HuniePop Space Adventures
Chapter 5: Overlord
Everything was dark. Cold. My head had this unbearable pain as did the rest of my entire body. Someone was trying to talk to me, but I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. That is, until a commanding slap took me out of my daze.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" a male voice said. I saw that the same slick-haired guy who attacked me and Nikki earlier was standing in front of me. I knew exactly who it was. He was the only person I hated more than Ayano Aishi.
"Philip James. As I live and breathe," I said. Philip was the WORST sort of person you'd want to meet. He used to be the bully that terrorized me in high school all the way until a month after I lost Generica. He was cruel, abusive, and a complete asshole. After he graduated, he and his mom moved to the luxuries of New York. Yet, here he was, standing in front of me in some sort of armor that looked a bit similar to mine, the only differences being that his armor had a symbol in the shape of an "O" and a cape on his back, which looked extremely stupid.
"Once again, looks like I'm the one on top and you're all the way down in the trash heap," Philip taunted me. I wanted to punch him so badly, but I saw that my wrists and ankles were chained up, so there was no way for me to give Philip what he deserved. I looked around and saw that there were three more people in the room beside us. The first one was the female alien that attacked me and Nikki earlier. She resembled a human female with long, blonde and a very attractive body, with a large chest and wide hip. She had pink eyes with black sclera and many piercings on both ears. Her attire was a full body suit which had ripped armed warmers and high heels. Around her mouth was a mask with a pink, heart-shaped symbol on it and around her neck was a spiked choker. The second person was a male and had the same hair color and eyes as the first. But his face was unmasked and had sharp teeth and a long, flexible, slimy tongue which he was using on a chunk of meat. He didn't have a shirt on and his arms appeared to be soaked in blood. The third person was a green skinned alien with long bluish hair, shaved on one side. Her right arm was much larger than her left, covered in some sort of bark.
"And I see that your standards are still crap," I said. Philip just gave me a smug smile.
"So, how's life been treating you?" he asked.
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. Just thought I'd ask so I'd interrupt you and tell you I don't care."
"You two aren't on great terms, are you?" the green skinned alien asked.
"We have a pretty checkered past, Z. It's human stuff, you wouldn't understand," Philip said.
"I thought I told you a thousand times, Philip. Only my friends call me Z. To everyone else, it's Zekxsie."
"And I'm not your friend?"
"Not even an ally. You're a nuisance."
"Thank you," I said. Philip shot me a look of disgust.
"Must you two always argue?" the blonde alien asked, walking up to Philip. Philip just smiled and grabbed her.
"For you, always, Selene," he said, caressing her hair.
"Ugh, could you two get a room, please?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"I actually agree with the human, sister. You should take this pitiful act of love somewhere else," the alien male said before taking another bite of the meat he had.
"You're one to talk, Malicus! You could stand to eat a little more quieter!" Selene said.
"Anyhoo, there's something I need to ask you. It's of great importance," Philip said.
"I don't answer to you, so forget it," I said.
"What, you don't trust me?" Philip asked, getting too close to my face. I just answered by headbutting him in the face, causing him to bleed from his nose and stagger backwards.
"No, I don't," I replied. Philip angrily gritted his teeth and prepared to hit me, but his fist stopped just before it made contact with my face. I thought Philip was just trying to taunt me, but he looked like he was really struggling.
"That is enough, Philip," a half-demonic, half-robotic voice said from behind him. I looked behind and saw a white robed figure standing behind him, his clawed hand outstretched. He looked exactly like the robed figure I saw on the mural on Gaia Prime. Standing to his left was another human like Philip, except he looked older and his hair was combed back. He was wearing some armor as well, but it looked more advanced than Philip's did, with some kind of tubes wrapped around his arms. Standing to the right was another man, only his skin was a dark green and his hair was white and short. He was more muscular and wearing an armored suit with medals on it. He was holding a silver mask with a visor going across the eyes and nose and stopping near the mouth. Philip collapsed to the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion.
"I could've handled this!" he said.
"I'm sure you could, Philip," the robed figure said walking up to me and staring. His red, glowing eyes seemed to pierce through my soul.
"Um, I'm guessing that you're the mastermind around here?" I asked.
"You presume correctly, human. But, I am no mastermind. You may call me… the Overlord," the robed figure said. I just nervously looked around at the people surrounding him.
"I see that you have a colorful cast here. Is there a villain convention in town?"
"You're afraid. I can sense your fear."
"Well, given the fact that you wear the face of Ultron, have clawed hands, and have a demonic voice, yeah, I'm a bit disturbed."
"Milord, I believe we should get down to business, as it were," Selene said.
"Yes. We should. There is an artifact in your possession that I need. Where is it?" the Overlord asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied.
"You have used this artifact in combat on Gaia Prime against a whole horde of Infernites."
"Not ringin' a bell."
"It looks like a dagger. Has a handle that looks like a skull and lower part modeled after some kind of creature's eye," Philip said.
"Nope. Not a clue," I replied. Suddenly, the muscular alien grabbed me by the neck, choking me.
"You will give us the location of the Crucible or I'll end your pathetic life!" he said.
"General Taarkin! Release him at once!" the Overlord said. General Taarkin reluctantly did so, making me cough a bit.
"The human is clearly stalling! He's trying to buy time for his friends to try and find him!" he said.
"We are far outside their range and we've confiscated their communication devices. And killing him will get us nowhere. You need to be calm, Taarkin," the older human said. The Overlord nodded in agreement and walked up to me again.
"Perhaps there is something else on your mind?" he asked.
"OK, you got me. Where's Nikki?" I asked.
"The girl is fine… for the moment. However, if you do not give up the Crucible's location, I cannot guarantee her safety. Now then, we will give you some time to think. Hopefully, you will remember where it is. And hope you do… for her sake," the Overlord said before walking away with the rest of the group following after him and the door shutting behind them.
Celeste's perspective, planet of Saurian
One of the soldiers shots nearly grazed my arm with a blaster bolt, but I was able to return fire and land a shot on his head. We had been fighting for what seemed like 2 hours, but the remaining soldiers were beginning to back down as their numbers started to dwindle. One soldier ran out of his ammo and pulled out a sword, engaging me in a melee fight in desperation, but I executed him the second he made a wrong move. As I stopped to take a breather, Amki ran up to me, panting heavily.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"I'm good. I still got a lot of fight left!" she said.
"I find that hard to believe. Even you have your limitations," I replied. Eva joined the two of us as the smoke began to clear.
"How is everything here?" she asked.
"The soldiers are retreating and there have been little to no casualties. I'd say we got lucky."
"You call this lucky? I'd say it's a job well done!" Amki said, still panting.
"Maybe. Max, Nikki, how are things on your end?" I said into my comms. But there was no answer.
"Max, Nikki, respond," I said. But there was still no answer. Me, Amki, and Eva immediately headed over to the west gate to see what was happening. We saw the destroyed remains of the tank, but no sign of Max or Nikki.
"Guys, I swear if this is a prank, I'll kill you both," Amki said.
"Celeste, over here!" Eva suddenly yelled. We ran over to her and found her kneeling over Odango's body.
"What happened?" I asked.
"She's been deactivated."
"How?"
"I don't know," Eva said, before reactivating Odango. Her eyes suddenly jolted back to life.
"…it should be a bit more complex than that!" Odango said. She suddenly looked up at us in confusion.
"What?" Amki asked.
"Max was just telling me about what a hero really meant," Odango replied.
"And WHERE are they now?"
"I… I don't know!" Odango said, looking around the area. As she did that, I noticed something shining in the grass. I went over to inspect and saw that the grass was covered in light blue dust. I knew exactly what it was. Eva and the others came in behind me to see what I was doing.
"What's that?" Amki asked.
"Teleportation residue. When someone teleports, it leaves a chemical footprint, much like some Earth chemicals do," I said.
"So someone teleported in and out and they did so recently?" Amki said.
"Correct. But there are three teleporter spots here. Which means that there were three attackers and they left after they kidnapped Max and Nikki."
"Y'know, it's barely been a day since they almost died on Gaia Prime and now they get kidnapped by some random people. I swear, humans are such trouble magnets."
"But, what exactly is it that the attackers wanted with those two?" Eva asked. Odango immediately pulled up her vital screen.
"Well, their vitals are still good, but who knows how long that'll be for?" she asked.
"We need to get back to the ship immediately! Our friends are trouble!" I said, syncing up the teleporters.
"AGAIN," Amki replied as we beamed up.
Nikki's perspective, Overlord's ship
The minute I came to, I was in a cell. A cold, dark, damp cell. My whole body shivered as I opened my eyes and looked around. Sitting on the bench was some kind of plant-like alien who was messing with her right arm, which was covered in some kind of bark.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"You're on the Overlord's ship," the alien replied.
"The Overlord?"
"That's what he calls himself."
"And who the hell are you?"
"Name's Zekxsie. My friends call me 'Z'," the alien replied, standing up. I just looked around at the prison I was in. My cell was unusually clean and free of any bones or anything. Right next to me was another cell, which seemed to be empty.
"How come this place is so empty?" I asked.
"Yeah, about that. The Overlord doesn't really take prisoners. So, you should consider yourself lucky," Zekxsie replied.
"Where's Max?"
"Oh, your boyfriend? He's fine. Buuut, you and him might not be for long if doesn't tell us where the Crucible is."
"The Crucible? That weird dagger thing from Hell?" I asked. Zekxsie just raised an eyebrow.
"No, the weird dagger thing from Gaia Prime," she replied.
"What does the Overlord want with it?"
"You know, to set everything right. I don't know, that's all I got out of it," Zekxsie said. I suddenly started hearing some kind of wheezing coming from the cell next to me. I peered in through the metal bars between both cells and saw the silhouette of someone in there. I squinted to try and see more clearly, but the individual suddenly lunged at the bars and grabbed me by the neck. I looked at her face in horror. It was Info-chan, the half-Infernite half-Gaian I killed on Gaia Prime, only she looked a bit more deranged and bloodthirsty and her teeth looked sharper. Before she could choke me out, a group of vines surrounded her neck and arms and pulled her backward. I saw that it was Zekxsie who had a grip on her. She then wrapped the vines around the other end of the bars, which held Info in place. Info struggled to try and get free, snapping her teeth, but she couldn't.
"Believe me, Info, this is for your own good!" Zekxsie said.
"What the hell happened to her?" I asked.
"Well, considering the fact you blew her brains out, she's gone insane. Anyway, I've got to get going. They'll probably need me for somethin' else," Zekxsie said as she left the prison, leaving me with Info, who was screaming in rage.
Max's perspective
The eerie silence of the place was a bit unnerving. I was deep in thought about how I would escape or even talk my way out of this one. But, when I opened my eyes, the older human was standing in front of me, staring.
"Is my five minutes up?" I asked.
"More or less. Is your mind clear now?" the human asked.
"A bit. Definitely a bit more clear than before with you guys knocking me out."
"I apologize for that. Of course, the Overlord believed that you wouldn't come willingly."
"You know, I know you. You're Jeongho Yoon, right? The famous business executive turned psycho?" I asked. I had heard about Yoon on the news almost two years ago. He was once an executive for a company he worked for until he tried to kill the chairman. When that didn't work, he tried to kill the chairman's granddaughter, who had taken over at the time before Yoon was arrested. He was given a life sentence as a result. Yet, here he was, standing in front of me, working for an alien tyrant.
"I do admit my actions were not very… sportsmanlike," Yoon said. I just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Killing the chairman's daughter wasn't sportsmanlike? Dude, you have SO many issues," I replied.
"That's true. But the Overlord has given me an opportunity. An opportunity to set things right!"
"Set WHAT THINGS right?"
"This universe. With the Crucible, he will have power beyond anyone's imagination. No military might will be able to stand against him. He will be able to wipe out disease and death. Everyone will look to him and bow down to his might!"
"And if they don't? He'll just wipe them from existence? You know, I do wish that some things in the world would get better, but I don't go to the extremes, man."
"No, of course you don't. You are just human just like I am. But, when you've been under the Overlord's direction for as long as we have, you start to see the bigger picture. But, that's beside the point," Yoon said before stretching out his hand to me. I was suddenly hit with a enormous amount of pain in my head. The pain made me grit my teeth in anguish.
"Tell me the Crucible's location," he said. I did my best to try and bear the pain and say nothing, but after a while, the pain started to dull until it was completely gone. Yoon was confused at first, but he tried again and the pain came back. Only, this time it was less intense and it went away as fast as it hit me.
"Ok… I'll admit it. You do give one hell of a headache," I said.
"What is this?! You should be writhing in pain and telling me where the Crucible is! How are you resisting?!" Yoon asked in anger.
"Maybe you aren't that good. Or have you even USED that power before?" I asked. Yoon seemed about ready to blow his top, but he regained his composure and calmed down.
"Well, there are other ways to make you talk. Just know that the others will not be as forgiving as I am," Yoon said calmly as he turned to leave.
"Just answer me something: What exactly has the Overlord done for you?" I asked. Yoon stopped for a moment in silence.
"Everything," he finally answered before leaving.
3rd person perspective. One year ago…
Seoul Detention Center. Jeongho Yoon had been there only a year and a half, yet it felt like he knew everything about the place. Every crack in the wall. Every guard who was stationed there. He was now reading a newspaper which was talking about the recent success about the company he used to work for. As he read on, Yoon kept gripping the paper tighter until he tossed it to the ground and leaned his head back against the wall, covering his face with his hands.
"This is all wrong. I was supposed to be successful. That damn girl… making a fool of me and my daughter. I swear she will pay for this," he said to himself. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like a reality. He was stuck in this place with no way out or support of any kind. But when he uncovered his face and sat up, he saw a person standing in front of him, his arms behind his back. The person looked EXACTLY like him. Yoon stood up, confused and amazed at who was standing before him.
"Wh-Who are you?" he asked. The person didn't answer. He just stood there, silent and unmoving.
"I asked you a question! WHO ARE YOU?! Answer me!" Yoon asked again. One of the guards came over to the cell door and looked in.
"Hey, Yoon. Everything OK in there?" he asked. Before the real Jeongho Yoon could answer, the duplicate turned to the guard with a smile.
"Yes, everything's fine. Just trying to collect my thoughts is all," the duplicate said before he grabbed the paper and sat down on the bed.
"Wh-what is this? Why is this happening?" the real Yoon asked.
"Because you have a calling," a mysterious voice said behind him. The real Yoon turned and saw a robed figure standing behind him, staring at him with his glowing, red eyes.
"Who are you?" Yoon asked.
"You may call me the Overlord. I'm from a world far from your own and I'm in need of someone with your particular skills," the being said.
"How did that guard not see me? Or YOU for that matter?!"
"I have blocked perception of myself and you for the time being. I need you to remain calm, Jeongho Yoon."
"And what of him? Is he not from Earth either?" Yoon asked, pointing to the duplicate.
"He is a construct. An android meant to mirror everything about you and to keep your enemies in the dark while you plot your revenge from the sidelines under my direction."
"And what exactly is it that you seek?"
"To correct this universe. If you join me and help me succeed in obtaining my goals, you will have your vengeance on those who wronged you."
"I-I mean, why would you even consider someone like me to help you?"
"I've seen your progress in your assassination attempt of those who wronged you. I was impressed with your strategic abilities and your careful planning. I'm in need of someone like that, regardless of whether they are human or not," the Overlord said. Yoon immediately bowed low to the ground in an act of obedience.
"I am humbled. But, I'm afraid I will not be anything more than a simple human so I might not be much help," Yoon replied.
"I would not think so myself, Yoon," the Overlord said. Before Yoon could react, the Overlord held out his hand and some armor started to form around Yoon's body until it made an armored suit with a cape.
"Jeongho Yoon, I appoint you as my second-in-command. For those who join us, you shall be given authority over them. Only in my role as Overlord will I surpass you."
"I am humbled, my lord," Yoon said, kneeling to the ground.
"Now, come. There is much to be done," the Overlord beckoned as both he and Yoon teleported away.
Max's perspective, Present day
The constant silence of the room was starting to bore me a bit. The only way I could entertain myself was to start saying random quotes from movies me and Nikki liked. I couldn't stop thinking about if she was OK or not. But as I started to say quotes from The Avengers, the door opened to reveal Selene was there with a whip in her hand. She walked in and moved to the side of me before turning my head to face her.
"Are you comfortable?" Selene asked.
"Funny you should ask. I was starting to die of boredom in here," I replied. Selene released my head and moved back in front of me. Without any warning, she wrapped her arms around my neck. Except she wasn't trying to strangle me. It seemed more like she was trying to seduce me.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't the first one to talk to you instead of Yoon. I can be more… persuasive."
"Uuuuhhhh, you are unusually close right now," I said, sweating a bit. Selene just took off her mask, revealing her sharp teeth. The only difference between her and Malicus was that the corners of her mouth were a bit scarred.
"You know, I've never had a human as a slave that I could toy with."
"What, Philip doesn't count?"
"He's just my partner even though he and I show affection to one another. I was actually hoping to have a separate human plaything to myself. Especially one who's unique."
"Well, I did seduce two sex-hungry genies on an island one time, so I guess you got your wish early," I said. Selene gave me a seductive smile and inched closer to my face.
"Trust me, you don't know what I'm capable of," she said before my lips met hers. She gave me a rather painless kiss even though she had sharp teeth. It felt a bit nice at first, but I suddenly felt something going down my throat. It was her tongue. Her long, slimy tongue. It began to get extremely hard to breathe but I couldn't pry her off because my hands were suspended and I couldn't jerk my head back because she was holding me. However, she relented and broke off the kiss. I immediately coughed and heavily panted as Selene smiled and pulled her mask back up over her mouth.
"I've killed some of my playthings with that move. But I have orders not to kill you, so consider yourself lucky. Still, just know that I take no pleasure in what comes next," Selene said, walking behind me. I looked back as she unraveled her whip and the next thing I knew, she struck me with it. The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It was so sudden and it hit me extremely hard. She struck me three more times after that which added to the pain I already had. Selene walked back in front of me and looked me in the eyes.
"Are you going to tell me where the Crucible is? Or do you wish to continue?" she asked.
"Look, you're a really good looking woman and I don't want to offend you. So I'm not going to tell you what I would tell Philip or any of the others, thanks!" I said, still in pain.
"Very well, then," Selene replied, walking back behind me and continuing with her whipping.
Celeste's perspective
Back on the Centurion, the four of us continued to search for any signs of Max or Nikki or their attackers. So far, there was nothing and Odango was searching more frantically than the others were.
"Nothing yet?" I asked.
"No, still nothing. Whoever kidnapped Max and Nikki was really good at covering their tracks," Amki said.
"How are their vitals looking?"
"Nikki is doing fine, but Max's heart rate has elevated a bit. Whatever they are doing to him, he's in serious pain," Eva said.
"This is all my fault! If I wasn't so cowardly, I would've seen this coming and I would've been able to stop them!" Odango said rapidly.
"Odango, you need to calm down. We'll find them. We have to," I said.
"Look, OK? I was built for rice cooking, home economics, and cleaning! I wasn't built for combat! Everything I do know was on the chip I installed!"
"That doesn't matter. Because I have faith in you. If you can read their vitals and deal with most fights, you can find them," I said, putting my hand on Odango's shoulder.
"Let's hope we do find them. Who knows what kind of hell they're in now," Amki said.
Max's perspective
I don't know how many times Selene hit me with that whip of hers, but it felt like almost 20. After she struck me again, both the Overlord and Yoon walked into the room. Selene stopped whipping me and walked over to him.
"Have you had any luck?" the Overlord asked.
"No. My victims usually break after the 10th strike," Selene replied.
"And how many has had?"
"25," Selene said. The Overlord let out a disappointed sigh and walked up to me.
"It's pointless for you to keep resisting. Your suffering could end if you just give me what I want," the Overlord said to me.
"So you could just wipe out this entire universe? Forget it," I said.
"You're persistent and stubborn. I do admire that. But, like I said, it's pointless. What you interfere with now is bigger than you can imagine. You cannot stop what has been set in motion. You are but one man."
"Yeah, but I'd be one man making sure you don't strip everything down to its roots."
"My lord. Shall I continue the interrogation?" Selene asked. The Overlord fell silent for a few seconds before giving her a nod. Selene walked back behind me and began to whip me again as both the Overlord and Yoon looked on.
"I understand that you think you will be making a difference by resisting. But you will eventually break," the Overlord said.
"Then how about we speed up the process?" Philip's voice said from behind. He walked in the door while holding Nikki by the arm. Zekxsie was standing behind them.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Philip said that you told him to bring the girl up here!" Zekxsie said.
"Yeah, I may have told a little fib. But, I can promise you this: Max WILL break easy if she's involved," Philip said, forcing Nikki to her knees.
"Philip, she has nothing to do with this! Let her go!" I yelled.
"And I will. But, here's the thing. Either you tell us where the dagger is, or she'll be the second girlfriend you lose."
"Max, don't tell him anything, OK? Don't give them what they want!" Nikki said. Philip slapped her across the face in anger and then forced her head back up. A sword sprang up out of his wrist and he pressed it against her neck.
"PHILIP, LET HER GO!" I yelled.
"You've got 20 seconds. Actually, no, I'm feeling a bit generous. I'll give you 30. Go," Philip said.
"Philip, it doesn't need to be like this! PLEASE just let her go!"
"20 more seconds."
"PHILP! I SWEAR I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB IF YOU SO MUCH AS LEAVE A SCRATCH ON HER!" I yelled, more enraged. I felt the dark presence I felt on Gaia Prime starting to resurface and take over my body. But as Philip lifted his sword up into the air, the Overlord held up his hand.
"Wait," he said. He then walked up to me and ran his hand over my arm, causing sparks of red electricity to zap his fingers. Yoon, Zekxsie, and Selene looked at it in fear, but Philip was confused.
"Is that…" Selene started to ask.
"It is," Yoon said.
"I am a fool. You're even stronger than I realized, human," the Overlord said, disappointedly.
"Well, not for long he won't be," Philip said as he raised his sword back into the air. But, the Overlord immediately stretched his hand out toward Philip, causing him to hold his neck in response as he began to choke.
"Zekxsie, take the girl back to the prison IMMEDIATELY. Under NO circumstances is she to be let out unless I decree it," the Overlord said.
"Yes, my lord," Zekxsie replied as she gently grabbed Nikki's arm and lead her out of the room. After they both left, the Overlord released Philip, who fell on the ground, coughing.
"We will continue the interrogation later. For now, we must rethink our efforts. Without the Crucible, our lives are at stake," the Overlord said as Selene picked up Philip and dragged him out with Yoon following behind them. The Overlord also turned to leave but looked back at me.
"No harm will come to the girl. You have my word," he said.
"And I'll kill all of you. You have MY word," I replied in anger. The Overlord just left in silence, the door closing behind him.
Nikki's perspective
Zekxsie put me back in my cell and locked the door behind me.
"Hey, uh, sorry about all that. I swear Philip is always trying to take the easy way out," she said.
"How can you even STAND to work with someone like that?!" I asked.
"Look, yeah, Philip's an asshole. But, he's part of this crusade. I have work with that."
"NOT Philip, the Overlord! Don't you realize that he'll kill us anyway when he gets what he wants?!"
"Look, I don't agree with some of the Overlord's methods, but when you live on a planet where you're the last of your kind, you'll understand. Listen, if you tell me where your boyfriend hid the Crucible, I'll try to convince the Overlord to just drop you off somewhere where you can both live your boring, happy lives."
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING," I insisted.
"Well, I gave you a fair chance. Don't expect me to give you another chance in the future," Zekxsie said before she left. I brought my knees close to my face and curled up as I was all alone in the cell, with only the screams and growls of Info breaking the silence. I dreaded what would happen to Max if he DID give up the Crucible. Or me, for that matter. But, I guess the thought of losing me was too much for him to even bear. As I was thinking, the sound of the cell door squealing open broke my thoughts. I looked up and saw a hooded figure holding some kind of staff in her hand. Before I could ask who it was, the figure ran over to me and held a finger up to my lips.
"We must flee this place! We don't have much time!" the figure said before grabbing my hand and taking me out of the cell, leaving the psychotic Info in her cell, screaming after us.
3rd person perspective
The Overlord stared out into the vast expanse of space with Yoon by his side, deep in thought, while General Taarkin was busy communicating with one of his soldiers. After he was finished talking, he approached the Overlord.
"My lord. I regret to inform you that I am needed back on my home. Apparently, there are still some rebels that need to be dealt with. I hope that this does not displease you," Taarkin said.
"If you see the need to snuff out resistance, Taarkin, by all means," the Overlord said.
"Thank you, my lord. I also heard that things have become complicated with our human prisoner. Am I correct?" Taarkin asked. Before the Overlord could answer, Philip stormed onto the bridge angrily with Selene trailing behind him.
"Do you mind telling me exactly what the HELL that was back there?!" Philip asked, enraged.
"What exactly is it you mean? You signing our death warrants or your childish behavior?" the Overlord asked.
"He was about to break! If you hadn't stopped me, we would've known where the Crucible was!"
"Or he would've destroyed us."
"What are you saying, my lord?" Selene asked.
"The Infernite energy is surging throughout his body. With that much of it in his system, his rage would trigger a transformation, making him invincible. If we were to kill the girl, his rage and bloodlust would descend on us like fire," the Overlord replied.
"What, we aren't strong enough to deal with that sort of thing?" Philip asked.
"Philip, show some respect! Had the Overlord not intervened, we would all be dead!" Yoon said.
"And he's not powerful enough to deal with that?!"
"This is about more than your petty rivalry with him, BOY. It's about finding that which we seek without the risk of our own destruction. Without the Crucible to regain that energy, we must be more cautious going forward," the Overlord said.
"That might not be an issue anymore," Zekxsie said, walking into the room. Everyone saw that she was holding the Crucible in her hand. She then tossed it to the Overlord, who caught it in midair with his magic and carefully inspected it.
"Where did you find it?" he asked.
"In his suit. Apparently we didn't look carefully enough. It was hidden in a secret compartment in the suit's upper back. And the suit is so dense that the artifact's energy signature didn't leak through."
"You've done well, Zekxsie. Move the human to the prison with the girl. Our crusade begins."
"Yes, my lord," Zekxsie said, walking out of the room with Philip and Selene following.
Max's perspective
I couldn't stop thinking about her. The thought of Nikki being tortured was almost unbearable for me to imagine. But, the sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts. I expected Philip or the Overlord or any of the others to come in through the door, but when I looked up, I saw Nikki standing in the doorway with a hooded figure. Nikki ran up to me and immediately hugged me as the hooded figure messed around with a control panel until my arms and legs got free. I returned the hug to Nikki, who began to cry.
"I thought I almost lost you," she said, tears running down her face.
"Did he hurt you?" I asked, holding her face.
"No, I'm fine."
"We need to leave now. They could come back at any minute!" the hooded figure said. The three of us ran out of the room and down one of the hallways until I spotted my armor. Me and Nikki ran into the room and I got into my armor while Nikki put on hers. I winced a bit at the pain on my back.
"Max, are you OK?" Nikki asked.
"I'll be fine," I said, grabbing my shotgun. I looked out into the hallway to see if there were any guards around, but so far, there weren't any.
"This way. The escape pods are just down the hall. Hurry!" the hooded figure said. We then ran down the hallway until we reached a large open room with several doors. The hooded figure stopped at one of the doors and started to type on a small keyboard on the side of the doorway.
"So, how long have you been on this ship?" Nikki asked the figure.
"Long enough," the figure replied.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. Before the figure could answer, a blaster bolt flew past me and hit the wall. I looked back and saw Philip holding a plasma rifle and Selene holding a blaster. The two of them were shooting at us to try and keep us from leaving the ship. Both Nikki and I immediately returned fire as the figure continued to try and unlock the door.
"I don't mean to rush you, but can you please hurry up?" Nikki asked as she continued to shoot at Philip and Selene. Unfortunately, Philip fired a shot that hit Nikki in the shoulder, making her fall to the floor in pain. I managed to get her out of the line of fire before I resumed firing at our attackers.
"You know, I hope that you've said goodbye to your little bitch, Max! Because when we're done with you, I'm gonna enjoy killing her!" Philip said. My rage was starting to build again, but I looked up and saw that Philip was standing below some fuel cans suspended on the ceiling.
"Hey, Phil. You remember all those years ago when I told you I'd mess up that pretty face of yours? You just gave me the perfect chance," I said before firing my grappling hook into the suspension gear holding the cans and yanked the hook back. When the first barrel hit the ground, it caused an explosion which burned part of Philip's face and cut off their entrance to the escape pod room. The figure finally got the door opened and the three of us scrambled inside. As I closed the door to the outside, the figure pulled a lever and we detached from the ship.
"Celeste, if you can hear us, we are currently escaping from a ship to Sector… 16 it seems. We'll call you and wait for you on the first planet we land on!" Nikki said into her communicator before the pod jumped to lightspeed. After a while, we suddenly thudded against the ground and we suddenly came to screeching halt as the entire pod went dark.
To Be Continued…