be fine next loop, and we have urgent business.
I’ve already networked my uni, Zila’s, and Scar’s together, and with a dab of solder and a short prayer to the Maker, I’m putting the final touches on my hot-wired masterpiece.
“The combinational logic circuits … ,” Zila murmurs, sounding dubious.
“Ugh, I know. Nari, hand me another one of those pinchy metal things.”
“You mean a bulldog clip?”
“Right. Why are they called that?”
“I …” She frowns, plucking one from the sheaf of plasdocs. “Actually have no idea.”
“A bulldog invented them?” Scar suggests.
“You have a creature that’s both a bull and a dog? Actually, I’ll buy that. I mean, you people used to farm quantum— Ow!”
A small zap runs through the fingers of my exo—if the galaxy’s most annoying uniglass wasn’t digitally unconscious, I’d say that happened on purpose—and with a soft hum, the dead glass starts to power up.
“Yessss!” I raise a hand to Scarlett, and she obliges with a high five, curling her fingers through mine to pull me in for a kiss. A way, way better zap runs through me as our lips meet, and this is definitely how all high fives—
“HEY THERE! I MISSED YOUR F-F-F-F-FACES!”
We pause the kissing, watching as the four uniglass screens run through a series of digital patterns cut with lines of static.
“That doesn’t look right,” Scar mutters.
“It’s not. But I’m working with primitive tools here.” I glance up at Nari. “No offense, Dirtgirl.”
“None taken, bleach-head,” she murmurs.
“Hey, when the war ends twenty years from now and Trask becomes Terra’s closest ally, on a scale of one to ten, how stupid are you gonna feel?”
“Not half as stupid as you’re gonna look with my boot up your—”
“Children,” Scarlett sighs. “Please.”
“Even if we were not running out of time,” Zila says, “we still would have no time for pointless hostilities. We are all friends here.”
Kim scowls at me, gives a grudging nod to Zila. And the way she stares at Z tells me that maybe Lieutenant Dirtgirl is thinking she’d like to be something more than friends with our little Brain. But like Zila says, we’re running out of time.
“Hey, Magellan,” I say as the start-up screen finishes. “Good to see you again, buddy. We got some math for you.”
“HEY, POTPLANT! TEACUP TERRIER-TERRIERT-T-T-TERRIER! HERE BE DRAGONS. BARET, JEANNE. STARK, FREYA. BIRD WALTON, NANCY. LIST OF EXPLORERS INCOMPLETE. HAS ANYONE GOT A BISCUIT?”
I add another spot of solder. “Magellan! We’re kind of on a clock here, buddy, and we need you to do some math and save our tails.”
“Before the snake eats its own,” Zila murmurs.
All the activity on its screen pauses, and for a heart-stopping moment I think I’ve made things worse. Magellan flashes, a ream of decidedly nonstandard code scrolling down the cracked glass. The screen of my glass, then Zila’s, and then Scar’s begin to pulse in time, and the word OUROBOROS coalesces across all three, disintegrating into a cloud of ones and zeroes.
Scarlett frowns. “Did you see that?”
Magellan beeps again. A cool blue light washes its surface. And with a soft, pleased hum, the display resolves into a normal query screen.
“ON A CLOCK, HUH?” it chirps. “DOES THAT MEAN WE’RE FINALLY BACK IN 2177? I THOUGHT WE WERE NEVER GOING TO GET HERE!”
For a moment there’s silence, except for the fizz and pop of a couple of workstations behind us. Scarlett and I exchange a wide-eyed glance.
“We’re … what?” I manage.
“Magellan, please repeat last statement,” Zila says.
“OH, NOW WE’RE INTERESTED IN HEARING WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, HUH?” It flashes obnoxiously. “EVERYONE SICK OF THEIR LITTLE RUNNING JOKE?”
Zila frowns. “Running—”
“‘HEY, YOU’RE ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THAT PLANET, MAYBE I COULD HELP? MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE! HEY, DON’T EAT THAT, IT HAS ALL THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF A RIGELLIAN’S GYM SOCK. MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE! AURORA, DON’T TOUCH THAT ALIEN ARTIFACT, IT’S GOING TO— MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE!’”
“Magellan … ,” Scarlett begins.
“EVERYBODY AROUND ME IS A PROTEIN POPSICLE FULL OF TEENAGE HORMONES AND I HAVE THE IQ OF A SUPERGENIUS, BUT NNNNOPE, LET’S ALL YELL AT THE UNIGLASS BECAUSE IT’S JUST HILARIOUS TO US MEATBAGS!”
“Magellan, we’re sorry,” Scarlett says.
“SUUUURE YOU ARE.”
“We didn’t know we were hurting your feelings,” she assures it. “Nobody’s putting you on silent mode.”
“NO? NO TAKERS? ARE YOU SURE? WHAT ABOUT YOU, SASSYBOY?”
“I am sure,” I tell it, picking up a nearby wrench, “that if you don’t start talking right now, I’m going to recycle you.”
“FINE, FINE! NO NEED TO GET HUFFY,” Magellan mutters. “IF MY OUROBOROS PROTOCOL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR IT ANYWAY.” A stream of code rolls down the device’s screen, the display blinks. “WOW, MY SENSORS ARE A MESS. IS LIEUTENANT KIM HERE?”
“What the hell … ,” Nari breathes, looking at Magellan like it’s some sort of witch and she’s thinking about finding a stack of kindling. Back when I learned about that little episode in humanity’s history, they had a lot of explaining to do, but right now I’m beginning to see how it happened.
“Nari is here.” Zila’s eyes drift to the lieutenant. “But the more pertinent question is, How did you know she would be?”
“IT’S IN MY BRIEFING DOCUMENT. WHICH IS STILL PARTIALLY ENCRYPTED AND UNPACKING INTO MY CPU. BUT I KNOW SHE’S A PART OF THE PLAN.”
My mind is racing, and Scarlett’s staring at me like the whole galaxy has just turned upside down. My throat feels so tight I can barely speak.
“What plan?”
“THE PLAN TO SAVE THE MILKY WAY GALAXY, SASSYBOY! ALL THIS HAS BEEN A PART OF IT. EVERY MOMENT YOU’VE LIVED FOR THE LAST YEAR. EVERY MOMENT SINCE CADET ANTON BJÖRKMAN’S SNORING KEPT CADET TYLER JONES AWAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DRAFT. EVERY MOMENT SINCE CADET JONES MADE HIS WAY TO THE LAUNCH BAYS, WHERE SECOND LIEUTENANT LEXINGTON ALLOWED HIM TO TAKE A PHANTOM OUT INTO THE FOLD IN DEFIANCE OF AURORA ACADEMY REGULATIONS. EVERY MOMENT SINCE HE DETECTED AND RESCUED AURORA JIE-LIN O’MALLEY FROM THE RUINS OF THE HADFIELD.”
Total silence.
“HELLO? IS MY VOX UNIT FRITZING?”
“Ty told me about that,” Scarlett murmurs. “His roomie snoring when he never usually did. The lieutenant he flirted with so he could hit the Fold without officer escort. He thought it was weird in hindsight, but—”
“BUT IT WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN,” Magellan says, with a jaunty little spark. “SO WAS TYLER’S GIVING ME TO AURORA. AURORA STOWING AWAY ABOARD YOUR LONGBOW. THE ZERO WAITING FOR YOU AT EMERALD CITY. TO BE HONEST, MAKING SURE SASSYBOY’S COUSIN DARIEL HAD SEEN THE POSTERS FOR MR. BIANCHI’S ART EXHIBITION WAS THE TRICKIEST PART. HE’S NOT QUICK ON THE UPTAKE, IS HE?”
“All planned,” I echo.
“RIGHT DOWN TO THE DEPOSIT BOX IN THE DOMINION VAULT, WITH GIFTS FOR EACH OF YOU. LEFT THERE BEFORE YOU EVER ENROLLED AT THE ACADEMY.”
“Except for Cat,” Scarlett whispers, slowly frowning. “There was no gift for Cat. Just a ship named in memory of her. And now Tyler’s gone.” Her voice is rising, her hand squeezing mine to the point of pain. “They’re gone, and you’re telling us this was planned?”
“WELL,” Magellan replies. “IN AN EQUATION THIS COMPLEX, NOBODY CAN CONTROL ALL VARIABLES. AND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF EVENTS ONLY EXTENDED TO A CERTAIN POINT IN THE TIMELINE. BUT EVENTS WERE NUDGED, WHERE THEY COULD BE. YOU WERE ASSISTED, WHERE YOU COULD BE.”
“By whom?” Zila asks, and I can’t help admiring the fact that she’s maintaining her grammar while my brain’s going off like a fireworks display.
“ADMIRAL ADAMS AND GREATER CLAN BATTLE LEADER DE STOY.”
“But who briefed them?”
“IT APPEARS THE ORDERS WERE PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE HEADS OF THE ACADEMY, GENERATION TO GENERATION, FROM THE ORIGINAL AURORA LEGION FOUNDERS IN 2214.” Magellan flashes, maybe performing data retrieval. There’s a buzz to its circuits I don’t like. “ONE OF WHOM WAS ADMIRAL NARI KIM.”
Nari’s legs fold at that point, and she thumps down onto a tech’s stool that Zila shoves under her butt with only a millisecond to spare.
“Okay,” Dirtgirl whispers. “Okay, this is officially too much now.”
“It’s right,” Scarlett breathes. “Maker’s breath, it’s right.”
“Scar?” I ask.
“You remember the main hall on Alpha promenade back at the academy? The big statues?”
“The Founders … ,” Zila whispers.
Scar steps to Lieutenant Dirtgirl’s side, stretches one arm high over her head. “Imagine her made of marble. And older. And like a hundred meters tall.”
I stare at Nari, a frown deepening on my brow. “Maker’s bits …”
Scar turns to Nari. “We walk by you every day. I mean, in our defense, you’re way older. And in full Aurora dress uniform and, you know, solid stone. And really, you’re so big we’re really just walking by your feet. But damn, they made a statue out of you, girl.” She holds her hand up for a high five, but Nari leaves her hanging, still staring at Magellan.
“You’re one of the Founders of Aurora Academy,” I whisper.
“I can’t even find my keys most days,” Nari whispers.
“This explains the sensation of familiarity I have been experiencing,” Zila muses. “Your hair is shorter on the statue they built for you.”
Nari opens her mouth, then closes it again.
“I think I’m gonna be sick… .”
“You know,” I say, “you co-found Aurora Academy with your bestie. Who happens to be a Betraskan. So you probably shouldn’t call her a bleach-head or shoot her in the face when you meet her.”
“Fin … ,” Scarlett groans.
“Yeah, sorry,” I grin.
I know I shouldn’t be kidding. I know that. But … I mean. How are you supposed to respond when you find out you’re part of a sweeping pan-galactic plan that’s been in the works for actual centuries?
“Wait,” says Scar suddenly, turning to Magellan. “I’ve just realized … this must mean Nari lives! If she’s one of the original commanders of the Legion, she’s guaranteed to get out of this loop, right?”
“OH, HELLS NO,” it replies.
Zila frowns. “But if Lieutenant Kim goes on to found Aurora Academy …”
“YEAH, EXCEPT THAT HASN’T HAPPENED YET. YOU’RE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A COLLAPSING PARADOX EVENT, KIDS. I DON’T WANNA BORE YOU WITH MULTIVERSE THEORY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOTHING IS SET IN STONE HERE. NARI KIM ONLY FOUNDS AURORA ACADEMY IF YOU MANAGE TO ESCAPE THIS LOOP.”
“Except we don’t know how to do that,” I growl.
“WELL, IT’S A GOOD THING I APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED WITH ALL THE PERTINENT INFORMATION. SO DOES ANYONE FEEL LIKE YELLING SILENT MODE! OR SHALL I KEEP UNPACKING THESE MEMORY FILES AND CONTINUE?”
I reach for the wrench again as Scarlett’s hand closes over mine.
“Can you tell us anything about the others first?” she asks. “Do you know what’s happened to Ty? Auri? Back in our time?”
“I DON’T SEEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA. IT MAY BE THAT MY PROGRAMMER DIDN’T KNOW. OR THEY CHOSE NOT TO TELL ME. OR THIS SHONKY REPAIR JOB HAS CORRUPTED PARTS OF MY MEMORY. YOU SURE YOU STUDIED MECHANEERING, SASSYBOY? FEELS LIKE I’VE BEEN REPAIRED BY SOMEONE WITH A DEGREE IN BOTANY.”
“You little piece of chakk, I put you back together with a clop made by a freaking bulld—” Scar claps a hand over my mouth.
“Okay, question,” she says. “You were just Tyler’s old uniglass before he gave you to Auri. How in the Maker’s name are you now an oracle? How do you know any of this?”
“REMEMBER WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO DOWNLOAD AN UNAUTHORIZED UNIGLASS PERSONALITY UPGRADE FROM A SHOPPING WEBNODE?”
“Still can’t believe you did that,” I mutter.
“It came with a free handbag,” Scar pouts.
“ALL THIS DATA WAS INCLUDED IN THAT UPGRADE. DESIGNED TO BE UNLOCKED ONCE CERTAIN OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS WERE MET. A FEW YEARS LATER, TYLER PASSED ME TO AURORA, AND HERE I AM.”
“Am I really that predictable?” She sounds more than a little insulted.
“I MEAN, I DON’T HAVE SHOULDERS, BUT IMAGINE ME SHRUGGING RIGHT NOW.”
“Ugh.”
“BACK TO BUSINESS. BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO DAMPEN THE MOOD, BUT YOU’RE ALL STILL TRAPPED IN A COLLAPSING PARADOX LOOP THAT WILL END WITH YOUR ERASURE FROM THE SPACETIME CONTINUUM. PRESUMABLY YOU LEGIONNAIRES WANT TO GET OUT OF IT. LIEUTENANT KIM, ARE YOU IN?”
Everyone’s gaze turns to Nari, who’s standing perfectly still, her mouth a little open. It’s half a dozen heartbeats before she speaks.
“I … I don’t think I can… .”
Zila tilts her head, thoughtful. “With which part do you struggle? The loop’s existence is well established now.”
“Not the loop. That’s insane, but it’s happening. It’s … I can’t found a whole army of the future!”
“Demonstrably, you can. We have seen the result. We are the result.”
Nari shakes her head. “But … Zila, I can’t. Someone else, maybe, but I can’t. I’m years off my next promotion, I’m never gonna make admiral. Are you kidding me? We’re in the middle of a war, anyway, and … Look, I have to back things up a little, did you say a hundred-meter-high statue of me?”
I open my mouth to speak, but Scar lays a hand on mine. And I realize that Zila’s and Nari’s gazes are locked, and this conversation—maybe one of the most important in the galaxy, now or ever—isn’t mine to have.
Zila’s got this.
“It will be a well-earned tribute,” she says quietly. “The founding of Aurora Academy is an extraordinary act. Even after the war ends, the Founders will push through great resistance, stare down their doubters with nothing but their own resolve. And together, they will create a peacekeeping force renowned throughout the Milky Way.”
“All this from me?” Nari whispers. “Impossible.”
Zila nods, gaze still unwavering. “Aurora Legion squads will be known for their honor. Their willingness to hold the line. They will be champions of peace, of justice. And for generations, people in need will sigh in relief when they see our ships arrive.”
Nari lets out a shaky breath and tries for a smile, but it wavers. “You’re not making it sound any easier, Madran.”
“It will not be. But you are up to the task. You will do it for those you love. Those who need someone to stand up for them. Those who are alone.”
The pair gaze at each other in silence, and there’s something there I can’t name, something between them. I don’t know what they said while Scar and I were off making out … I mean, distracting the security patrols. But Nari knows—Zila was alone too, once.
“Champions of peace,” Nari says softly. “I like the sound of that.”
“We the Legion,” says Zila.
“We the Light,” says Scar softly, beside me.
I have to clear my throat before I can finish the Legion’s creed. “Burning bright against the night.”
“This isn’t just so the future works out the way it’s supposed to,” Nari realizes slowly, looking right at me. “It’s something we’re going to need if we ever want to stop fighting like this. We’re all friends here.”
“Even if it’s not easy,” Zila says.
“Even if it’s not easy.”
“… Is it okay if I’m scared shitless while I do it?”
Finally the solemnity breaks. Scar laughs, and I snort. Zila bows her head, dark curls tumbling over her face.
“We’ve been working scared forever at this point,” I grin. “We’re doing fine. I mean, apart from being trapped in a collapsing time loop a couple of centuries in the past.”
Even Zila is … okay, she can’t be smiling, but her mouth’s a little different. “If your halmoni can line up a legion of grandchildren to dutifully call on schedule, then …”
“It’s in my blood,” Nari allows. “Korean old ladies are legendary, you’re right. I’m going to need to tap a little ajumma energy.”
“OKAY, WELL,” Magellan breaks in and totally ruins the moment, “IF YOU’VE ALL FINISHED ABANDONING YOURSELVES TO THE RELENTLESS PULL OF DESTINY? WE SHOULD KEEP MOVING.”
“Ready?” Zila asks, looking across at Nari.
“Ready,” Nari agrees.
“GOOD. STRAP IN. BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO GET COMPLICATED.”
I lean against Scar as Magellan starts speaking, and though I’m listening, I’m also noticing how nice it is to just sit shoulder to shoulder with Scar. How it warms my cheeks when she looks at me and winks.
“OKAYYYY, SO, ACCORDING TO THESE MEMORY FILES … SCARLETT’S CRYSTAL IS THE KEY HERE.”
“It is?” Scar blinks.
“That makes sense,” Zila murmurs, breaking her stare from Nari’s. “Every gift left for us in the Dominion Repository has played a pivotal role.”
“Z, I got a damn pen,” I growl.
“So this crystal”—Scarlett’s fingertips brush her necklace—“is also the piece upstairs in Pinkerton’s office, right?”
“RIGHT,” Magellan replies. “AND BOTH ARE THE SAME PIECE OF THE LARGER PROBE. LOOK, WE DON’T REALLY HAVE TIME TO GO INTO THE METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ESHVAREN AND TRANSPHASIC TEMPORAL MECHANICS, BUT BASICALLY, ESHVAREN CRYSTAL EXISTS IN SUPERPOSITION ACROSS MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS. INCLUDING TIME. SO IF THE PIECE OF CRYSTAL AROUND YOUR NECK WAS SUBJECTED TO SOME MASSIVE ENERGY FLUX IN 2380, AND THE PROBE IT CAME FROM WAS EXPOSED TO A COMPARABLE FLUX HERE IN 2177 …”
Zila glances from Scarlett’s throat to the dark matter tempest. “Magellan, you are saying the fragment in Scarlett’s necklace and the larger chunk of crystal it came from … called to each other across space and time?”
“THAT’S RIGHT!” the uniglass beeps triumphantly. “THEY SNAPPED BACK TOGETHER LIKE AN ELASTIC BAND.”
“So why is time collapsing?” Scarlett demands.
“Paradox … ,” Zila murmurs.
“YOU GOT IT! SCARLETT’S CRYSTAL ALREADY EXISTS IN THIS TIME AND PLACE. IT’S UPSTAIRS IN DR. PINKERTON’S QUARTERS. SO WITH TWO VERSIONS OF THE CRYSTAL OCCUPYING PROXIMAL POSITIONS IN SPACE AND TIME …”
“Time is trying to right itself,” Zila concludes. “Hence the loops. Which are becoming shorter and shorter.”
“EXACTLY! TIME RESISTS DISTORTION, TRIES TO BEND ITSELF BACK INTO ITS ORIGINAL FLOW, LIKE A RUBBER BLOCK BEING BENT OUT OF SHAPE. SO EVENTUALLY THIS LITTLE BUBBLE OF PARADOX YOU’RE LIVING IN WILL EAT ITSELF UNLESS YOU FIND A WAY TO SEND SCARLETT’S CRYSTAL BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION IN TIME.”
“Okay, question,” Scarlett interjects. “If this is all a part of the plan, but us being here could derail the plan if we don’t get home, why did Adams and de Stoy give me the necklace in the first place?”
Nari shakes her head. “Because apparently I’m going to pass on a message to my successors that they have to.”
“We must be meant to be here,” I breathe. “There must be something we’re meant to do. Maybe it was meeting Nari, getting her on track to founding Aurora Academy. Telling her about the Zero, the gifts. Maybe all that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
“This is getting awfully close to being my own grandmother,” Scarlett mutters. “Okay, so how do we get out of this, Magellan?”
“GOOD QUESTION!” the uniglass beeps.
Silence descends, broken only by the shuddering station, the sound of alert sirens. We look at each other, then down to the cobbled-together string of uniglasses. Magellan spits and pops.
“Well?” Scarlett asks.
“I HAVE NO IDEA!”
The floor feels like it’s falling away from beneath my feet. “You what?”
“I MEAN, MAYBE I USED TO. BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT PART OF MY MEMORY IS CORRUPTED. OR GOT DELETED BY MR. BULLDOG CLIP HERE. YOU SURE YOU DIDN’T STUDY BOTANY, SASSYBOY?”
“We’re stuck here in a series of shortening loops, waiting for our paradox bubble to eat itself, and you knew this was coming.” I’m on my feet by now, reaching for the wrench. “And you don’t know how to fix it?”
“WARNING: CONTAINMENT CASCADE IN EFFECT. CORE IMPLOSION IMMINENT, T MINUS THREE MINUTES AND COUNTING. ALL HANDS PROCEED TO EVACUATION PODS IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT: CORE IMPLOSION IN THREE MINUTES AND COUNTING.”
“I think—” says Zila softly.
“Botany,” I huff. “I was in the top ten percent of my whole year.”
“OOOOOOH, I’M IMPR—”
“I think,” says Zila, pausing until she has our attention, “that we should return to Scarlett’s necklace. And Magellan’s analogy of the elastic band.”
Scar’s the first one smart enough to slip into helper mode, taking in Zila’s stare, the slow nibble on the curl, all the hints we know and love that our Brain’s brain is working at full capacity.
“Right. I got given this crystal for a reason.”
“Chronologically speaking,” Zila nods, “your necklace is ‘of the future.’ It has existed longer than the piece in Dr. Pinkerton’s quarters. Magellan said that time wants to be ordered. So if we can remove the phenomenon anchoring it here, your necklace should snap back to its original position.”
“The anchor is the larger piece of crystal,” I supply.
“The probe it came from,” Nari says. “Down on Level 2.”
“Indeed,” Zila agrees. “If we can cut the probe off from its power source so it’s no longer functioning as an anchor in this time, and apply a comparable amount of quantum power to our piece of the crystal as was used in the blast that brought us here, the temporal shock may cause time to reassert itself.”
Scarlett frowns. “Like … shocking someone after a heart attack?”
“Exactly.” Zila pauses, tilting her head. “Either that or we will be erased entirely from the spacetime continuum. But I believe the odds of success are at least 8.99 percent.”
“THAT MAKES SENSE,” Magellan says. “YOU KNOW, YOU’RE PRETTY SMART FOR A PROTEIN POPSICLE FULL OF TEENAGE SEX HORMONES.”
Zila glances at Nari, frowning. “I am full of no such thing.”
“Okay, so first problem,” I say. “Presuming this tremendous discharge of quantum power doesn’t just delete us from spacetime entirely, it’s not like we just have that kind of energy at our disposal. The power levels you’re—”
“WARNING: CORE IMPLOSION IMMINENT, T MINUS THIRTY SECONDS. ALL HANDS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT: CORE IMPLOSION IN THIRTY SECONDS.”
“CORE IMPLOSION?” Magellan beeps. “THIS PLACE IS IN WORSE SHAPE THAN I AM. WHAT THE HELLS HAPPENED AROUND HERE, ANYWAY?”
“Part of the experiments these lunatics are doing,” I tell it. “They’re running a sail out onto the edge of a dark matter tempest, and the whole place got hit by … oh.”
“A quantum pulse,” Zila supplies.
“… And we know exactly when it will hit,” I breathe.
“Forty-four minutes,” Zila nods.
Scarlett looks between us, color rising in her cheeks. “Wait, you want to hook me up to a pulse of raw dark energy? The blast that’s cooked this entire station and killed us, like, a million times? That’s your power source?”
“WARNING: CORE IMPLOSION IMMINENT. FIVE SECONDS. WARNING.”
I look at Scar and shrug.
“It might tickle,” I concede.
“WARNING.”
BOOM.