The First Ship had finally arrived. The Asteroid Belt Formation revolved around it unlike the last time. The Belt was a circle of automated drone ships that attacked any hostile ship that got too close. The First Ship housed the First Division’s government, so its safety was a priority.

“Exo, are you seeing this?” I asked as I entered the Knowledge Stream.

“Yes, Alpha,” Exo replied in my head. “Margaret has finally arrived. What are you thinking?”

“We’re near the Scarlet Plaza, or…where it used to be. Fly here. We can end all of this now.”

“Allow us a moment to arrive.”

I left the Knowledge Stream. It was good that the First Ship had finally showed up, but taking it down wouldn’t be easy. There was no doubt that Frost had fired that missile. She hadn’t even known if the mall had been evacuated! If I didn’t focus, I was sure my rage would act for me.

The screech of feedback washed over us; it was like a microphone being turned on. The noise came from the First Ship: Frost was about to give a speech.

“Wander Locke and his meddlesome friends…how did I know you would be here today?” Frost’s voice swept over the whole city. It felt like I was listening to the morning announcements back in school except that I hadn’t been this afraid back then. “I see you’ve disabled my shields, which means that you must have disposed of General Alhabor. I didn’t think you had it in you, sweetheart.”

“Shut up!” I shouted at the air, essentially. She couldn’t hear me from in there. If I’d been able to hack into her ship, I’d have been giving her an earful. Instead, I turned to my friends. “She sent that missile. We have to be on alert in case she sends another.”

“Kid, we’re not going to survive another,” Surge said. “We need to think about how to counter it.”

“Would my shields work against something like that?” Dylan asked as he raised his hands. “I assume that I could create one that’s strong enough.”

Dylan’s shields withstanding FD missiles? It was a stretch, but maybe. I would have tried to enhance his powers like I had enhanced Anderson’s suit, but there was too much human in the way. I wouldn’t be able to reach his Implants.

The static that accompanied the interference fled my ears again. I looked around and saw FD ships ascending into the sky. They had shut off the Interference Towers, and they were calling the ships back? What was Frost planning?

“Thanks to your meddling, I doubt I’ve gained even one hundred White Dwarf candidates from this excursion,” Frost’s voice said. “I refuse to sit around, waiting for you to destroy any more of my property! So, instead, I’ll purge this city. Remember that missile? That was merely a taste of what’s to come. Good luck claiming victory from a crater!”

Frost was going to nuke the place just to keep us from winning. So much for her reputation.

The ships surrounding the First Ship ascended into the sky, leaving it and the Belt. Ports on the First Ship opened up in preparation for the missiles. The last time, she’d only sent one…here were the rest. I racked my brain for ideas as panic broke out amongst my friends. Screams rang out in the distance: they were a response to Frost’s declaration.

Sure, Frost wanted the AI gone. But destroying one of her own cities wouldn’t further that goal. She had completely lost it. In her desperation, she had already used her citizens as puppets. Now she was trying to kill them just so that I couldn’t save them. What had happened to her?

As my friends’ chatter pushed all coherent thought from my head, one person stepped forward. Dylan looked the sky as he raised his hands. A red aura whirled around him.

“Dylan?” I said. “The heck are you doing? We talked about using your shields against one missile, not a barrage.”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s one or one thousand!” Dylan declared. His voice was strained. “That wretched woman isn’t getting her way. Besides, you’ll have to let me join Humanity’s Hope after this.”

I wasn’t confident about a single word he’d just said. I shared his frustration, but if this didn’t work, there would be no coming back. If I told him to stop, would he even listen?

“Just let him do it.” Kaela smirked as she eyed her friend. “He’s crazy, but there’s a reason why he’s been second-in-command of the Oppressed for so long. Thank God he stopped rubbing it in.”

“Exactly,” Surge said. “I’ve always expected a lot out of my first son, and now he’s finally meeting those expectations. Don’t stop him now.”

They didn’t know what they were saying. They weren’t Hybrids…but they were Dylan’s family. I had to trust their word.

I sighed as I turned to Dylan. “Hybrids do the impossible, so prove that you’re worthy of the title. Good luck.”

Dylan chuckled. “You’re the ones who need it. If I can’t do this, you’re all screwed.”

Point taken. I stepped back as Dylan’s red aura continued to charge. He let out a shout of exertion as he stretched out his hands. A red dot appeared in the sky, just below the First Ship. It stretched out, curving as it did. The dot shifted into a dome as it covered the whole sky. I couldn’t even see its edges anymore, but I assumed that it continued until it covered the whole city, forming an enormous protective dome.

My jaw dropped as I struggled to accept what I was seeing. I’d never imagined that a Hybrid could be capable of something like this. Casting a shield over a city blew all of my achievements out of the water. Dylan should have been the Alpha.

A volley of missiles shot out of the ship. They were headed right for us. They erupted into violent explosions when they hit the red dome. Dylan grunted as each explosion rocked his shield. The volley had just begun, and it already seemed like he was struggling.

“Remember to focus!” I said. “Just will the shield to stay up. It’s harder than it sounds, but—”

“Alpha, kindly shut your mouth!” Dylan shouted back as he squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s difficult to focus otherwise.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I expected the missiles to die down, but it felt like they were speeding up. How many missiles did that ship have? Dylan’s groans intensified as the dome flickered. If it went down for even a second, at least five missiles would assault us. That meant that Dylan had to keep it up no matter what.

Could he do that? I sure couldn’t.

Kaela sucked in air as she watched the shield flicker. “Come on, Dill! Don’t let Frost win.”

“This is your chance, kid,” Surge said. “If you can do this, you’ve won. Just keep going.”

“I never thought much of you, so consider this your chance to prove me wrong,” Nessa said.

“My stamina…is running low.” Dylan’s body trembled as the red aura faded. “Can’t…keep it up.”

The classic Hybrid stamina problem. I was mostly over it, but Dylan was still relatively unexperienced. He didn’t have the stamina to maintain a giant dome under assault. It was crazy that he’d kept it up that long. Nessa gripped my hand as the explosions continued to pepper the shield. Where were Exo and the AI?

A guttural cry pierced my ears. I looked at Dylan as his aura shimmered back to life. It was a darker shade of red than before, as if his blood had mixed with the energy. The dome also changed to a darker red as the flickering ceased. The explosions weren’t even shaking the shield anymore. Its durability was insane!

“He’s doing it?” Nessa raised an eyebrow. “Consider me a fool for having doubts. Why did the shield get stronger?”

“Who cares? As long as he gets the job done.” Anderson triumphantly clenched his fist.

Everyone cheered Dylan on as he continued to hold the shield with no drawbacks. His body had even stopped trembling. Everything was looking up, but something felt off. Beth wore the only frown in the group, which made me think that she felt the same way I did. Something was wrong here, but what?

The explosions finally died down as the First Ship ran out of missiles. When the last explosions had dwindled, the familiar feedback sound returned. A guttural screech of frustration rang out. That put a smile on my face.

“You accursed Hybrids and your ridiculous abilities!” Frost screamed.

I smirked up at the First Ship. Frost wasn’t as powerful as she’d thought. I considered contacting Exo again so that I could tell him to hurry up. We needed to find a way onto her ship before she left or went even crazier.

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Great work, Dylan. You might belong in Humanity’s Hope after all.” I realized that Dylan’s massive shield was still up. The missiles were gone, so there was no reason to keep it up. “Man, do you want to pass out? Put the shield down.”

Dylan’s back was to us, so I couldn’t see his expression. His aura was shimmering so much that it was essentially a shower of glitter. He hadn’t moved an inch since Frost’s assault had stopped.

Dylan chuckled. “Sorry, but that shield is no longer under my control. It will be gone in a moment, though.”

Kaela and I exchanged looks of concern. What the heck was he talking about? Dylan finally turned around, revealing a smile on his shimmering face. It was the most genuine grin I’d ever seen him wear. He must have been proud of his accomplishment. He walked toward us, but immediately stumbled. Dylan fell to the ground, where he lay as if his legs had turned to jelly.

“Dylan?” I breathed.

Kaela, Surge, and Nessa rushed to his side while everyone else looked on in shock. I joined them just as they were rotating Dylan to face the sky. When I placed my hand on his arm, I felt…that he was diminishing. When I had touched Rebecca, I had sensed static, which had been an indication that her Implants were damaging her body. What I sensed from Dylan was akin to a fire being extinguished.

I thought back to Exo’s words about Grandpa Mikey’s death. He hadn’t succumbed to gunfire or AI blasts. He had died because he had overused his Implants. They had drained his lifeforce, which had resulted in his sacrificing himself to protect his friends. He had burned out.

Dylan had announced that he was running out of stamina. But then he had gained a second wind that had strengthened his shield enough to keep it up. What if he’d had to pay the price for that second wind?

Kaela cupped Dylan’s face. “You’re shimmering like a fancy rock on a sunny day…but your face is cold. Why?!”

Nessa frowned as she seemed to realize why. “You’ve been selfish all your life. Then the one time you act heroic, this happens. I’m so sorry.”

“It was my decision, wasn’t it?” Dylan’s voice was weak, like he’d aged sixty years in an instant. “I wanted to prove…that I was Hybrid material.”

“You are.” I gripped his hand, but he didn’t grip back. “Trust me. You’re as good a Hybrid as any of us.”

Dylan chuckled. “Was.”

“No. I didn’t give you permission to talk like that.” Surge fell to his knees beside Dylan, his son. Dylan had been in the Oppressed the longest. He was the only one Surge had adopted legally. He was a jerk, but that was not how Surge saw him. “The soldier I know would never let something like this—”

“Drop the act.” Dylan’s red eyes flickered, as if his Implants couldn’t keep them lit anymore. “You’ve kept it up ever since you adopted me. You think you have to be this unfeeling hard-ass to defeat her. Wander’s cried more than most toddlers, and look at him. He’s going to win this for all of us. So do what I never could: open up.”

One last insult from Dylan, but it was also a compliment. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Surge’s eyes filled with tears as he held Dylan’s gaze. “Stop. You’ll be fine. Exo can fix you.”

“Not damage like this. I can feel…well, I can’t feel. Not anymore. That’s the problem. Besides, you have other priorities. Don’t waste time on me when we can finally end this. Get in that ship, and make Frost regret ever going to Jupiter.”

Kaela sobbed. “Not without you! I know we fought a lot, and we nearly killed each other more than once, but that’s how siblings are. You can’t leave me alone.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. None of you are alone. This army was never about assembling…a force to march Frost’s. It was about…forming a family.” He smirked. “Sappy as it is…I’m glad that I got to be…part of it.”

Dylan’s eyes dimmed. His aura shimmered off his body. Kaela grabbed at the light as it faded away, but it slipped out of her hands. She stared at her empty palms before bursting into tears then lay her head on Dylan’s dull chest. Laura wrapped her arms around Kaela and held her as she sobbed.

Nessa threw her arms around me as she buried her head into my shoulder. She’d cried enough when we’d killed Connolly. All she could do now was shudder in sorrow.

Surge continued to stare at Dylan as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Dylan’s unblinking eyes didn’t quite meet his gaze anymore. Despite his disbelief, his tears fell. I couldn’t imagine what losing a child felt like, and I hoped I’d never experience it. Surge deserved all the time in the world to mourn…but we had a war to win.

For Dylan.

The shield protecting us faded away. I sighed as I mustered the courage to say what I had to. That, in spite of the tragedy, we had to press on. A low laugh interrupted my thoughts. I looked up at the First Ship, which was the source of it. The laughter grew louder as Frost threw her all into it.

“You really thought I’d wasted all my missiles on that shield?!” Frost’s voice taunted. “I’m no fool. I saved a handful just for you pests. I’m sorry to do this, Wander, but this galaxy will only truly be mine once you and your friends have been erased from it!”

“You complete psychopath…” My jaw went slack as I watched even more missiles pop out of the First Ship’s ports. I was at a loss for words. More than shock, I just felt rage. Frost was about to render Dylan’s sacrifice meaningless.

About four or five missiles soared out of the ship. They whizzed toward us, eager to end our lives. I couldn’t even summon the courage to tell everyone to run. What was the point? We’d never get far enough on foot. The missiles continued to soar until they exploded in midair. I barely felt the shock wave that washed over us. It looked like they’d hit something, but there was nothing there.

A giant ship materialized out of thin air. I immediately recognized it as the Mainframe. Exo and the others had finally come for us. We just hadn’t noticed because the ship had been invisible.

“What?” Frost shouted. “What is that?”

“Lord Exo!” Beth cheered. “Perfect. Let’s get on board.”

Exactly what I’d been thinking, but…not all of us were fit for fighting. I glanced at Nessa and Kaela. Their tears had stained their faces (and ruined their makeup), but I still found determination in their eyes. Nessa squeezed my hand, a gesture that I returned. She was with me.

I looked at Kaela next. She had to be far from normal mere minutes after the death of her best friend. It would be better if she stayed behind. Despite that, she rose to her feet and clutched the Gamechanger. She was ready to keep going too.

Surge hadn’t moved at all. His head was still lowered.

“Surge, it’s okay if—”

“Yeah.” Surge’s voice was raspy. “I’ll catch up. The ruabrum could still use a hand down here anyway. The six of you are all we need up there.”

I had to believe his words. That was why I’d created Humanity’s Hope in the first place. We were the children who had to fight this war because the adults had never understood how to win it. We had to prevent this from becoming the next generation’s problem.

“All right, guys.” I clenched my fists. “Let’s go see the president.”