I thought about running back to Icebreaker-5, but the goo successfully deterred me from that. I hoped to spot another entrance, but the hatch was the only one. Though its not like my observation was pointless, because I noticed that the Perseids, along with Dawn, vanished.
I didn't see anything else, at least nothing of interest, so I turned around to face the rocket again. Out of the rocket emerged five agents. I recognized only one of them: Jaxon Koval.
Jaxon Koval is a half-American, half-Russian agent who's known for being very loyal to the Agency and taking any job within the organization, which led to his coworkers, mainly Captain Nigel, calling him "naively loyal".
The other agents were completely unfamiliar to me, but that didn't matter at the moment. They were all watching us, ready to strike. Then, Jaxon spoke.
- Hands up! - he shouted.
I wasn't sure how to react. Should we let ourselves be captured and tell the truth later, or should we resist arrest and say it now? After hunting us across a decent portion of the Solar System, I doubt they'd want to talk.
- We're innocent! - Amber suddenly exclaimed.
- Quit talking, hands up! - Jaxon repeated.
- Don't say anything - Agent Nebula glanced upon Amber, but she didn't hear her.
- We mean no harm! - Amber continued yelling at the agents.
While it was true that we meant no harm, they seemingly did, as they went from standing in place to suddenly charging towards us.
Even though we should let them capture us, we instictively scattered, which prompted the agents to split up. I noticed that Amber had to resist her inner voice telling her to beat the agents up, because that would be contradictory to what she just said. Meanwhile, my inner voice told me to run.
At the same time, I wanted to know what the Perseids were up to, so I chose to run towards Icebreaker-5 in hopes of finding another way in, perhaps on the opposite side of the craft. To my horror, I heard the sounds of shooting. But they didn't come from the agents behind me. They came from the wrecked spacecraft.
I found the broken engine which detatched itself from the craft. Using the low gravity, I managed to jump onto it. I gripped the dormant nozzle and climbed onto the engine. From atop the engine, I had a pretty good view of the situation.
Unfortunately, our team was losing to the agents, mainly because fighting back would contradict our peaceful intentions. Einstein and Agent Nebula tried to reach the batyscaphe, but a sixth agent emerged out of the rocket, taking over our escape vehicle. It seems like he had orders to see from where the batyscaphe came, which meant that Nigel will probably be captured too.
On my right was Icebreaker-5. Thanks to the damaged roof, I saw what went on inside. The Perseids were shooting, but they weren't firing at people. Instead, they were shooting the alien goop. It quickly reacted to the bullets, flowing out of the spacecraft. It was still alive, as the microbes simply rearranged themselves to get out of the line of fire. That aside, the engines of the Agency's rocket generated heat, which prompted the goo to brave the cold ice and make its way to the rocket. This made sense, considering how the goo needed heat to survive and its current habitat was unwelcoming to say the least.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u2LZJSiWl
- Are you sure that this is a good idea? - Dawn asked Leonid.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1wRarQAQA
- Don't question my orders, Dawn! You're with us now, whether you like it or not! - Leonid shouted back.
So Dawn was there against her will. That's pretty bad. She was doing her best to live a better life and the Perseids are trying to force her back to her old ways. She was visibly afraid of Leonid, to the point where she didn't question his orders anymore. However, that's not because she wanted to be evil again. It's just that Leonid was really good at being intimidating.
The goo slowly flowed out of Icebreaker-5. The Perseids rushed it with gunshots. At last, it leaked onto the icy ground, surprising the agents, who didn't expect an alien encounter. The goo's sudden arrival helped Arika flee from an agent, but she couldn't run for long. The spy caught her shortly after, clutching her tightly.
The agent was dangerously close to the Perseids and the tube of his spacesuit was caught in the crossfire.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS2JvZ6wQr
- You're leaking oxygen! Run! - Arika recognised the pipe's snapping sound and the characteristic hiss of air escaping.
The agent listened to her and made his way back to the rocket. He was holding her on the way back, but was eventually forced to let go, due to being weakened by oxygen deprivation. Arika chose to support the agent on the way to the rocket, showing empathy. This made sense, as we weren't against the Agency. It only seemed like that was the case.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuUlHLdvzr
The agent showed gratitude by only escorting Arika to the rocket as opposed to carrying her. Meanwhile, the goo fully made its way out of Icebreaker-5, excluding a small pile next to the second engine, which was still in place, unlike the one I was standing on. For some reason, the Perseids kept this small pile intact.
They focused on the control panel, which was now fully accessible. I squinted, attempting to read the text displayed on the panel.
- Emergency Reparation Protocol - I read.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17u3AD9rt5
Above this text was a map of the spacecraft, covered by pulsing red dots which marked the various broken parts of the vessel. Alia found a lever near the panel and pulled it, activating the Emergency Reperation Protocol. Leonid was watching the other half of the panel, but I couldn't see what he was reading, because some metal bars obstructed the view.
All of a sudden, the metal bars came to life and started moving. As it turned out, they were articulated robotic arms made to automatically repair the spacecraft, so that the astronauts would spend less time outside. Panels started moving around and scraps were lifted back in place. A few metal bars gripped the engine which I was standing on. Unfortunately, I lost my footing and slid into the vessel. I tried to jump back out, but the ceiling repaired itself before I could do that.
Pieces of metal walls were brought back in place, connecting like puzzle pieces. I ended up being locked away in a room, which I guessed was supposed to be a supply room of some kind, but the supplies were either oblitereated or ejected during Icebreaker-5's crash, so the room was empty.
Some of the remaining pieces were turned into a second room parallel to mine, encapsulating the pile of alien pulp.
The escape pod hatch was sealed, unallowing the agents to come in and save me. Of course, they'd arrest me, but that's better than being locked in a spaceship with the Perseids in it.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadNpGfFR8b
I saw the control panel through a metal grate. Leonid and Alia were preparing for takeoff, with Rill guarding the hatch, in case someone tried to break in.
The engines gritted a few times before bursting to life. When I finally got up, I saw Jaxon staring blankly at Icebreaker-5, unable to stop it. The other agents were busy bringing the other members of my team into the rocket to imprison them.
The Perseids double-crossed us. They used us as a tool to reach Icebreaker-5 and escape, but they had no intent of helping us counter the allegations and conspiracies. Icebreaker-5 promptly took off. Jaxon tried to grip onto the spacecraft, but fell off once we lifted off the ground. I could only watch as my captured allies shrunk in the distance, being stuck in a room, unable to help them in any way...
ns216.73.216.133da2
and then Add to home screen.