The group chat between Bliss and his interns received a new message from him. “Good job not saying anything at the meeting today. Lunai, your special training is gonna be an online module. I’m going into space for a bit to clear my head. You can go home for the day, nothing is happening right now and there’s still no word from Sir Jelly.”

  Bliss and Entropi zipped across the solar system, circling the transport ring around each planet. Spaceships coming closer to land noticed streaks of black and white light flashing across their windows. The lights came in close but always curved out of the way at the last minute. They finally left the Rebirth System, with Bliss following Entropi further and further away.

  His voice echoed in her head. “How far are we going?”

  She responded using her suits communication device. “We’re leaving the galaxy; I need to show you something!”

  They started flying as fast as they could. Reaching the edge of the galaxy was a feat once thought impossible without a spaceship, at least until Entropi came along. Even the two expert space travelers had to push themselves to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Their maximum speed got them there in just under three hours, and they both paused to take a much-needed rest. They stared into the unending void, which was peaceful, yet terrifying.

  “Some say The Old God only has enough power to operate in this galaxy. It makes you wonder what life has flourished elsewhere.” She said with a content smile. “When I come here, I’m reminded that nothing is truly impossible. The universe is unlimited; it cannot and will not be tamed.”

  He didn’t have a response for her. Maybe one day he could concern himself with the wonderful possibilities of the greater universe, but The Old God had his full attention at the moment. She pushed him past the point of no return, officially leaving the Milky Way. Once they were deep enough, he was surrounded by a feeling of serenity that was foreign to him. If he had felt it before, it was a different time, before his body was his own. Entropi happily floated back and forth around him, basking in the darkness. It wasn’t long before the silence was interrupted by a haunting echo.

  Entropi turned towards the sound. “Oh, here he is! My new friend, I was visiting him when you called me about Armageddon.”

  Bliss looked behind them to see a huge creature approaching. He cut through space with two fins, elegantly gliding towards them. Entropi touched his side and flew around his body, with the beast turning to match her movements. Bliss had to admit it was a gorgeous creature, with dark purple eyes to match its vast surroundings.

  “Don’t be shy, Mtsi! He wants to say hi to you!”

  Bliss cautiously approached the creature, instinctively avoiding its mouth. He drifted towards its right eye, taking a closer look. It was larger than his head, and the pupil moved to focus on him. It tracked him as he moved through space, reminding him of Sorebel. He decided to let his guard down, grabbing one of the creature’s fins. Entropi followed suit on the other side, and they let the creature guide them. Bliss closed his eyes and started nodding off; moments like this were too rare for him to pass up. Something about the creature’s vast size and the emptiness of the void comforted him. He knew he wouldn’t have any nightmares here.

  Lunai decided to spend her surprise day off walking around the main campus. Right outside the building she worked in was a lovely courtyard; families who were currently being housed by the agency often had picnics and allowed their children to play freely. Some of them ran up to Lunai and asked about hero work, tugging at her costume. The parents gently guided the kids away, but she didn’t mind at all. She reached for the trees planted around them, cultivated by Dr. Crux himself, and caused their flowers to bloom. The children cheered in amazement, and she gave a small curtsy before walking further into campus.

  The wilderness around her was familiar and comforting. It was hard to believe it hadn't grown there naturally. The entire planet was built by Dr. Crux, and while the plants were functional, they were not truly alive. Her father derided the technology in the past. She checked for any news about the plague back home, but she was distracted by a new message from an unknown sender.

  [unlisted]: Located. Diagram to follow. Meet Monday at the circled point.”

  She immediately opened her group chat with Bliss and Argalax.

  [Lunai]: Did anyone else just get that message?

  That had to be Sir Jelly, right? There’s no way it could be from anyone else. That means Monday is the big day!

  [Argalax]: Yes. It seems to be what we've been waiting for. Bliss, can you confirm this?

  She stared at the screen in anticipation. Bliss mentioned that he was keeping an eye out for the message, as he needed to report it to Dr. Crux as soon as possible. This allowed them to confirm the origin of the message and begin making final preparations for the mission. Sir Jelly would also be sending a map of the ship, which would be crucial for making a solid plan. Minutes passed as she stood still, several people staring at her as they walked by.

  [Argalax]: Bliss, I apologize if you have already seen this, but I wanted to make sure you received this message. We are under the order to report to Dr. Crux with updates. Please let me know if you would like us to come back to the office to discuss this.

  What is he up to? I hope he’s ok, best-case scenario he’s just busy talking with Crux. If he doesn’t respond we’ll have to go talk to him ourselves, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that!

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  She decided to head back to the office while they waited for a response. Technically, that’s where he should be right now, so maybe she would find him asleep at his desk. When she reached the resident room, it was mid-afternoon, about thirty minutes since they had received the message from the unknown source. Lunai opened the door and scanned the room, but no one was there.

  Shit…now I’m really worried. If Bliss still isn’t here, then no one’s been here all day! If he wasn’t coming back for a while, why did he dismiss us? We could’ve covered for him if he wanted a break or something… I don’t even know how long I should wait before going to Dr. Crux. I really don’t want to get him in trouble, but I don’t think this should wait any longer!

  She paced around the room a few times before making up her mind. Waiting any longer could jeopardize the mission, which wasn’t fair to the human captives. She opened the list of contacts on her CellPulse and found Dr. Crux, opting for a phone call as texting him seemed too awkward. The line rang once before she heard his voice on the other end.

  “Agent Hollybrook, please state your reason for calling,” he inquired.

  “Oh, of course! We are working with Bliss and Sir Jelly on a rescue mission for human trafficking victims. We believe we just received an update from Sir Jelly on the enemy ship.”

  There was a short pause before he spoke again. “Thank you for letting me know. I instructed Bliss to bring all of you to my office when you heard from Sir Jelly. Is there a reason you are calling me instead?”

  “Yeah, we haven’t heard from Bliss. He hasn’t been in the office since the M & M this morning. We got the message half an hour ago, but he didn’t respond to us asking him if he got it as well. I figured I should call you sooner than later.”

  “Yes, time is of the upmost importance for this mission. You did the right thing. Since you do not know how to get to my office, I will meet the two of you in your resident room and guide you there myself.” He disconnected the call, leaving Lunai the burden to inform her colleague.

  [Lunai]: Get back to the office, Dr. Crux is coming to take us to his office! I told him about the message since Bliss wasn’t responding!”

  He used a thumbs up reaction on her message. Three minutes later, he ran into the room, almost bringing the door down with his force. He beat Dr. Crux by two minutes, successfully hiding that the two of them were also out of the office all day. When he entered the room, a light chill followed. Standing at six feet tall, he was much shorter than the two interns.

  He started the conversation with a polite nod. “Agent Hollybrook, agent Platinum Promise, it is nice to formally meet you in person. Now then, please follow me to my office and we can discuss the message you received.”

  He led them outside the building, and they started walking south. They reached a point far away from campus where there were no buildings. Crux stopped moving and the interns followed suit. They watched as the ground beneath them shook and started to shift, pushing them forward. They accelerated towards the south pole, their surroundings passing in a blur. It wasn’t long before they stopped at a desolate area with an elevator. Dr. Crux placed his hand on a scanner and the door opened, allowing the three of them inside. They shifted upwards and arrived at his office in the planet’s core. Lunai and Argalax cautiously walked around the office, afraid of doing anything to offend their CEO.

  Crux spoke up. “I apologize that I had to bring you here. Your senior is supposed to be present with you during work hours. I’ve already accessed your CheetahChat accounts to start investigating the message you got. I will now summon Bliss here so we can begin our discussion.”

  He poked his CellPulse a few times. A small orb of light appeared in front of them and slowly expanded, forming the figure of Bliss. After a flash of light, his horizontal body manifested, and he fell to the ground prone. He immediately jumped to his feet, eyes wide with shock. When he noticed Dr. Crux in front of him, his demeanor changed, with a grave expression forming on his face. He made sure to step behind the desk, away from where Crux’s light emerged the last time he tried to defy him.

  “Crux.” The tone of his voice made the splinters on Lunai’s skin stand up. “Did you happen to show our wonderful board of directors my classified employee file?”

  Lunai and Argalax were frozen in place, but Dr. Crux only sighed and walked to the other side of his desk. He sat down and started typing on his computer.

  “Yes Bliss, your file is classified, but even if I did show the board, they wouldn’t find any of the sensitive information you are worried about. I wouldn’t dare write down such unpleasant details. You can take a look yourself; the only thing I say about your past is that Entropi rescued you from poachers.” He turned the computer screen for Bliss to see.

  He read through it and calmed down, seemingly satisfied with his file’s contents.

  “Ok, that’s good, but why are they so suspicious of me if they don’t know about my past with Podoxec?”

  “Are you serious?” Crux’s usual monotone voice started to sound irritated. “It’s the same reason they’re suspicious of me! They know we don’t like him and don’t care that he’s dead. They might’ve given you a glance or two at the meeting, but they’ve been grilling me all week! You would talk to the man like he had the plague, they could tell. You being half-human would be reason enough to wish death on him, so I doubt they ever searched for any reason beyond that.”

  Bliss did not respond. His paranoia actually started to astound him; he was embarrassed by his lack of insight. When he finally had the chance to scan the room, he was even more distraught to see his two interns standing behind him.

  “Why on the Old God’s green Earth are you two here?!”

  Lunai pointed awkwardly at her wrist. “Sir Jelly messaged us, and you didn’t reply.”

  He checked for himself, hanging his head after seeing the missed message.

  “Agent Bliss, please explain to me where you were and why it was necessary to use the emergency teleportation device. That’s going to cost several million dollars that will be coming from my paycheck.”

  “Why don’t you ask Entropi instead, it’s her fault,” he said, crossing his arms.

  He shook his head. “Of course it is. Now then, there’s been enough delays. Let’s discuss the mission ahead, which will most likely be happening on Monday if Sir Jelly’s message is verified. Once we receive the diagram of the enemy ship, we can establish the best path to the control room. Avoid maintenance rooms; the workers are less of a threat and it’s best for the ship that they continue undisturbed.”

  Dr. Crux spent the rest of the afternoon going over important tips for boarding and rescue missions. Bliss spent the lecture looking at his CellPulse, but Lunai and Argalax were happy to hear it. The simulations left them feeling like they were missing information about how boarding missions work. If they had heard this lecture before, they would’ve fared better in the digital world. Crux transitioned into the actual planning phase, taking them far past working hours. Sir Jelly’s message was verified, and his diagrams arrived in the early evening, assuring that the team would be working late into the night.