Screams filled the air when it happened. The AI didn’t join in. Neither did Beth nor Surge. I screamed out of confusion, not fear. I had nothing to fear because it was over as soon as it started. Lowering my arm, I scanned the room. The only difference was that the room had become redder, like the explosion had stained it. The shattered remains of Dylan’s chamber lay scattered across the floor. So much steam funneled out of it that I couldn’t see him anymore.

“Is everyone okay?” I looked around to see if I could answer my own question.

“I wasn’t blown out of my chair, so I can’t complain much.” Nessa rubbed her eyes. “But I’ve been robbed of my vision, and I’m not sure it’ll ever return.”

“What about Dylan?” Kaela asked between coughs. “What happened to him?”

A red silhouette emerged from the steam. Dylan? He looked exactly like he had before except for the red outline pulsating around him. His head was lowered, but two red lights shone beneath his greasy hair. His eyes were glowing.

“Dylan?” Surge stepped forward but stayed close to Exo. “How are you feeling, kid?”

He raised his head, revealing the red eyes. Accompanying them was a wide smirk: his teeth were glowing white. His sinister lighting made him appear downright evil. If I hadn’t known it was Dylan, I would have turned and fled.

“I feel marvelous.” Dylan raised his glowing hands to his face. The red haze that funneled off them gave me such an uneasy feeling. “Finally, I’m as powerful as the rest of you. Robot, what am I now capable of?”

Peta opened his mouth, but Exo silenced him with a look. Exo didn’t mind the constant disrespect we showed them, but Peta did. Now I was curious about their history.

“The Delta Implants grant you…an ability that is safe to practice. Why not attempt it now?”

Dylan’s grin grew as he clenched his fists. “Very well. Allow me to show you peasants what true power looks like.”

Dylan extended his hazy hands. The haze faded away, and both of his hands began to glow like red suns. I stepped back and shielded Nessa with my arm. “Safe to practice”? What the heck did that even imply? Dylan’s grin widened as a faint red glow popped up in front of him. The glow expanded and solidified into…a dome. Dylan’s face fell as he stared into the transparent dome before him.

“What?” Dylan’s red outline faded as his mouth gaped in confusion. Now he just looked like a kid lost in a store. “What is this? It’s not an explosion—it’s not even a weapon! Unless it explodes on contact.”

Dylan banged his knuckles on the dome. He sounded like someone knocking on a door. The dome faded away a second later, leaving only confusion behind. His power was creating red domes? Not very unique.

“Your ability is shield projection,” Exo said with an underlying tone of smugness. “You may cast solid projections of light to protect yourself or your allies. The projections can take many forms, and, with enough practice—”

“Garbage!” Dylan shouted. “You gave me the most useless power? How am I supposed to fight with a worthless ability like that?”

Kaela burst out laughing as she pointed at Dylan. “Now we don’t even need Frost’s old shield generator. We have one of our own. I’ve changed my mind. I’m so glad we came here!”

Dylan furrowed his brow so hard that a vein throbbed on his forehead. “It’s not funny! How am I supposed to do anything against Frost when all I can do is put up shields? What am I supposed to do, trap Dwarfs in domes until they stop moving?”

“Not all Hybrid abilities were designed with offense in mind,” Exo said. “It takes more than that to win a war. Please focus more on the fact that you’re one of few people who represent both man and machine. With assistance from all of you, I truly believe that we can bridge the gap between our species. Just as Beta, a human changed by technology, has brought us all together in one place.”

Beth’s face was still hidden behind her helmet, but she nodded with pride. I got what Exo was saying: Hybrids could be the middlemen who established peace between the warring sides. Omen Frost had clearly intended for Hybrids to be weapons, but Exo saw us as something more. Unfortunately, where Omen had failed to create a super soldier army, Margaret had succeeded…with the Dwarfs…

“Why fight for centuries if all you wanted was peace?” I asked. “I get that the war must have started when Omen fired at Earth for some reason, but why continue it? Why…why kill my parents?”

I couldn’t tell if it was the elephant in the room anymore, but I needed to know. I had to know just how much they had been involved in all that.

Exo’s body clicked as his shoulders slumped. “We tried to make peace in the past, but none of your leaders would hear us out. Omen’s intent when devastating the Earth was to infuse his citizens with hatred. He made it so that humans would take every word we said as propaganda. That was why, when they attacked us, we defended ourselves. That was what evolved into the war. I’m not proud of it, and I’m certainly not making excuses, but this is the truth. As for your parents—”

BOOM!

An eardrum-shattering explosion interrupted Exo. It rumbled the entire room. How many explosions could the universe fit into one day? I looked around and saw nothing wrong with the room. The explosion had occurred somewhere else.

“Was that normal?” Anderson asked. “Like some kind of AI training event?”

“No.” Exo’s eyes flashed as he looked at the ceiling. Peta’s did too. They must have been using their AI connection to see through the other AI. Exo’s eyes dimmed as he marched toward the door. “There are First Division ships in the sky, and they’re launching missiles as well as large dark objects.”

“Black Dwarfs?” Laura wondered aloud.

“Frost.” Surge furrowed his brow. “Everyone in the elevator. We can finish this here and now.”

I couldn’t be sure that I was on the right side, but Frost definitely had things to answer for. Before I decided to ally with the AI for sure, I’d be fine using them to take her down.

Law and order flew out the window as soon as we stepped out into the green hallway. We were immediately greeted by the sight of a Mega being punched into a wall by a Black Dwarf. I was already feeling hesitant. Which robot would I help if I hated both of them? Luckily, Peta took care of the situation by firing a little missile at the Dwarf. It exploded, sending the smoking robot tumbling away. The Mega aimed its arm cannon at the Dwarf’s head and fired a tan blast of energy. It exploded against the head, blowing a crater in it. The Dwarf went limp on the floor.

“Is that the best that Frosty can do?” Peta closed the shoulder that had launched the missile. “This will be easier than constructing Epsilon.”

“Everything is, Peta. Epsilon took several decades to build.” Exo almost shuddered, as though he were reliving those decades. “Now, we must hurry outside before it gets to the point where Margaret’s entire army is walking among us.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice,” Surge said as he readied his arm blaster. “We’ve been waiting for this day for years.”

“Permission to help you keep up?” I asked Nessa as I gripped her chair’s left handlebar.

“Only if I have permission to smack you for the wording of that,” Nessa’s palms glowed silver as she raised them up.

The hallways were far from inviting. We bumped into Dwarfs dueling AI every which way we turned. Missiles and energy blasts surged past me as Peta and Exo cleared our way. It was weird to see Peta’s minigun arm pointed at someone other than my friends and me. That went double for Exo’s arm cannon. Each red blast made all my hair stand on end. I’d never get used to having that thing on my side.

My friends joined in as we reached the red hall. Kaela’s rifle pushed Dwarfs back as Laura fried their circuits. Beth kept her distance this time, apparently having learned her lesson in New Selene. Surge’s arm blaster didn’t do much, and Dylan wasn’t doing anything at all. That sucked, because we could have used some shields right then. The Dwarfs’ numbers were increasing, and the AI could only take on so many of them alone. I was saving my power for the fight with Frost, but maybe I’d have to use it here.

Actually, I was just scared to use my power at all. I didn’t want to overuse it and turn into a pillow again. I wouldn’t be useful to anyone then.

“Watch your back!” Nessa shouted as she fired at a Black Dwarf beside me.

The silver explosion brought me to my senses. I shot out a stream of electricity that latched on to the Dwarf. Willing it to shut off would use too much power, so I thought I’d try something else. I willed it to stay perfectly still, like someone had filled it with glue.

“Now, Nessa!” I shouted. “While it’s stunned, blast it—”

Instead of a silver blast, a red one slammed into the Dwarf. I released my electricity as the Dwarf slumped against the wall. Exo reeled back and struck the Dwarf’s head, smashing it in. Its eyes dimmed for the final time as it went limp. Nessa’s jaw fell either out of shock…or awe. I think it was both. Had I just cooperated with an AI?

“Alpha, are you unharmed?” Exo asked as he eyed me for damage.

I stepped back. “I’m fine. Nessa and I had that. You didn’t need to get involved.”

“I’m glad he did,” Nessa said as she gripped my hand, “since you were distracted on the battlefield, also known as walking the quickest path to death. Be more careful. We’re almost outside.”

Nessa was right; Peta and the others had cleansed the red hallway of Black Dwarfs. Everyone looked tired, and a few had definitely been blasted by the Dwarfs. This was only the advance party, and everyone besides the AI already needed a break. We hadn’t even faced any White Dwarfs yet. I could only imagine what was waiting for us outside.

We made one final push and stepped out of the mansion’s front door. I imagined that I’d have felt the warm sunlight had it not been for the massive shadows. The First Division ships that we’d heard about were floating overhead like clouds. Most of them were white and purple. A downpour of missiles exploded onto the mansion, setting off a miniature quake beneath our feet. The ships launched a fleet of cannonballs a second later. The balls fell into the holes that the missiles had created. Those must have been the Black Dwarfs, and the missiles must have been used to create entrances for them. Frost had basically just restocked her troops. It didn’t even matter that we had taken out a hallway full of them.

“We need to stop those ships,” Surge said. “Somehow, we’ve got to get Frost on the ground.”

“How do you know Frost is even here?” Laura asked. “If I were her, I’d stay on the First Ship where it’s safe and cold.”

“She’s here,” I said as I glared at the ships. “She wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

I lifted my hand to the sky and unleashed a bright bolt of electricity. It may have been hard to see lightning during the day, but it wasn’t impossible. If they were paying any attention to us, they’d get the message. There was no way Frost would pass up the opportunity to speak with me, and boy did I have a lot to say. One of the white and purple ships seemed to have gotten the message: it was descending.

It touched down in front of us while the ships above it continued to fire at the dome. I would have liked a ceasefire, but it seemed that would have been asking too much. The ship’s door opened up, and out stepped a man who was dressed in green from head to toe. Oh no! General Alhabor stood beside a White Dwarf. It towered over him. He held a rifle in his right hand, and his left hand was missing. Apparently, I really had blown it off during our last encounter. Should I have felt guilty? I just felt satisfied that I’d made him feel even a portion of the pain he had inflicted on me, Opifex, and…oh no!

Alhabor sneered at our group until he noticed the one person I was concerned about. His eyes widened as he took in Nessa, his abandoned daughter. All the color drained from her face as she returned his stare.

“You…is that you, Nessa?” Alhabor’s voice was imbued with confusion as he examined his daughter for the first time in years. He slapped his rifle onto his back. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t speak to me, you selfish prick!” Nessa charged up her palm and fired a burst of silver.

The White Dwarf stepped in front of Alhabor, tanking the blast. As long as that thing was around, Alhabor would be untouchable. The problem was that we couldn’t just blast a hole through it. First of all, its armor was highly durable. Secondly, there was a human inside. We’d have to approach this carefully.

“Is that any way to greet your father?” Alhabor’s sneer returned. “How have you been, baby girl? Sorry that I’ve been gone for a while, but the line at the grocery store would not let up.”

“Shut up!” Nessa shook with rage. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her clenched fists. “How dare you joke about what you did. You abandoned your family for a promotion. Mother gave up on raising me. Our family fell apart, and it’s all your faul—”

“Boring.” Alhabor stifled a yawn and rolled his eyes. “We can catch up later, sweetheart. Daddy’s working right now.” He raised an eyebrow at Exo and Peta. “I’m assuming you two are the head AI in charge? If you could transform those arms into cannons and shoot yourselves in the head, it’d make my job a lot easier.”

“Finally, a bloodbag I’m allowed to kill.” Peta smirked.

Alhabor stepped behind the White Dwarf and patted its shoulder. “Nope. Not unless you want to get this innocent little guy caught in the crossfire. Feel like dying for me today, Benny?”

Anderson gasped. “Ben? That’s his bot? Whatever you do, don’t shoot it! My brother’s in that white thing. If you hurt him, I’ll dismantle you freaks.”

Peta narrowed his eyes. “Who are you to—”

“Listen to him, or answer to me,” I said. I didn’t expect Peta to back off, but after Exo’s eyes flashed again, he had no choice. “Thanks. Alhabor, tell us where Frost is. There’s no way you came here without her.”

“Well I did…and I didn’t.”

He motioned to his lite ship’s door as a massive purple leg stomped out of it. The rest of the body followed suit, revealing itself to be a purple version of the Dwarfs. It was much bigger, though, even as tall as Exo. Its eyes were white, just like the lines that ran down its body. The other major difference between it and the other robots was the massive screen on its torso.

The screen showed a woman with magenta hair tied into a messy bun. Warm green eyes hid behind a pair of glasses. She was usually sitting behind her desk, but now she was standing in a white room. She wore a white circlet with flickering lights on her head.

“Frost.” Surge glared at the screen. “I knew you’d be here, but to stuff yourself into one of your own suits?”

“I’m not inside it, Antant. I’m controlling the Purple Dwarf from the safety of the First Ship.” Frost held up her arms. Both of her wrists bore white bracelets, which gave off the same light as her circlet. “I apologize for not showing up in person, but being around that smoky stench of yours gives me headaches.”

“Listening to all your insane ideas gave me headaches, but I never complained.”

Frost gritted her teeth as she raised one of the Purple Dwarf’s arms. She fired a gleaming burst of purple at Surge, which exploded against a red dome of light that just popped into existence. The explosion shattered the dome but left Surge unharmed. Everyone turned to the dome’s source: Dylan. His eyes were glowing, and the hand he’d used to project the shield was raised. Kaela stood beside him with her rifle aimed at the Purple Dwarf’s screen.

“I wouldn’t try that again, Witch,” Dylan said as he lowered his hand. “Unless you feel like testing me. I’d be happy to punish you for what you did to Effluvium!”

“Same here,” Kaela said. “I’ve waited my whole life to meet the dictator that ruined my home. So, if she wants a fight, I’ll give her one.”

Frost smirked. “Are these your brainwashed child soldiers, Antant? They’re the spitting image of you. You must be so proud.”

Frost turned her sights on Exo next. His expression wasn’t nearly as angry as hers, but he returned the look. Things had gotten out of hand much faster than I’d expected them to. Every major player in this insane game of galactic chess was in one place. Nessa and Anderson were itching to tear Alhabor apart. Surge, Kaela, and Dylan would dismantle this Purple Dwarf if they stood a chance. The ships overhead continued to launch Black Dwarfs at Machina Mansion.

All this chaos was unfolding, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I wished I could just sit back and watch Frost and the AI tear each other apart. That would have been better than any movie.

“One chance, Frost.” I raised a finger. “If you care about me at all, you’ll stand down.”

Frost’s glare wavered, but she maintained it. “I’m sorry, Wander, but this isn’t about you today. I can’t pretend to understand how you’ve allied yourself with them, but I assume they’ve told you everything. I expect you to understand that I’m only here to correct my ancestor’s mistake.”

“Calling us a mistake?” Peta aimed his minigun arm at the Dwarf. “You’re not much better looking yourself, lass. Heck, even Omen wasn’t too nice to look at.”

“Shut your mouth! He never should have invented you. Every death and disaster you’ve caused is on his head! I suppose you can share the blame, though, since you’re the ones who went rogue.”

“Rogue?” Rage crept into Exo’s normally calm voice. “You believe that we fired the first shot? You have limited knowledge of what occurred. I can educate you if you call off your assault. We don’t have to battle.”

Frost laughed. “Seriously? I’ve been dreaming of this day, automaton. Do you want to know my favorite childhood novel? AI reports! I’ve read a few hundred years’ worth of them. Every abduction or murder I read about boiled my blood because I felt responsible. You’re only here because of my family, and I’ve had to live with that for my entire life. Now, I can finally right centuries’ worth of wrongs!”

I wasn’t used to getting actual information, so I had to process this. Margaret hated Omen Frost because he had created the AI. That was why she didn’t want to save Earth, the AI’s birthplace.

Man, I thought my family stuff was bad. At least Grandpa Michelangelo didn’t create killer robots that would go on to antagonize humanity for hundreds of years.

The Purple Dwarf pointed a giant finger at the mansion. “As we speak, my Black Dwarfs are swarming your dome in search of your secret weakness. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the reports, it’s that you AI only fight so well because you share one mind: one stream of information that’s responsible for your perfect teamwork. All that information has to be stored somewhere, so, if you’re using servers, we’ll find them.”

Even though he didn’t look it, Exo had to be scared this time. Those servers existed. They must have been the blinking machines I’d seen in his room earlier. All I had to do was step aside and let Frost destroy them. It would cripple the AI. Was that what I wanted? I didn’t know, but I knew how to find out.

“President Margaret Frost.” I stepped in front of her Dwarf so that I had her full attention. The sides of Alhabor’s mouth curved up as he watched me. Frost’s eyes filled with curiosity. “I want the full story, and I’m only going to ask once: what really happened on the day that my parents died?”