"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that!" Red exclaimed, his eyes glowing with delight. "Now, we must make some plans!"
He ran off to the control room and Alyster followed him, walking along the window overlooking the earth. In the cockpit of the ship, the little droid was busy trying to fix the teleporter, but had no luck. "Oh, Master, I am sorry I couldn't get it fixed in time! I did get the portal to move closer, but only by a little." It said trembling "But it is still functional!"
"Great, let's get going then! Dark Blue, what is the fastest route to get to our plane-thingy?" Red asked.
"I don't know! Just let me through the portal and I'll get my sense of direction back!" Alyster yelled back.
"Ok, fine! Dipper, where are you?!" Red called down the hall.
"Coming, master!" He said, lumbering down with a gun in hand.
"We must leave soon, I'm getting impatient!" Red whined.
"Well, do you have enough patience for a six hour flight?" Alyster asked their master.
"Well yeah I guess I do." He said, calmed down a little.
Alyster and Dipper gathered their things and Dark Red went ahead of them. He summoned five droids to accompany him and he asked if the portal was steady, The droid at the helm nodded and Red took the first step back out on earth. Dipper, Alyster and the droids followed suit, and they were in a different area of Montreal. They were in Millennium Park which Alyster recognized right away having been there with some of their friends. The droid had moved it much closer to the airport compared to Mile End, and it was only a small trek to the airport from there. Being out of the ship and in the suburbs with their robotic gear on, Alyster suddenly felt out of place even though they were home. But what is this home without Cassie a small voice said. Alyster shut it out right away. They didn't want to face their pain again. The group reached the curb before the airport and Alyster explained all the hoops they would have to jump through before they would get a hold of a plane.
"Oh, that will be nothing!" Red quipped. "We'll muscle our way through there, it'll be easy!"
"Whatever you say…" Alyster said. "I just hope I don't mess up." They took the lead and crossed the road to the departure terminal, and Red blasted the doors down, making an opening big enough for him to walk through. Inside the airport, people waiting at the check-in lobby ran in all directions, screaming in fear. At the end of the hall, armed security began shooting at the crew, but Red was bulletproof and so was Alyster's armor.
"Dark Blue, could you deal with them? They're annoying me." Red ordered.
"Sure thing." Alyster obeyed. Bounding directly towards them, they conjured a ball of fire in their hand and leaped towards the guard at the end of the line, blasting him in the chest. He was knocked down, and they turned to the rest of the guards, all lined up to be knocked down with one single blow. They smiled at how fun this was becoming and saw how Dark Red enjoyed this so much. "Come on, this way!" They yelled to the crew. They bounded around the corner to the security checkpoint, most of the people cleared out already, and more armed guards were waiting for them. Two droids joined Alyster, running forward with their claws ready to trip them up. They took out the guards in the middle while the droids took care of the sides, and Red joined them when they had taken out the second wave.
"Which way now?" Red asked.
"Through there" Alyster said, pointing at the fake wall with the line to the security checkpoint.
"Dipper, if you will-" Red started, being cut off by a blast of Dipper's gun. He blasted a hole through the wall and the glass and beams shattered, showing the area empty of the eager passengers and the security agents with guns drawn. Alyster hopped over the rope line, through the tear in the wall, and with one swipe of their burning hand, they flung an orb of fire knocking out a majority of the guards. With another swipe of their hand, they knocked out the rest, destroying the security gates in the process.
"I always hated security anyway" Alyster remarked. They ran up to the screens to see what flights were going were, and found the one to Grand Cayman. It was leaving in 30 mins and was on the other side of the airport. "Come on guys, we've got one more hoop to pass through!" Alyster called to the group.
Dark Red and and Dipper followed far behind and started talking amongst themselves. "What a fighter this human is!" Dipper exclaimed. "I'm surprised you were able to devitalize such a strong spirit to do your bidding."
"Yes, I am impressed too. They are a valiant fighter no doubt and it will take a lot to mantain their loyalty, but now that I've tamed someone like them, maybe I'll have more luck with the beasts!" Red replied. "Meeting someone like Dark Blue reminds me of when I first met you." He remembered.
"Well, I wasn't a weak human, but you did find me valuable when I was feeling worthless." Dipper memorized. "I could not be more thankful to you." He said, looking at Red with earnest eyes. "And now we are so close to reaching our goal! All thanks to Dark Blue."
Alyster suddenly perked up when they heard Dipper say their other name, and turned asking, "What did you want from me?"
"We want to know how much farther it is our transport!" Dark Red yelled from the distance.
Alyster stopped and said "It's gonna take a while, but it-" They cut themselves off when they saw a passenger cart stopped at a gate. "It might be faster with one of those!" Getting in the driver's seat, one of the droids sat beside them, the rest in the middle, and Red and Dipper sat in the back. Everyone else sitting in the gates looked at the aliens with humor and horror, wondering why security was chasing them. Alyster revved up the vehicle as fast as they could, blasting people out of the way before they hit anyone. They may as well try to avoid collateral damage. They made it to the gate to Grand Cayman in mere minutes and Red had taken care of the guards who were chasing them as they were driving. Alyster got the details on the plane leaving in fifteen minutes, and that it was an emptier flight on a 747. There'd be enough room for Red's 10-foot tall body to fit in the front. Before they could force their way through the gate, more guards came rushing towards them. They were able to pick off them pretty easily except for a big guard that came bounding behind them. He ran to the door of the gate, blocking their path to the plane. "Let us pass, and I promise I won't hurt you" Alyster threatened in a deep voice. Behind their armor and helmet, they looked just like their alien crew.
"Oh no you won't." The guard bellowed back. "You will be arrested right away!"
"Well. good luck fitting handcuffs on my herald here." Alyster joked, pointing back at Red.
"What are those-oh never mind Blue, just get him out of our way will you? Red demanded. His temper was getting short. This wasn't going as well as planned. Knowing it would take a little more to knock him out, Alyster rushed the guard, grabbing his throat and pinned him against the wall. With their other hand, they made a fist of fire and held him there. "Thank you, Blue. Now finish him."
Without thinking, Alyster flung their fist into the guard's face and let go of his throat. His body fell with a thud and he choked out one last breath. Alyster turned to Red with wide eyes and mustered "Is that…what you wanted?" They asked with the same nerves they had when they gave their first article to Carl at Vice.
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted." Red replied captivatingly. Turning to Dipper, he ordered him to blast the gate's hallway off. Red and Dipper wouldn't fit through there and the two barely fit through the airplane door, but soon after they got their seats and had given a little threat to the pilots, they were off towards Grand Cayman. Red was sat in the middle, Dipper at his left, and Alyster at his right. They took their helmet off and took advantage of the first class service, having half the area to themselves.
An hour into the flight, they turned to ask their lead "So, Red…what exactly are we gonna do when we get there?"
"Well, we are in search of the source of your power, remember? It'll be your job to lead us to it." Red answered.
"Oh, right. I was also wondering why. I mean, where have you come from and why you of all the aliens out in space?" Alyster inquired. Their journalist instincts were coming back, and they were suddenly very curious about this foreign invader they chose to make their leader.
"I've come from a desolate planet in need of energy. My family, my home, everything I knew as a little scrub was there. Dipper too." He reminisced, pointing at his friend who had fallen asleep. "We saw the destruction of our homeworld, and now all that's left is dust and the Beasts-sssttaaaggghh-I HATE THEM!" Red suddenly lashed out!
Alyster jumped back from his sudden outburst and cautiously asked "Wha..what are these beasts?"
"They're huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't have those?" He muttered.
"Don't think so." They quipped.
"Well, they're hard to tame and trample everything in their path. It's a good thing you don't have them, actually." He muttered.
"Yea I guess it is…anyway, about your home?" Alyster probed.
"Ah, yes. It's been a while, but the one advantage to my home planet is that it is full of portals." He remarked.
"Really? Where do they lead?" Alyster asked.
"Anywhere from the tundras and deserts on earth, to the farthest planets in the solar system. It's what made getting to earth on my ship so easy!" He replied. "Being stuck in this metal tube however is absolutely enraging!" Red blurted again. He was becoming very impatient and Alyster felt like they had to calm him down.
"It's ok Red, I get antsy on long flights too! Why don't you tell me about your family, the one you had on-what's the planet's name?" They asked.
"Lithiri. The sun and six moons that circled it washed the beautiful flora in white light all the time. We built caves for homes out of the rock, and you could make a peaceful life for yourself. But it did endure many disasters. It didn't rebound from the last one so well." He shuddered. Alyster though it best not to ask him about Lithiri anymore and decided to just console him.
"It's ok, I want to help you, I really do. I can't imagine how much you've been through." Alyster said sincerely, surprised they were relating so well to this alien. But weirder things had happened to them.
"Thank you Alyster. I knew I picked you for a reason. Now, get some sleep. You will need your rest." Red enticed, his deep voice lulling them to sleep. They definitely needed the rest after their first fight and their harrowing past few days. They drifted off for the first time since laying on Maestro's desk.
5 hours later:
Alyster woke with a start when the plane landed. They looked outside the window to see palm trees and the sunset, and Red had gotten up, impatient to go. The crew got out ahead of the rest of the passengers, before they fixed the hallway back on the door of the plane. Alyster jumped out of the plane last, falling ten feet to the ground. Looking down the runaway, they realized weren't going to have a smooth time getting off the airport grounds. Security was there ready for them. "Uuuhhh, Red? What do we do?" One of the five droids asked their leader.
"Fight them, what do you think?!" Red barked at them. He was getting more and more impatient and they started to realize that it would be imperative to get him to the core as fast as possible. Thank god they were getting close! Following Red's orders, they took the lead with the droids and were able to form a mighty blast of fire that knocked the first line of guards out with their shields. They were all armed but didn't start firing back until the plane had moved from behind them. Bullets were flying all around them, bouncing off their armor and wasn't affecting the droids much. Well, accept for one that got a bullet lodged in their flamethrower and started squabbling off to fix it. Alyster couldn't help but snicker at the little alien's rage quit. Fighting with them was becoming easier and even fun. Except when they did more than knock out someone. They wanted to be careful not to do that to any of the Cayman cops. "Blue, get us out of here!" Red ordered from behind them. They decided to make the crew's escape easy by grabbing a can of gas, pouring a line between them and the guards, and with one little flame from their finger, set the pavement ablaze. With fire for cover, the crew ran for the fence to the left, away from the airport. The aliens jumped the gate with ease, but Alyster knew they would have to give themselves a little boost. Five feet from the gate, they opened up their hands and instead of an orb, they shot a jet of fire from their hands, launching themselves up like a rocket! They cleared the fence by a longshot, and joined the rest of the group, running to the beach across the road. Red looked back at them, surprised "Since when can you do that?!" he asked.
"Uuuhhh, since now?" They answered with pride. Panting just a little from the humidity, they fell on the sand and checked their phone that was still in their pocket. It was 10pm on the island and it was a good thing they got their nap. Unfortunately their phone was at 30% battery, but they did have their charger! Checking their exact location to find the way back to the cave, they realized it would only be a thirty-minute hike. Thank goodness! "Ok Red, I have the path to the core!" They reported.
"Excellent! Hope you've all gotten your breath back soldiers, let's go!" Red cheered. He let Alyster lead the group as the GPS, walking beside Dipper.
"We are so close! Soon we'll be able to use the core to bring Lithiri back to its former glory!" Dipper exclaimed. Out of earshot from Alyster, he added "I can't wait to see what earth will look like without it!"
"Me as well Dipper." Red whispered back to his friend. "This planet has gleaned from its energy for long enough. But I do have a little change to our plans."
"What exactly?" Dipper scrutinized. He didn't know his friend as someone to change their mind.
"Let's bring Alyster to Lithiri with us. Invite them to live with us when we take the core. If they want to go back to earth, it'll be easy with all the portals back here, but I don't think they'll want to when they see what state earth will be in." Red devised. "I'm sure they'll love it with us once our planet is replenished by the core's energy!"
"What if they don't?" Dipper asked carefully.
"Well, then we'll leave them on this planet to their own resources! Of which there will be none!" Red remarked, laughing suddenly at his own schemes.
Alyster heard this and turned to the two, asking "What are you laughing about?!"
"Oh, nothing blue, just saw a funny-looking fish!" Red lied, pointing to the ocean.
Alyster looked to the water and saw an orca jump out of the water, followed by an even bigger one! "Ooohhh, Orca whales, they're my favourite!" They said excitedly. "We're only ten minutes away from the cave now, by the way!"
"That's awesome!" Red declared, his deep voice booming all around the tropics, scaring off the birds. "Now what the heck are those?!" He gawked.
"Those are parrots, Red! They don't seem to like you all that much!" Alyster joked. One of the birds flew directly to them, landing on their blue shoulder pad. It was the most beautiful white dove they had ever seen! "But they do like me!" They beamed.
"Well, you seem to be one with animals!" Dipper complimented. "Must take a lot of peace to attract them to you!"
"Well, it does take a lot of patience! But some animals are just more fond of people than others!" Alyster replied. The dove sat on their shoulder, cooing in their ear. It was like the bird was trying to tell them something. But what message could a white dove have? Looking up, they saw the opening of the cave. Even though it was dark and warm outside, it was cool and musty inside the cave. One cold wind rushed by their head and the dove flew off. "We're here."
"Thank you Alyster. Half of your job is done." Dark Red turned to his crew asking them to catch up, and Alyster remembered something important.
"Just a minute Red, I need to grab something!" They turned down the hill before he could say anything, to the tourist center to grab a light for their helmet. Busting in the locked office, they grabbed a flashlight, but before leaving they looked to the other side of the foyer to the tv, where they sat with Cassie last year watching the news. They were stuck in place, looking through the window and through their memories. They seemed to bury them and it was so hard to think of their deceased friend, but just as they felt the grief bubble up, they heard Red calling for them up the path. Shaken out of their trance, they booked it up the trail. "Hey Dipper, can you weld this my helmet please?"
"Sure thing, Blue." He stuck the black flashlight on neatly and Red turned to the two.
"Is it a clear path to the Porthole?" Red asked.
"Yea, it is. A few twists and turns but no diversions." Alyster answered as best they could from their memory.
"Ok then, I'll lead." Red told the crew. He told everyone to fall behind and follow him. The cave was colder than usual at night, and there was only the light from their helmet and the glowing eyes of all the aliens Alyster had chosen to call their friends. But have you really chosen them said a voice in their head. They thought yes right away, but looking at the beautiful cave walls full of the gems that Cassie and them had marveled at, another voice said otherwise. But it was too late to ponder on those voices. Before they knew it, they had reached the porthole to the core and Red was at their side asking "Are you ready?"
Without thinking, they answered "Yes" and leaped into the abyss.