“You idiot!” Eve cried. “We’ve been trying to reach you for hours! I was starting to think you were dead!”

Anand could hear her voice crack.

“Yeah! Why the hell would you do something so reckless?” Ray added.

“You literally gave me a shield to get through the rift,” Anand replied in confusion.

Ray groaned. “I was trying to pull you back but the rift was too strong!”

“Oh.”

“Who are you talking to?” Ezra asked while continuing to work.

“My team,” Anand replied. “Did you do something?”

“I made the system target Earth.”

“Hey guys, when did you start hearing me?” Anand asked his team.

“A couple seconds ago. Are you connected to the Oghrodi system? That probably did something,” Eve answered.

“Maybe being so close to the control station is helping your tattered gear connect properly,” Ezra said.

“That… makes sense,” Anand replied and relayed everything Ezra said back to the team.

“How’d you get to a control room? How’s Volt doing?” Eve asked.

Anand looked himself over and replied, “Volt’s in pretty bad shape but it’s holding up against the Oghrodi as long as I’m careful. One of the prisoners was able to guide me to the control room and we’re trying to figure out what to do.”

“Simple, you head back to the prisoners and open the rift while simultaneously freeing the prisoners,” Eve suggested immediately.

Anand pondered the idea and approached Ezra. “Can you pull up the rift maker?”

“I think it’s that thing,” Ezra said and pointed to the upside-down dome. “If I activate visuals…”

He hit some keys and the dome emanated a soft glow. A floating holographic sphere appeared above it. Slowly it gained more features and the shapes of familiar continents manifested. The panel underneath lit up with a series of symbols and numbers. Anand instantly recognized the numerical sequences. In training he had learned everything about the Riftwalker attacks, including the exact coordinates of each rift.

“E- Horus, where are you now?” Anand asked. He’d already slipped up by calling Ray by his name. The relief had made Anand forget about keeping their identities a secret.

“We’re at the Midwest Base,” Eve replied.

“What are the coordinates of the Midwest Base hangar? Be as exact as possible.”

Anand inputted numbers into the panel as Eve listed them off. With each new entry, the sphere rotated and glowed. Sometimes a red line would appear or when two lines met, a dot would appear. While he modified the entry, the sphere continued to zoom until it hovered over the northeastern part of North America.

“I hope that’s right. Give me a minute,” Anand said. He turned off his voice comms and approached Ezra. “How much longer are you willing to help me?”

“What do you mean, Volt?” Ezra asked.

Knowing full well his face was hidden, Anand stared daggers at Ezra. “You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you? I can’t read a word on anything in this place and you apparently changed the settings of that tablet with blind guessing. We haven’t encountered a single Oghrodi since leaving the prison. You have far too much knowledge about this place for a human. And let’s not forget your reaction to the unconscious Oghrodi. No fear and you looked like you would kill it if I hadn’t stopped you.”

“You’re being silly,” Ezra replied and waved a hand in the air, brushing off Anand’s concerns. “It’s only right that I want to beat our captors. And of course I know how to figure out how to use their tech. I’ve researched this stuff for most of my life-”

“You’re at least five years younger than me! There’s no way you’ve done enough research to understand this stuff. You can’t know what you’re doing unless you’re one of them.” Anand held his fist out and let out a weak electric current. “What are you?”

Ezra smiled coyly. “Can’t we pretend I’m a human and work together?”

“I don’t trust you,” Anand said while warily approaching.

“I didn’t say you had to.” Ezra shrugged. “I’m wondering why you’re questioning my help now? Didn’t you wonder why a rift would land you in the trophy room? Or how there were barely any soldiers blocking your path to the prison? You haven’t even seen a single one of our Biomechs! What do you call them; Riftwalkers? Or did you really believe it was luck?”

Anand shook his head. “No…”

He didn’t want to admit the truth. He knew it was odd that he landed in the trophy room but he had chalked it up to luck. And he’d avoided the Oghrodi himself while sneaking through the halls. And of course he hadn’t seen a Riftwalker. They were probably kept somewhere else on the ship. That had to be it. But Anand had to admit there were too many coincidences. When he crashed to the ground in the trophy room, the sound should’ve gotten someone’s attention. But he was able to take his time there with little worry. There was no way he could’ve controlled that.

Anand took a deep breath and said, “I knew something was wrong but I hoped that was simply due to an unknown variable entering a rift.”

Ezra laughed. “You humans have a talent for lying to yourselves. I commend you.”

“Shut up!” Anand growled and his fist sparked again. “Why are you helping me? Helping us?”

“Let’s just say, I have a vested interest in making sure you succeed in retrieving the humans on this ship.”

Anand scoffed. “Oh, you’re some sort of intergalactic altruist?”

“No, no. I’ve simply gotten everything I could from them,” Ezra said and began to morph, growing taller while his hair receded into a buzzcut. His entire shape changed into a pudgy middle-aged man. There were no telltale signs that he was an Oghrodi. His eyes, skin, and hair were all characteristically human.

“I’ve had time to study and live amongst your kind,” he explained. “It’s allowed me to perfect my transformations. I can become anyone I want, even if I’ve never seen them. My favorite, however, is the hero.”

He changed again, this time into a familiar looking creature. The one that had attacked Sonia in the library. As Ezra focused, he transformed further, pushing bones into different positions and changing the shape of his eyes. He was an exact copy of Anand.

“Familiar, isn’t it?” Ezra smirked. “Well, Volt?”

Anand felt sweat on his brow but tried to remain calm. There was no way Ezra knew he was talking to Anand.

He stuttered, “Wh- Why would it be?”

“I can hear past your voice modification,” Ezra explained. “And I never forget a voice, brother.”

“Don’t call me that!” Anand replied.

“Apologies, but you never did tell me your name. You don’t look like a ‘Volt’ to me.” Ezra morphed back into the caucasian boy who had accompanied Anand to the room. He looked older now. As if he was trying to match Anand’s age.

Ezra suggested, “You could always tell me your name.”

“That won’t happen,” Anand growled.

“I thought not. Then how about… Riftwalker?”

“What?” Anand asked sharply.

“Well, based on your definition of what our Biomechs are, you are a Riftwalker. An alien being who came through a portal and attacked my kind,” Ezra said with a cocky grin. Before Anand could protest he continued, “Worry not, our goals are currently aligned. I will assist you until that is no longer the case.”

Anand hesitated but tried to look composed. He needed to regain his focus and finish the mission. He couldn’t trust Ezra but the creature clearly had his reasons to make sure Anand succeeded.

“Alright,” Anand said, trying to sound confident. He reconnected to the voice comms and continued, “I’m going to head back to the prison. Once I get there, I want you to release the prisoners and open the rift at the same time. At least then I’ll have some back up against the Oghrodi that show up.”

Ezra smiled. “I’m glad we can work together. I’ll try my best to keep their numbers to a minimum.”

“Whatever,” Anand replied and shook his head. “Could I see the map again? I want to make sure I have the correct path back to the prison.”

Ezra moved away from the switchboard so Anand could look at the map. He did his best to memorize every part of it, even beyond the path he had previously taken.

“How will I communicate with you?” Ezra asked. “Shouldn’t I connect to your voice communication system?”

“There’s cameras in the prison. You can hear me from there. I’m guessing there’s an intercom on the ship. I’ll hear you through that.”

“What if I get attacked? Aren’t you worried about my safety?” Ezra chuckled.

Anand replied dryly, “You’ll be fine.”

“Aw, Riftwalker, I thought we had bonded.”

“Don’t call me that,” Anand said while stepping away from the switchboard. “I never trusted you and it was the right call. If doing this gets you killed, that’s no sweat off my back.”

“You speak so heartlessly but you couldn’t even kill one of your oppressors while he lay still at your feet.” Ezra began tapping at the switchboard. “You’ve got ten minutes before the guards change. Hurry along or a patrol will reach the prison before you. I’ll keep the path clear so you can return to the prison without sneaking around like a rat.”

Anand stepped away and whispered, “Scorch. Horus. Can you hear me?”

“It’s fuzzy but yeah,” Ray replied.

“Good. Get to the hangar and be ready,” Anand instructed. “There will be a rift opening outside within ten minutes. I need you guys to come through and be ready for a fight. Just in case, have the BEARs on standby on the other side.”

“Wait, what?” Ray asked incredulously.

“It’s for the kidnapped humans to get back but we’ll need to defend them,” Anand explained. “In case we fail, we need the BEARs as backup. Now, I won’t be able to reconnect to you once I leave this room so be ready, okay?”

“Got it,” Eve said confidently.

Ray grumbled. “Roger.”

Anand turned back to Ezra and said, “Be ready for my signal.”

Ezra gave an exaggerated thumbs up. Anand groaned and ran out the door. It seemed eerily quiet in the halls but now he knew it was the work of the Oghrodi. Anand couldn't trust everything, or anything, Ezra had said. There was no logical reason to allow anyone to escape, especially if they could be used for energy. Anand had a myriad of questions but did his best to stay grounded. Even though there were no Oghrodi around, he stayed in the shadows and tried to remain quiet. It felt like a cold breeze was traveling throughout the corridors. Goosebumps peppered the unarmored parts of Anand’s body.

Once he made it back to the prison entrance, Anand slowed down. He crept into the double doorway and checked on the Oghrodi. It was still unconscious. He dragged it back to the control panel to open the door. Inside, it seemed emptier than before. None of the prisoners were in sight.

“Anyone there? It’s Volt,” Anand yelled.

He heard shuffling nearby and peered around the corner. People were slowly stepping out of cover and nodded to him.

“We figured that hiding was the safest bet while we waited for you. In case you failed,” a woman said. “Sorry for not believing in you.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get everyone out of here soon,” Anand replied. “Where are the others who were out? Are they with Mr. Desai?”

Someone answered, “Yeah, they went to the prisoners who were locked up and started spreading the message that they’ll be freed soon.”

Arjun and a group of humans joined Anand.

“Our plan was a success,” Arjun explained. “Many of the aliens agreed to help us get back to Earth if you can get them home.”

Anand nodded. “Wonderful.”

“Wait, where is your team?” Arjun asked and warily approached Anand. “Where is Ezra?”

“Don’t worry, my team will be here soon. Ezra is handling the control system. He’s…” Anand hesitated. “He’s a smart guy. I’ll make sure he gets back to Earth.”

“Don’t be illogical, Riftwalker!” Ezra’s voice boomed throughout the room. “If you tell them that, they’ll end up waiting for me and who knows what can happen in a chaotic battle.”

“Glad to know that you can hear this room.” Anand sighed.

“Wait. What is he talking about?” Arjun asked.

Ezra laughed mockingly. “I’m not one of you! How did you not catch on to that sooner? What kind of child can understand advanced technology without batting an eye?”

“My son understands this technology,” Arjun replied meekly. The color vanished from his face and he staggered. Anand held the man steady. He didn’t have time to dissect his father’s words.

Anand softly said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“I-I trusted a monster,” Arjun stuttered. “What if he tricks us again?”

“Trust me! He won’t do anything to harm you,” Anand said. He didn’t trust Ezra but there was no reason to spread panic.

“Not for now, I won’t. Follow the plan and you’ll get home just fine,” Ezra added.

People started murmuring and Arjun looked around in fear. He turned to Volt but couldn’t see anything past the helmet hiding his face.

Anand cleared his throat and commanded, “Stay calm, everyone! Mr. Desai, nothing has changed! You may have trusted the wrong person but this escape plan wouldn’t be possible if you hadn’t! He is going to help you get home. That’s what matters. Focus on that!” He looked up and yelled, “Ezra! Rift and prison locks, now!”

Ezra said something but his voice was drowned out by the sound of hundreds of locks clicking in succession. People’s voices could be heard coming from the surrounding buildings in the giant room. They began to emerge from the doors and group up in the fake town. Aliens took notice of the large group of humans and kept to themselves, away from the massive crowd. An alarm blared overhead but Anand ignored it as Arjun led him to the aliens. One seemed to be the leader, a hulking creature that reminded Anand of the Oghrodi he had chased to the rift. There were several others that resembled it but the few dozen aliens all looked distinctly different.

“Riq, this is Volt. He is heading the escape plan,” Arjun said. “Volt, this is Riq.”

The alien looked Anand up and down and put out its right hand. Anand was astonished by the number of scars covering it. He hesitantly reciprocated and they shook hands.

“Riqon Graluga Brex,” she said confidently. “We help you. You help us?”

“Yes.” Anand said, trying to match Riq’s tone.

“How sweet,” Ezra said loudly, making sure to be heard over the alarm. He continued in a sing-songy tone. “Be ready, the rift is opening.”

A large portal appeared past the crowd of humans. Unlike the violent manifestations on Earth, this one was calm. It held a steady semicircular shape and rested on the ground. Some humans began to approach it before being held back.

“What’s wrong? Run!” Anand yelled.

“How do we know that’ll take us back to Earth?” Arjun asked. “This could be a trap.”

Anand swore under his breath. He wanted to test the rift himself but didn’t dare take his eyes off the room entrance. An Oghrodi entered the double doorway and stepped over its unconscious ally. Before it could enter the fake town it was blocked by Riq and a group of aliens. They grabbed whatever they could find and started barricading the door. Riq nodded to Anand and he ran to the hidden unguarded entrance. He readied himself for a fight but noticed the humans had yet to move.

“You have to go!” Anand shouted.

Before he reached the door, two Oghrodi rushed through it. One leapt towards Anand while another ran towards the crowd of humans near the rift. Anand took a step back and grabbed the Oghrodi coming towards him. Using its momentum, he threw it off trajectory. He hoped to knock both aliens out of the air but missed. The one he had thrown slammed against a building and fell to the ground. The other Oghrodi dashed past him and pounced at the prisoners. Anand heard a scream followed by something flying through the air. The Oghrodi jumped back and examined a small wound on its torso.

“Good shot!” a voice yelled.

A red and black Glaive appeared from the rift and rushed past the crowd. Ray skidded to a stop and sliced through the Oghrodi’s leg with his sword. With a flourish and ignition, he spun back and cut through his target’s torso. The creature shrieked briefly before collapsing into a bloody mess. Anand was pleasantly surprised to see a fully operational Glaive rip apart an Oghrodi.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Ray yelled triumphantly. He turned his attention to the escapees. “Everyone! I’m Scorch from the GDF. Get through the rift, now!”

“They’re panicking and have been getting yelled at for a while. How about we try to sound calm?” Eve said as she appeared through the rift. She kept her rifle trained on the door near Anand. “Hello, everyone. I’m Horus. Please go through the rift to arrive at the Gaia Defense Force Base located in the Midwest region of the United States. There are agents on the other side awaiting your arrival. Do not mind the Oghrodi. We will take care of them.”

She fired a volley of bullets at the buildings that exploded violently and brought them down. Rubble crashed to the floor, creating a makeshift wall between the humans and the doorway. Eve gestured for the civilians to move and after a brief hesitation, they began to run through the rift.

“I’ll cover you guys, don’t let any Oghrodi through,” Eve commanded. “What about the other aliens?”

“They’ll help us since we’re opening rifts for them after the humans are all clear,” Anand replied. He started to move towards the door but Ray caught up and stopped him.

“Volt really is wrecked. Here,” Ray said and shoved a pair of glasses into Anand’s hand. “Go hide and get that equipped.”

“Oh, thanks. I thought you’d be mad.”

“I’m pissed,” Ray grumbled. “But that doesn’t help now, does it?”

“I guess you’d be even angrier if I died while wearing this tattered thing.” Anand joked.

Though Ray’s face was covered, it was obvious he was scowling.

Anand held up his hands. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll be right back.”

Ray stayed near the door and readied his shield. Anand ran behind an unoccupied building and hid near an artificial tree.

“Sheath,” he muttered.

His Glaive melted and started to crawl back towards his face. It was astonishingly slow compared to what he was used to. He knelt closer to the building and peered around the corner. He had been on the ship for what he assumed was a few hours. It made sense he was exhausted. But it seemed so were Ray and Eve. They must’ve been working hard to get in contact the entire time Anand was here. He owed them a lot for what he put them through.

Eve calmly guided people through the rift. Even when looking at the civilians, her gun stayed trained on the door. Ray, on the other hand, instructed the other aliens in how they could assist everyone.

Without turning he asked through voice comms, “What’s taking so long, Volt? It’s been more than half a minute.”

“I’m guessing the damage is affecting how long my Glaive takes to sheath. It’s almost done, the helmet’s all that’s left,” Anand replied.

“Well, hurry. It seems like the Oghrodi left the other door and they’re grouping up on this side.”

Anand felt his helmet starting to fade and quickly hid himself again. The reconstructed glasses frame was bent and broken with cracks all over the lenses. He stashed it in his pocket while putting on the new pair.

“Unsheath,” he said confidently.

Volt engulfed him within seconds and it felt invigorating. Anand clenched his fists and was relieved at the clear message, DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE. He felt secure with his body covered.

A familiar voice said, “Looks like you’re back in the system.”

“Boss?” Anand asked.

“Yes. We were worried the last voice channel could be compromised so we’ve only had Horus and Scorch connected to it. Now that you’re here, we can get rid of it.” His voice faded momentarily. “Alright, you should be all good.”

“I take it that it was my fault.”

“No. Why would the system being compromised be your fault? It’s not like you jumped into enemy territory without being fully prepared,” Ray said sarcastically.

Anand retorted. “I was trying to plan on the fly!”

“What happened to letting us in on the plan? What was the point of all the training?” Ray complained.

“Well, I-”

“Can you both SHUT UP?” Eve yelled. “While I agree with Scorch, now is not the time!”

Anand groaned. “Right.”

He moved towards the rubble to cover the back of the group of escapees. Ray left his shield at the door and stepped back. The Oghrodi started to push through.With a single command, the shield spewed flames from its chutes. They slowly turned outward and made a wall of fire that engulfed the area of the door that wasn’t blocked by Ray’s shield.

“Even if they’re dumb enough to cross the fire, they’ll get burnt pretty bad,” Ray said.

“Only the first one through will get burnt,” Anand said as he saw an Oghrodi being held against the flame. “If they use each other as shields, the ones who come through will be fine.”

The burning Oghrodi groaned but held its ground. It created a large enough opening for a few of its comrades to get inside. The four Oghrodi immediately rushed at Team Goldilocks. One rushed at Eve, dodging bullets by a hair. She had to deal with it alone as the other three Oghrodi encircled Ray and Anand.

“Back to back,” Anand commanded.

Ray didn’t hesitate and tapped his back against his friend’s. The Oghrodi flexed their arms, brandishing intricate claws. Some looked animalistic while others looked like swords had been grafted directly to their hands. One of the Oghrodi rushed at Anand and swiftly swiped at his torso. Anand held up an arm and blocked the attack. He sighed in relief at his undamaged Glaive.

“What’s the plan?,” Ray said.

“Show no mercy,” Anand replied as he grabbed the one he had blocked. With a quick maneuver he pulled the creature to the floor. He stomped on the flat of its blade and snapped it off. Another Oghrodi tried to leap at him but Ray blocked it. He swung it around and threw it at the other nearby alien.

Anand singularly focused on attacking any easily accessed joint on the prone Oghrodi. With precise aim, Anand swung at its shoulder. A few lightning imbued punches crushed the armor and shocked the joints. The Oghrodi yelled and tried to roll away. It flopped its arm like a weapon and smacked Anand aside before leaping upwards. Even from its awkward position, it launched high into the sky. On its way back down, the Oghrodi extended its leg and tried to stomp Anand’s head. He rolled out of the way and readied his treads while still laying prone.

When the Oghrodi approached, Anand planted his feet against it. He ran his treads against the creature to flip over and regain his footing. The treads left a deep cut across the Oghrodi’s armor. The lightning trail arced through the grooves and split them apart. Before it could recuperate Anand rushed forward and drove his fist into the armor. Each punch widened the gap and revealed the Oghrodi’s skin underneath. Instead of sending multiple small shocks, Anand gathered his lightning for a single strike.

He sent a punch straight through the beast’s torn armor at its chest. The lightning exploded against it. Anand felt a surge in his arm. He stepped back as purple ooze gushed from the Oghrodi’s fresh wound. It wildly tore off its armor and roared. In a frenzy, it ran towards Anand. He calmly stepped within reach and charged another punch. If the first attack didn’t take it down, this one had to. Anand was sure of it.

He drove his fist through the Oghrodi’s chin. It sounded like a thunderclap as lightning leapt off Anand’s fist. It tore through the Oghrodi’s face and danced in the blood that spurt from its lips. Anand was mesmerized by the light dancing around him. If the Oghrodi attacked in that moment, he would’ve been defenseless. Luckily, Anand was right. His attack had finished the Oghrodi. It didn’t make a sound as it collapsed into a heap on the floor.

While Anand was fighting, Ray was occupied with parrying and slicing two Oghrodi simultaneously. With slow and steady movements he turned their claws against each other.

“It feels like they don’t know what they’re doing,” Ray said.

He ignited his blade and cut through one of the metal claws. Even though it wasn’t connected to the Oghrodi, the creature yelped in pain. Ray turned up the heat and attacked again. The flames erupted and seared the creature's arm. The Oghrodi screamed in horror as its arm bubbled and melted. Its ally pushed Ray away.

“That’s new,” hesaid with a smirk. While the Oghrodi were recuperating, Ray took the chance to check the door. There didn’t seem to be anyone else trying to get in.

He turned back as the Oghrodi rushed at him, flailing wildly. Ray didn’t bother dodging. Instead, he commanded his shield to return. The Oghrodi were trapped between an unstoppable force and Ray. For what it was worth, he was pretty close to an immovable object. The shield slammed against the Oghrodi and quickly closed around them. A small opening was left where Ray inserted his sword and sliced through. The flames from his sword burned like a raging inferno in the enclosed space. When the shield reopened, the Oghrodi’s boiled bodies fell out.

Ray took a moment to make sure they were dead before catching a glimpse of Anand finishing off his opponent but not Eve. She was guarding the rift as if nothing had happened. A few yards away was the Oghrodi that had jumped at her. It was heavily wounded with large holes all over its body.

“Can you please move the Oghrodi, guys?” Eve asked. “It’s scaring the civilians.”

“I’ve got it,” Ray said.

He placed his shield back at the door before moving to the weakened Oghrodi. Without much effort, he lifted it and threw it towards its dead allies. Anand stood nearby, examining them.

“Whatever you’re worrying about, don’t,” Ray said. “We’ve almost got everyone to Earth. Then we can go.”

“No. I’m staying here until everyone, including the aliens, gets where they need to go,” Anand replied.

“Volt!” Ray huffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me! We need to go.”

“They helped us and I made a promise!” Anand said sternly. “You guys can go if you want. I’ll stay till I’m done here.”

Ray threw his head back and screamed. His voice broke through the bubble of the Glaives and shook the room. People nearby shuddered and looked towards him.

“Sorry, I’m just dealing with something!” He said loudly to the crowd. Turning to Anand, he lowered his voice. “I’m staying with you. Horus will, too, I’m sure. Otherwise who knows what other dumb stunt you might pull.”

Anand nodded. “I appreciate the backup.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ray groaned.

They watched as the last dozen humans began to escape. Arjun approached Anand and held out his hand.

Arjun’s expression was calmer than ever. Honestly, Anand didn’t know his father could look so kind.

“I cannot thank you enough for your help,” Arjun said.

Anand shook his hand and said, “Don’t mention it. It’s my job.”

“I have to ask, Volt. Isn’t it frightening?”

“Yeah.” Anand nodded. “But I believe in the idea that one person can be scared while giving courage to others.”

Ray lightly patted Anand’s back.“Especially when the scared one hides it so well.”

“I see.” Arjun smiled with an unrecognizable softness. Part of Anand was scared this wasn’t his real father. But something told him it had to be.

Arjun continued, “Thank you for being scared on our behalf.”

“Don’t worry about it. You should get through the rift,” Anand said, trying his best not to sound shocked.

Arjun nodded and walked away.

Ray nudged Anand. “He thanked you. That’s impressive.”

“He thanked Volt — someone he sees as an authoritative figure. He would’ve never thanked me if he knew it was well… me,” Anand replied.

As Eve escorted the last few humans through the rift, Anand went back to examining the defeated Oghrodi. Ray tagged along and tried to look for what Anand was examining.

“What’s on your mind?” Ray asked.

“Why do they all have claws?” Anand replied. “For that matter, most of the Oghrodi and Riftwalkers always have a bunch of animal parts. Ezra, any insight?”

“Ezra? That kid we saved before?”

“Yeah, he’s an Oghrodi. I can elaborate later.”

Ray wanted to ask for more info but knew Anand wouldn’t answer. Instead he looked toward the sky and asked, “So, Ezra, what’s up with the animal parts?”

“Do you think I’ll tell you?” Ezra’s overconfidence was audible through the intercom.

Anand replied, “Yeah, you seem the type.”

Ezra scoffed. “It’s because they’re foolish. Our kind take over planets by using the skills of their apex predators. At a cursory glance, Earth’s apex predators are the beasts that inhabit it. Our captain decided we should use that form when attacking.”

Anand paced around the pile of defeated Oghrodi. He kept a safe distance while examining their weapons. “Why are you attacking anyway?”

“As if I’d tell you.” Ezra chuckled. “Anyway, our captain thought the planet was weak and left the ship to handle everything on its own. As our attacks began to fail more, a group of us were sent here to figure out what was wrong. Lo and behold, beasts aren’t Earth’s apex predators. It’s you humans. You’ve subjugated an entire planet with the use of your intelligence and tools.” Ezra let out a long sigh. “But when I reported it to our captain… he wouldn’t believe me. So I decided to prove it. With a little nudge here and there, his plan quickly fell apart. I sent some of my comrades back and then allowed you in. Now, 200 prisoners have escaped under the captain’s supervision.”

Eve held up her hand to stop Ezra. “Hold on, you mentioned a group of you were sent here,” she said. “And you sent some back? What do you mean?”

“Do you really think this is our army? A handful of weaklings?” Ezra laughed. “This is a single ship. One with freed prisoners and proof of the power of humans.”

Anand took a deep breath and threw back his head. “You’re not going to let the other aliens go, are you?”

“You don’t seem surprised,” Ezra replied.

Anand turned to the remaining escapees and yelled, “Everyone, follow me! We will find another escape route.”

Ezra continued to taunt his adversaries. “You know I won’t let you go, right?”

“Just try and stop us!” Ray yelled triumphantly. He turned to Anand. “What’s the plan?”

“He knows a path, I’m sure,” Eve said.

Anand nodded.

“Everyone, group up and follow those two!” Eve commanded the escapees while walking to the back of the group. “I’ll cover you.”

There was visible confusion amongst the escapees as they awkwardly looked at each other. Slowly they all turned to Riq for guidance. In turn, she looked at Anand with a furrowed brow.

“I know this wasn’t the original plan but I promise we’ll get you out of here,” Anand said.

“I trust,” Riq replied and turned back to the group. “We all trust and go safely.

The group calmed down and huddled together. Anand approached the door that Ray’s shield guarded. It had shut.

“It’s locked,” Ezra said dryly.

Ray ran at the door and slammed his foot against it, denting it enough to pry open.

“Doesn’t look locked to me,” he remarked snidely.

While Ray opened the door, Anand addressed the crowd. “Once we get out of here, we will no longer understand each other. Stay close to us and we will get you out.”

They replied with scattered acknowledgements.

“Sorry for dragging you into this,” Anand said to his friends. “I kinda had a feeling you’d stick around if I did.”

“We prefer being here than not knowing what happened to you,” Eve replied.

“What she said,” Ray added. “Let’s get out of here.”