Hollybrook flew over to Bliss as he floated in the space Armageddon had disappeared from. His CellPulse lit up, but he did not look down. Another hologram of Dr. Crux emerged from it, almost startling her.

  “Agent Bliss, I saw what happened." He talked like a disappointed parent. "You will report to me when you get back. Survey the area with Entropi before you return; at the very least, we have his ship.”

  The image of Dr. Crux retreated into his wrist. Bliss sighed and watched the horizon, waiting for Entropi to arrive.

  “Are you okay?" Hollybrook hesitantly spoke up. "What did he inject you with? Reality glue?”

  “Maybe. Siren poachers are crazy these days.” Bliss brushed her off, flying towards the ship. "Stay here and keep watch. We don't want another threat surprising us."

  He flew over to the abandoned ship. It looked like a simple house ship, one a traveler would use for a long journey with the family. It was not befitting of one of the top threats in the galaxy. Bliss returned to the ship’s main door, which was still open from the battle. As he landed on the inner platform, a hand grasped his shoulder. He turned around to see Entropi, who moved her hands to cup his face.

  “Bliss, are you okay?" Her voice rang through their communication line. "Crux called me on my way here. He said Armageddon carried you into space! Did he do anything? Did he --“ Bliss interrupted her.

  “I’m fine! I let him carry me away. I didn't want to waste my energy on a losing battle.”

  Entropi sighed in relief, but then punched him in the arm. “You let him take you without telling me? I was freaking out!”

  “He injected me with a human sedative, and I figured I’d take the opportunity to just relax.” Bliss shrugged casually.

  Entropi raised an eyebrow. “Why would he use a human sedative? It’s been like seven years since that would’ve worked on you.”

  “I guess he just isn’t an expert in alien physiology, or he lives under a rock." He tapped the side of his face in contemplation. "It seemed like an impulsive decision, anyway. Since he has human sedatives, I’d suspect he’s involved with human trafficking." He put his hands together and against his cheek in a dramatic fashion. "Maybe we’ll even find some poor souls on this ship.”

  They walked further inside, looking around the control room. Entropi shut the door behind them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were few seats for passengers and a control panel at the center. Hollybrook’s vines remained plastered to the windshield.

  Two doors stood in the back of the room. One of them was locked with a palm scanner. Entropi approached the unlocked door and walked inside.

  She found a simple bedroom with cute animal designs on the wall. A large single bed sat in the center of the room. She started opening drawers and closets, finding large clothes that would fit Armageddon. She also found a drawer full of old children’s books and worn-out stuffed animals. A chill went down her spine as she thought about the type of human trafficking this monster was involved with.

  Bliss entered his non-physical form and walked right through the locked door. At first glance, he noticed red strings connecting images and news articles. A desk sat at the end of the room with a clutter of documents on it. When he took a proper look, he saw a long list of familiar names, including Lord Podoxec. Many of them had been crossed off. His vision started to blur, and his legs grew weak.

  He fell to his knees and put his palms to the floor. His stomach felt like it was turning, but all he could manage was a dry heave as his stomach had stopped working years ago. He took a few deep breaths and returned to his feet. His eyes moved around the room, and he saw the faces that matched the names staring back at him.

  He turned his eyes to the floor to avoid their gazes. He ripped a chip out of his wrist, disabling his CellPulse. The desk still had one drawer to look through. He pulled it open slowly, closing his eyes and blindly putting his hand in. Several papers brushed his fingers, and he grasped onto them, bringing them to his face. He slowly opened his eyes. The papers were covered with disorganized crayon scribbles and children’s drawings. He saw the same figures several times, a large man with two small human children.

  “No…no, no, no, NO!”

  The desperate cries turned to screams as he ripped the drawings up. He went around the room pulling down the images pinned to the walls. The colors of the universe swirled violently around him as he looked for a promising weak-point in reality. When he found one in the corner, he kicked it open. The break in reality affected the ship as well, eating away at the hull. The void continued pulsing through the ship until it found the engine.

  What started as a brief buzz turned into a bang. His non-physical form had taken over to shield him from the blast. He opened his eyes to see the wreckage around him.

  Entropi looked at him through the now destroyed wall. “Did you activate a self-destruct protocol in there?”

  He only nodded in response.

  “Did you find anything useful? I only found children’s stuff. I don't want to think about the implications of that.”

  Bliss shook his head. “No, the room was just a trap. It set off the ship’s self-destruct mechanism.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Shit. I guess we’re no closer to getting this guy. Only thing we can assume is that he's a trafficker.”

  Entropi looked around and noticed Hollybrook floating in the distance. She waved at her and started getting closer.

  “Hey, it’s you! I saw you on your first day.”

  “Yeah." Hollybrook blushed slightly. "It’s great to see you again!”

  “Aw, Bliss it’s such a shame he got away, that would’ve been such a great battle for an intern to watch!”

  Bliss remained silent. Entropi grabbed Hollybrook’s branch and started guiding her back towards the planet. She was still a little unsteady with her suit’s flight abilities, but Entropi managed to steady her.

  “Now that Armageddon is gone, we need to make sure everything’s all right on the planet. Did you capture the hostage guy?”

  “Yes, I handed him to Platinum Promise, who was headed for the agency.”

  Entropi gave her a pat on the back as they continued towards the planet. Bliss remained in the wreckage of the ship. A burnt book and stuffed black cat floated towards him and he caught them out of instinct. He looked at the book’s cover and flipped to the end. The book’s back cover was covered in messy writing. Tears started welling in his eyes, and he read out the scribbles to himself.

  This Book Belongs to: Mtsi and Helena.

  He released the book with a slight push and watched it slowly float away. Looking up, he shot a ray of light from his hand, which hit the book and caused it to collapse in on itself, disappearing from this universe. He held the stuffed cat in his hands and proceeded to follow his colleagues back to the planet Kathous.

  Armageddon’s body reconstituted in front of a building on a barren planet. He forced the helmet off of his head with so much force that it pulled a few of his scales away with it. He fell to the ground and started sobbing into his massive arms. A woman with two human teenagers by her side walked out of the building a few minutes into his episode. She was a tall and lanky creature with an empty face.

  The woman placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, soldier. Your primary target was taken out. You limited casualties to officers. You’re improving.”

  He stared at his blood-soaked hand, reaching down to grab it. The woman noticed him squeezing it relentlessly. She tried to pry it away, but she could not match his strength.

  The girl to her side spoke up. “Seems your baby brother isn’t so sweet anymore,” she leaned down towards him.

  Armageddon’s eyes shot up to meet hers. He instinctively released his arm and stood up. Now, with him towering over her, she backed up a few steps.

  The woman stepped in between them. “Lenna, don’t you think he’s been through enough today?”

  Now protected, Lenna continued her taunting. “Maybe he would’ve been more prepared if he told us Bliss was his brother.” She laughed at the eighteen-foot monster. “Do you know how many people have suffered because of him? He protects the same bastards you're killing for him. What a psycho.”

  Armageddon shoved the woman to the side and lifted Lenna by the neck. She stared up in fear as her breath started to waver. Her legs started thrashing against his chest. With a few kicks he finally dropped her to the floor. As she caught her breath, the boy knelt down to help her. Armageddon lowered himself to her level.

  “Keep his name out of your mouth. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  The woman sighed and left the two teenagers on the ground. She pulled Armageddon up and led him inside of the building.

  “She’s just a child; you need to be able to hold yourself back."

  “Not today, not with him.” He gripped her shoulders. “Reu, I didn't believe it. I saw his face plastered on every screen, but I didn't believe it was really him. I saw his face today and I felt it. It really is him, and I hurt him!”

  She grabbed his shoulders. “You saw that he healed himself. He is not the feeble human boy you left behind. Your human sedative did not work on him; he only let you carry him away because he was waiting for his friend. He is formidable. He is his agency's face and sword. If Entropi arrived in time, they would have killed you.”

  He shook his head and started talking to the ghost he always kept in his head. “My little Mtsi, why do you still have to see their faces? Why are you talking to them? What are they doing to you..."

  “I’m sure he’s not doing it fully of his own will, but you must understand that he has autonomy. He’s not helpless anymore.” Reu tapped her wrist and her CellPulse projected a slideshow of images in the air. “He’s become a huge source of income for the agency; many new donors have appeared since he started working for them, including many of the unsavory figures we hunt.”

  Armageddon watched as images promoting charity events with Bliss flashed through the air. Pictures from past events revealed the faces of people he had killed previously, and people he still planned to kill. There were several important figures that Reu was investigating for involvement in human trafficking.

  “I can’t watch this." He closed his eyes and turned away. "What are they doing to him? I need to save him. I need to go back.”

  “Pursuing him without a good plan is too risky. I already told you, there is a real chance that you will die if you engage him. You are not immortal, even if the public thinks you are.”

  “No, he won't fight. Not if I show my face. I shouldn’t have hidden it last time, he must have been so afraid of me.”

  Reu refocused him. “You are not thinking straight, Onder. Lie down and get some rest. I promise you that if I see a good opening, I’ll help you reach him, but you cannot act by yourself.”

  He took a deep breath and nodded. “I'm still going to finish my list. I can’t just sit back and do nothing while waiting, I'll go insane.”

  “Yes, when we see the opportunity, we will keep going. They captured our affiliate for this mission, but he is strong in his conviction. He won’t reveal anything about us, but they will know he worked with you, at least. We’ll have to be a little more cautious.” She gently took his hand.

  Reu led Onder to the dormitories and he entered his room. The bed had two stuffed animals on it, a cat and a gryphon. He sat on the bed and hugged both to his chest.

  If Mtsi is still alive, maybe Helena is too. I’ll find her and we’ll be a family again.

  He remembered the last night he had with his siblings. They asked for their favorite bedtime story for the fifth time in a row. The two children huddled to his chest and drifted off to sleep. For the last eight years, he only thought of violence and revenge. For once, he felt hope for the future, hope that his life could be put back together. He could make up for his mistakes, for not being there to save them.

  They would find a nice empty world, one filled with beautiful flowers and no danger in sight. The kids would be able to run free and explore without being tethered to him. No one would bang on their door at night and try to take them away. They wouldn’t have to worry about burning or freezing to death. He wouldn’t have to kill in front of them again.

  Onder let these thoughts run wild in his head, soothing himself. He leaned back into the bed and closed his eyes. A familiar lullaby found its way to his lips. He sang it repeatedly as if he were a music box. No force in the galaxy could stop him from giving his siblings the safety they deserved. They would be together again soon.

  Character Art

  Armageddon / Onder

  Onder's thoughts are orange