Bliss cradled the stuffed black cat in his hands. He remembered how happy Onder looked when he handed it to him. His brother spent hours figuring out how to sew stuffed toys together. He made a black cat for Mtsi and a gryphon for Helena. While many more handmade toys would come and go, they had always held on to the first ones they were given.

  He purposely lagged behind the two women, letting them talk to distract from his own thoughts. He didn’t know what to think at the moment. Onder being alive already complicated things, but he was also one of the most notorious criminals in the galaxy. He had destroyed entire worlds before.

  Lunai and Entropi landed on the surface of Kathous. The streets were empty, but the ships of various intergalactic news stations hovered nearby.

  Entropi dialed a number on her CellPulse. Dr. Crux immediately answered. “Entropi, report in.”

  “No sign of Armageddon anymore. I only found kids’ stuff on his ship. It was freaky.”

  “We will alert the planet’s authorities that it is safe for the citizens to return.” He paused for a moment. “Entropi, your reckless recreational time cost us a great opportunity today. It could have cost agent Bliss’s life.”

  She looked skeptical. “Bliss engaged Armageddon alone, that's against protocol. I wonder why he did that?”

  “Do not distract from the fact that your late arrival potentially cost billions of lives. We could have defeated a monstrosity today.”

  His anger could be heard through the call. Lunai was now watching; the CEO of the GSA typically kept his cool in every situation. She was confused as to what exactly Entropi could have done wrong to inspire such frustration.

  She spoke up in a timid voice. “Dr. Crux, agent Hollybrook reporting here. I was not aware fighting Armageddon was a goal of this mission?”

  “We did not know if Armageddon would arrive, but we knew there was a chance. I called Entropi to have her on standby, but she was outside of the galaxy ignoring my calls. Bliss made the brave choice to engage him, giving Entropi time to return from the ether of deep space. The two of them together could defeat Armageddon, he knew that.”

  Entropi rolled her eyes and hung up the call. Bliss had caught up and landed behind the two of them. Many large ships were now approaching the planet, carrying the evacuated citizens. Reporters from the news agency ships also started to float down to the surface. They quickly swarmed the group of heroes, and Entropi situated Bliss in front of her as a shield.

  “That’s my cue to get out of here. Bliss, I’ll talk to you later about why you broke protocol.” Entropi quickly retreated from the planet, avoiding any prodding from reporters.

  As people returned to the streets, they started to join the crowd around Bliss and Hollybrook. They were being cheered on; it wasn't too often Armageddon left a planet without destroying it. Reporters started taking pictures, and Lunai tried her best to look respectable with flashing lights in her face. She looked to Bliss, who was a professional in dealing with the media. He always managed to look dignified and elegant on camera, effortlessly taking questions while doing so. The reporters all shouted questions over each other. Lunai couldn’t make anything out.

  “Bliss, what happened in space? Why was Armageddon kidnapping you? How did you feel facing off with the world destroyer?”

  Bliss held his hand up. “Please, everyone hold your questions. There will be an official press conference on this mission another day.” His beady eyes widened and he frowned. “Right now, I ask you please forgive our departure as my experience today was very disturbing. I want to give my best account of events once I’ve been able to process it all. I could’ve…I could’ve been taken to human traffickers.”

  The audience erupted in a sympathetic rally around Bliss. Heckling surrounded the reporters as civilians began throwing rocks at them. Officers from Kathous were called to the scene and dispersed the crowd. They led Lunai and Bliss through the crowds on the bustling city streets to find another teleportation pod. Along the way, they discussed Podoxec’s death and pondered which Lord the planet would be given to now.

  No one seemed very upset at the Lord’s death, but they were concerned someone worse would take his place. They reached a city hall building and went to the basement. The officers thanked them for their service, and they were finally able to teleport home.

  When they stepped out of the pod, Bliss got straight to business. “I need to speak with Dr. Crux. You should meet up with Argalax. Find out where the subject was taken, but don’t start the interrogation. This is a delicate case, do not let anyone speak with him.”

  Lunai nodded. “Of course, you can count on me.”

  “This is really important.” he looked at her with genuine fear in his eyes. “If Entropi tries to talk to him, page me, page Crux, call a Code Grey. Do not let her in, especially not her.”

  Lunai didn’t know what to say. Bliss kept staring for a few more seconds before walking away. She tried to shake herself out of it and pulled up CheetahChat.

  “Bliss and I returned from Kathous. Where was the subject taken? He is not supposed to be interrogated until I get further instruction from Bliss. He wants us to keep watch.”

  The message was read almost immediately. “I’ve taken him to the corrections center. No one has interrogated him yet, but the officers mentioned Dr. Crux wants to interrogate him personally.”

  “That makes sense, he's connected to Armageddon. Bliss went to see Dr. Crux just now, maybe they’ll both be interrogating him. I’m heading over to corrections now, see you soon.”

  Lunai closed her CellPulse and set off for the interplanetary transport system.

  Entropi and Bliss seem close. What is he hiding from her? What am I even supposed to do if she shows up, she has thousands of ways to get past me.

  It seemed her senior was living up to the elusive nature of the void siren species. The only way to find out more would be to gain his trust.

  Bliss arrived at the entrance to Dr. Crux’s office. While he was in the elevator, he tucked the black cat toy away in his cape. He was afraid. He could usually deal with Dr. Crux grilling him, but seeing Onder again stirred up too many feelings.

  Dr. Crux once again sat at his desk doing paperwork. These days, it seemed like that was all he ever did. Bliss approached slowly, trying to mask any distress on his face. Dr. Crux gestured to a chair across from his desk, ensuring this meeting would not be brief.

  He got straight to the point. “Why did you destroy Armageddon’s ship, agent Bliss?”

  As if rehearsed, he made up a lie. “I saw a bug on my arm and ripped out my chip trying to kill it, then I saw another one in the corner of the ship and overreacted a little.” Bliss shrugged.

  Dr. Crux sighed. “You make everything so difficult. Is it a void siren habit to be as enigmatic as possible?”

  Bliss nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”

  Dr. Crux took a remote out of his pocket. “I've been too patient with you lately. Looks like we'll be resorting to this again.”

  He pressed a button and an overhead light emerged from the ceiling directly above Bliss. The green rays assaulted his skin and he felt searing pain everywhere. He started flipping between his physical and nonphysical forms uncontrollably. Tears in his flesh formed and closed when he switched. This cycle continued over and over. When he tried to move, his head spun and he was overcome by intense nausea.

  He saw Dr. Crux appear through the overwhelming light. “Don’t make me keep you under this any longer. There’s no reason to keep secrets from me. I already know about your father, and I didn’t tell anyone about that, did I?”

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  Bliss tried to reply, but he could only choke out a few whimpers. Crux simply looked at him writhing in the chair. He finally managed to nod, and the light retreated into the ceiling. Bliss leaned forward and started coughing, struggling to catch his breath.

  Dr. Crux tilted his head. “Is it a force of habit that you do that? Your lungs don’t work, so why bother coughing?”

  Bliss glared at him, ignoring the question. Dr. Crux walked around the desk and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t want to use that light. You need to understand that I’m on your side.” He released his shoulder and sat on the desk in front of him. “Please tell me what you were trying to hide.”

  Deep breaths. Steady yourself.

  “I found a list of names on the ship, those names, but that's not what made me lose it. I found some children’s drawings. They're old, but I recognized them. I made them with my sister when we were little kids.” Bliss pulled out the stuffed cat. “Our older brother made this for me. I found it floating in the wreckage after the ship blew up.”

  Crux started tapping his foot. “So Armageddon is your brother, and he has a kill list of everyone who hurt you as a child?”

  Bliss nodded. “I guess that’s what it is. Armageddon has always killed so many that I didn’t really notice he was targeting them. We all thought he was just mindlessly killing people.”

  “I knew he would kill at least one high profile warlord during a rampage. I wouldn’t bother him if he kept his victim list to them; it'd be a service to the galaxy.” Crux checked his wrist. “Three planets were torn apart after he visited. He can hit with such force that a crack forms all the way to the planet’s core. Since you know him so well, what do you make of his disregard for the damage he can cause? Are the innocents collateral damage, or is he trying to kill everyone?”

  “I wouldn't know; I haven’t seen him in years. I was six when he handed us to our father. I know he killed people while raising us, but it was planet Sigiba, he had to do it to keep us safe.”

  Dr. Crux returned to his desk chair and paperwork. He tapped the floating rocks making up his chin.

  Bliss spoke up. “Are you planning to use me as bait again? Think we can kill him next time?”

  “And how would you feel about that?” Crux said, sounding like a therapist.

  Bliss didn’t say anything in response. He wasn’t sure if he wanted his brother dead or not. He knew he’d kill his sister if he ever saw her again, but he only had good memories of Onder.

  “You seem conflicted. That’s quite alright; I believe there’s a better solution, anyway. If you can convince him, or control him, we can put him to good use here.”

  Cruz pushed a diagram on the desk towards Bliss. It showed a blueprint for one of Crux’s artificial planet designs.

  “Using him as a tool? I don’t know, maybe it could work. We didn’t get to talk much so I don’t know how much influence I would actually have over him,” Bliss said.

  “We’ll figure out the details later. For now, let’s go talk to his friend at the corrections center. There will be a press conference tomorrow morning to discuss our mission and findings.” Crux got up from his chair and gestured towards the elevator.

  Dr. Crux had Bliss remain in front of him as they traveled to the corrections center. Crux always insisted they travel through the official interplanetary system instead of flying straight there, even though they were both capable of it. When the transportation ring reached planet Emendatios, they were met by several officers of the agency. Usually, criminals deemed safe to bring to the corrections center were not high-profile cases, but Armageddon’s arrival complicated things.

  Some of the officers were manning the transportation system, blocking out any unwanted guests. The transportation ring was public, but the corrections center was a restricted area. When Bliss peered at the transport station next to them, he saw that several groups were trying to dock at planet Emendatios.

  The guards had surveillance stationed on the docks within each planet, able to see who actually had access and who was just trying to get a good story. They cleared a path for Bliss and Dr. Crux, nodding at their CEO. The warden of the facility met them out front and led them down to the basement.

  “We don’t usually keep people down here, I really hate to do it." The warden shook his head in shame. "There’s just too much at stake here to risk using a higher floor.”

  The only people who visited the basement regularly were the environmental service workers. Despite its desolate nature, the hallways were clean and well-lit. There were a few guards lining the halls in case the subject gave them any trouble. They turned into the last holding room in the hallway, plenty of space for the basement’s only resident. Lunai and Argalax stood just outside, eager to be relieved of Bliss’s dire instructions.

  Lunai saluted the both of them. “Dr. Crux! I figured we could expect you here.”

  “Yes, Bliss and I will run this interrogation. We can't allow interns to be involved, but thank you both for waiting here. We can handle this now.”

  Crux passed the interns and unlocked the cell door. The subject sat at a table in the center of the room, looking content. Bliss walked in ahead of him and the door closed behind them with the click of a lock, causing Bliss to flinch just slightly. Crux took the only other seat at the table and Bliss stood in the corner. He started writing case notes on his CellPulse, catching a brief glance from Crux.

  He waved him off. “Just let me know if you need me, I have a lot of notes to write.”

  Crux let it go and turned to face the subject. He was smiling and leaning on the table, holding up his head with one hand. Crux was the first to speak.

  “Good afternoon, sir. Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been feeling lately.”

  “Oh? I’ve been great. Looks like I finally have your attention, the great protector himself.”

  “Yes, I’ve checked our records and found that this isn’t your first time here. We have video of you visiting our office before to report a crime. Mister Othie, you reported your wife as missing.” Crux had the video up on his CellPulse, showing the subject at one of the agency’s office buildings. He then pulled up a case report and began to read from it. “Your wife worked as a waitress at a lounge on Kathous; you said Lord Podoxec had rented the place out the night she went missing.”

  The man’s calm gaze started to falter as he sat up. “You didn’t even question him. You knew he was the top suspect and you didn’t even question him!” He slammed his fists on the table.

  Bliss looked unamused. “Calm down, or we’ll just do this my way.”

  Mr. Othie turned to him, a twisted grin appearing on his face. “You are so depressing, more than anyone else here. How many others on your brother’s kill list do you schmooze with for the sake of this guy’s donations? You should’ve gone with him, now those bastards are gonna keep grinding you down until there’s nothing left. I feel so fucking sorry for you. I hope Onder manages to drag you away from here before the leash gets tighter.”

  “You know his name? You two must be close then.” Bliss stepped in towards him.

  Othie leaned back in his chair. “Well…yeah, we talked a bit. I wouldn’t call us friends, he’s hard to talk to. Always crying about his poor siblings. Thought you were dead, even as you appeared on TV. He wouldn't believe it was true, not until he saw for himself.”

  Crux heard Bliss’s voice in his head. “He’s definitely met him, but Onder never gave out his name easily in the past. A third party is probably involved.”

  “Yes, this man doesn’t seem capable of wrangling Armageddon by himself. The signal device also had to be built or smuggled, and this man just doesn’t have those types of connections.” Crux opened up his psychic connection to whole room. “Agent Bliss, you are dismissed, please prepare for your press conference. I will finish this myself”

  Bliss happily took the opportunity to escape Dr. Crux’s sight. He closed the door behind him and leaned back with a heavy sigh. He opened his eyes and saw his two interns standing in front of him.

  “Old One! What are you two still doing here?” he shouted.

  They looked at each other, and Argalax spoke up. “You never dismissed us, sir…”

  “I’m not your babysitter! I said to wait until I got here, not to loiter. Crux said we had it! You’re both adults, aren’t you?”

  The interns looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Bliss sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “You’re dismissed, go home and study or do whatever you want.” He started walking away. “Oh, and we have a press conference tomorrow morning. You two should come, just stand to the side and don’t say anything.”

  They let Bliss enter the elevator alone, too intimidated to follow him after that. Argalax and Lunai exited the building together after giving Bliss a few minutes to leave the planet.

  “A press conference on our third day. I didn’t imagine things would move this quickly,” said Lunai.

  “I wonder if we can put it on our CVs. A press conference about Armageddon has to carry some prestige,” Argalax added.

  Lunai laughed. “I don’t see why not. Make sure you’re prepared for any questions. Bliss said not to talk but there’s no way the reporters are going to leave the naive interns alone.”

  “In that case, I’ll need to study the case notes. I guess it’s a good thing we got dismissed early.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, just say ‘no comment’ if you aren’t sure of something.” Lunai started heading towards the interplanetary transport system. “I’m gonna head home and work through MyUniverse questions. See you tomorrow!”

  Lunai and Argalax both returned to planet Ammini before splitting up. She went back to the apartment complex the GSA housed residents in. The paths lit the way again, and the sidewalks were lined with shrubbery that looked strange to Lunai.

  She approached her building, standing about five stories tall with a faint glow. It looked artificial yet inviting, with soft pale blues floating across the walls. Lunai felt a feeling of warmth and safety as she entered the apartment. She crashed into her new bed and splayed out her roots. Her sleek black cat clawed her way up the bed to be next to her, purring and rolling around.

  “Who’s my sweet baby Cromble,” she cooed as the cat curled into a ball on her chest.

  The beds here were clearly not made for someone like her. Her roots fell over the edges and small branches were getting caught in the mattress. It made her homesick. Thoughts of her mother and father entered her mind. She heard their prayers singing in her head. MyUniverse opened on her CellPulse and she started a practice set of small-scale combat questions. Cromble jumped to her side and curled on the couch next to her.

  She felt her eyes getting heavier and set several alarms, ensuring she wouldn’t be late for her first press conference. The hum of the artificial sky outside her window never fully faded, and neither did her thoughts, pictures of forms and faces she didn’t yet understand looping until they blurred together. At some point the ceiling lights dimmed on their own, the planet shifted into its night cycle, and exhaustion finally pulled her under.