A human scientist diligently works together with their alien colleague on a routine, yet novel set of experiments they have just constructed. Their assistant, a grey skinned, and rather large headed alien, is currently making minute adjustments to a set of crystal latices they have hypothesized will generate a stable flow of high-energy photons when minimal energy is passed through. It is a primitive attempt to create a more permanent hard light technology-based beam weapon, and their many struggles have led to the accumulation of this current trial. Previous iterations have only been able to produce short-duration bursts that were potent in their own right, but the human has always wished to recreate the famous beam-bladed weapons that captivated them since childhood from a popular science-fiction space opera series. The human scientist readjusts their glasses, pushing them up onto their face, and gets ready to begin the experiment. The gesture is both to correct their vision, and portray their utmost confidence that this attempt, will finally succeed.

  Their alien assistant nods, then grabs the tiny crystal with some mechanical claws, and places it within a metal hilt. The gem then slides into tiny slits hollowed out to precisely fit the crystal’s double terminated shape and structure like a glove, and they smile. The device is then transported and placed onto a revolving shelf, which connects to a secured chamber for testing. The hilt and crystal are then grabbed by a miniature drone on the other side, where the tiny machine places the weapon on a raised stand connected to monitors and thick cables. The drone’s metallic claws extend, and secure the hilt to a set of clamps, then they back away from the testing site, entering “standby” mode nearby.

  The pair of scientists then move towards the viewing chambers, a protected room with a one-way viewing glass pane installed, complete with radiation blocking film to protect them from any experimental mishaps. They did not want to repeat the mistakes of Snerble snaarb and Dave, who had both managed to send the entire facilities’ western block into lockdown for an entire month, after failing to follow proper safety protocols. Dave was still made fun of to this day in the staff lunchroom, and Snerble snaarb still hasn’t regrown their missing fingers from the incident. Frank was, after all, rather fond of all his fingers and toes, with Gleble gloop sharing a similar sentiment to retaining all of their natural appendage’s digits as well.

  Frank then puts on an additional pair of shades designed to protect his eyes from radiation, and walks over towards a big red button labeled “Start”. The human then gives Gleble gloop a nod, and the alien replies with a “thumbs up”. A smile grows along the corners of the scientist’s lips, as he firmly pushes the button to activate the device.

  Monitors and sensors hum and whisk to life on the tactile press, buzzing and beeping within the chambers. Power gathers within the handle, churning and firing protons at the crystal lattice, and the 3-meter-thick brick of tungsten positioned next to the secured weapon quivers in anticipation for their introduction. The protons continue bounding around the precisely cut structure, colliding and bouncing into angles calculated by the scientists. The flow of energy stabilizes, and a solid beam of visible, tangible light finally erupts from the end of the handle. The beam extends to about a meter in length, and the scientists clap their hands with each other, jumping slightly on the spot in applause. Their painstakingly long efforts to create hard light technology has finally paid off! For the first time in 20 years, they have successfully created a solid beam of light, and it was all thanks to recently finding a distinct mineral near the core of the planet.

  This mineral, tentatively named scifictium for the research paper they are still writing, contains a naturally forming multidimensional lattice structure with quantum particles. The current working theory from the scientists, is the multiple superposition states interact with the protons, amplifying the light particles with enough energy to become tangible.

  Pleased at the success in front of them, the scientists then proceed to pull a lever connected to the mounted platform, pushing the pedestal forward. Their next objective, is to collect data on how potent the physical laser is, and the nearby brick of tungsten, is their test target. The beam slowly edges closer towards the brick, and Frank finds himself standing on the tips of his toes. His eyes are twitching in anticipation, and his colleague is equally thrilled at the ground shattering discovery they will soon observe.

  The beam then connects with the tungsten block, causing sparks and embers to fly throughout the testing chambers. Little resistance is recorded on the nearby monitors, and the scientists push the beam further and further. Once the entire length has penetrated the brick, they then apply horizontal force to the machine, and the beam continues to cut the tungsten like butter. It finally emerges from the side of the block, and the scientists cheer at the fruits of their labor.

  *BOOM!*

  An explosion suddenly rips throughout the laboratory, shaking the room Frank and Gleble gloop are in. The white lights keeping their working environment bright briefly flicker, and a lamp suspended from the ceiling comes loose from the impact. Power is then lost across the facility, and the emergency generators and backup floodlights spring into action, dying the room an impressive, eerie red. More explosions continue to shake the lab, and the sounds of humans and aliens screaming soon floods Frank and Gleble gloop’s audio processing organs.

  Their eyes snap to the hallway, and they observe several of the other base’s scientists fleeing down the halls. A few of the workers are then struck by what looks like a beam projectile, leaving a gapping hole in their torsos from the point of impact. The struck scientists then flop to the floor, and their organs begin to ooze out from their fleshy confines, seeping deep into the tiled floor. A bipedal lizard then walks by the glass window, and their thin slitted eyes glance and lock with Frank standing behind the protective screen. The human’s heart stops within their chest, before pumping a heavy throb against their ribcage. Their limbs begin shaking, and the lizard lifts an intricate looking rifle up towards the thin glass pane, pointing it at the human. Frank stares down the rifle’s barrel, and his eyes then snap towards the creature’s fingers wrapped around what is presumably the trigger.

  The lizard then mimics a “finger gun” shape with their spare claws, and pulls the trigger on the imaginary weapon. Frank faints from observing the gesture, and the lizard calmly holsters the rifle against their shoulder, continuing further down the halls of screaming researchers with a delightful grin across their scaley face.

  “Damn, this thing is the best!” Aton rumbles with excitement, as hordes of scientists continue running past the reptile in frantic droves. L.I.Z. is close behind them, and is calmly walking through the halls while disabling security systems and automated defense systems. The duo then reaches their first “roadblock” of sorts in their plan to activate the world-ending bomb, as 7 layers of reinforced walls slam shut, partitioning the hallway further in. A few of the scientists are unfortunately crushed from the forceful closures, and Aton simply taps his foot while waiting for L.I.Z. to arrive beside them. Some turrets managed to descend from holes within the ceiling while he’s waiting, but then just as quickly retract into their nest, disabled.

  “Mind if I give it a try?” Aton grins with a playful smile, while his eyes bounce between the weapon held in L.I.Z.’s claws and the robot’s monitors. L.I.Z. beeps a heavy sigh at their bonded partner’s antics, then holds the metal tube with open palms towards Aton.

  Aton quickly snatches the device, twirling it around several times in his claws, then pushes the sliding button along the side up, locking it into position. A tangible bladed beam of light then emerges from the hilt, and the lizard simply smirks at the newfound power held between their claws. Aton then swings the beam at the reinforced walls, making sure to get the most rotation out of his shoulder for a wide, arcing slash. The light connects with the barricades, causing sparks to fly through the air as it passes through the solid matter with little resistance. Molten metal then drips along the edges of the cut, and Aton kicks the fault in with his foot.

  The wall crumbles in, falling onto the ground with an anticlimactic *thump*, and Aton strolls further into the facility unimpeded. The military base’s alarms have finally begun to blare throughout the lab’s halls, and Aton yells “Can’t you do something about the noise, L.I.Z.?”. The lizard’s feet then crunch over the fainted wall, and the mind-shattering warning systems soon cease their loud declarations over the intercoms. They then approach and repeat the cutting process for each subsequent layer of hinderance, with Aton even taking the time to make some peculiar shaped doors for their own entertainment.

  Since the start of the round, everything has gone precisely according to L.I.Z.’s calculations. While waiting several days for the round to ultimately begin was agonizing in its own right to Aton, getting to waltz through the research base while wielding a beam saber of all things, was gradually making up for the perceived blight. They had really wanted to gamble and enjoy the company of some Earthly women before blowing the planet up, but chopping down a scientist or two with their new weapon would just have to fill that itch instead.

  An elevator’s chime dings down the hallway to Aton’s left, and a small armed force of trained military personal come barrelling down the tight corridor. A predatory smile grows across his lips, and a barrage of bullets soon whizzes down the hallway to great the grinning lizard. The metal projectiles collide with an invisible object several feet in front of Aton, deflecting into the walls and ceiling from the unexpected resistance. “Fascinating.” Aton hums while continuing to calmly stare at the approaching assault squad. “Light barrier technology truly is incredible!”

  Aton then cocks the rifle slung across his shoulder, aiming the barrel at the approaching guards. Then, after offering them a wink for their efforts, curls his claw around the trigger, pulling it several times to unleash a concentrated volley of laser projectiles.

  The cruel beams of light rocket out of the metal tube with glee, finding their marks with ease and eliminate them. Half of the guards are vaporized on the spot, while others flail around as the life slowly drains from their decapitated torsos. The smell of charred, burnt flesh blankets the hall, and Aton winces their nose at the unpleasant, pungent aroma.

  Aton then holsters his rifle again, and begins slowly walking towards the remaining guards. They are still diligently firing at the advancing reptile, but his barrier systems continue to be unimpressed at their pathetic attacks. Aton then breaks into a sprint, draws the beam saber, and slashes the remaining guards into an orderly pile of limbs.

  “Aton, we still have our objective to accomplish.” L.I.Z. whirls as they fire one of their own laser beams at another group of approaching guards.

  Aton rolls his eyes at the robot’s comments, more annoyed than anything at having his little bit of fun “ruined” and joins beside them. “Yes, honey.” They chirp in a sarcastic tone, as the alarms within the base once again sound out alerts.

  “I thought you already dealt with those.” Aton snarls at the sound aggressively bouncing around within his skull. He has always been sensitive to excessive noise, and the monotone beeping was starting to get on his nerves.

  L.I.Z. simply remains quiet at their partner’s words, instead pulling up a hologram for the duo to observe. “It appears we have guests, Aton.” The Xinos finally replies, as they focus the hologram to display video footage of an orange and sleek robotic canine dashing through the hanger bays on the surface. They then tilt and rotate the image, zooming it in on the human riding the metallic warrior. Scans then confirm to the intelligence it is a positive match for the combatant deemed most formidable from the council’s analysis. The identifiers “F.O.X.” then appear beside the Xyfokit, and the machine notices their bonded human appears flustered from the armed resistance they are facing.

  Bullets are happily flying the by pair, deflecting and disintegrating when they occasionally meet the invisible resistance protecting them. L.I.Z. then taps their chin, and continues running more scans to compile information.

  While another Xinos warrior would certainly be a threat to the intelligence, under normal circumstances that is, L.I.Z.’s monitors start forming into a smirk when they see the bonded human’s compatibility score is only 0.3%. “What a laughable score...” They quietly buzz, then shift their attention back towards disabling the security systems ahead.

  “Wait wait wait.” Aton scoffs while continuing to fire lasers at what feels like an endless stream of guards charging down the corridor. “Is another Xinos seriously trying to stop us? And their bonded human only has a score of 0.3%? What an idiot!” They chuckle to themselves, as guards continue to crumple like paper before their might.

  L.I.Z. then taps a panel to their right, and inserts one of their cables into the network. After a few seconds, the alarms stop blaring, and the door in front opens for them, revealing a spikey gooey mixture of bones, organs, and fabric. The machine then mulls over the information they had recently received from the council, and sighs. The higher-ranking members had taken considerable care to stress the fact that F.O.X. should not be underestimated, but they simply couldn’t see how an insignificant Xyfokit would be a problem. They were essentially “invincible” based on the bond performance boost they were receiving, and whatever hindrance the pair could throw at them would simply be handled accordingly without issue.

  L.I.Z. then looks at the map again, following the green, blinking arrow’s path, then beeps in a shallow tone. The scientists have apparently collapsed one of the main passageways in a vain effort to deter them, and the chart quickly updates its navigation to suggest the nearby service elevator instead. L.I.Z. then gestures to the button beside Aton, who pushes it to summon the vertical transportation machine.

  The duo then calmly waits for the vessel to arrive, and the army of guards has finally started to ignore them. Aton then begins tapping his foot, and his slitted eyes soon begin to wander.

  *Ding!*

  A familiar chime then graces the beings’ ears, as the nearby walls open up to reveal a hidden shaft leading further down into the facility. “At least it’s not the stairs... I hated having to use those while I was working here...” Aton muses, as he taps the button to close the doors, before hitting the button for the floor labeled “Classified”.

  “And as if this whole base wasn’t classified.” Aton smirks while shaking his head, while L.I.Z. continues to intently observe the evolving footage on their pursuers from above. They have almost reached their objective, yet their next several steps will be particularly time consuming, since actually activating the nuclear warhead will be the longest part of their plan. It was a system designed to prevent accidental activation, as if you could even justify such an ask when developing a bomb literally meant to crack the planet in half, and the specific implementation could not simply be bypassed with their Xinos technology.

  Yet, as the intelligence continues to observe the human labeled “John”, a section of their core starts to feel a chill growing within. It is an unexplainable anomaly to the intelligence, and their network begins to hesitate over their objective as they watch the duo descending an elevator to the hidden research section. L.I.Z. then shakes their monitors to help realign their task, which thankfully does the trick. “Just try and stop us.” L.I.Z. then rumbles at the hologram, prompting Aton to briefly look at the screen as well.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  They will accomplish their objective, even if it means sacrificing themselves to make it happen.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  F.O.X. and John are calmly sitting outside in the harsh, dusty dunes of the Nevada deserts near the Area 51 US Military Base. It vaguely reminds the human of a game setting focused on the world having ended from nuclear war, with a lone courier ultimately saving the Mojave wasteland, and he muses over the fact he appears to be in a similar situation himself. And, while his destination happens to be one of the world’s most well-known military bases, John can’t help but shake his head at the similarities. In that game, he had also chosen to travel with a mechanical dog for most of the story, and, as he looks at F.O.X. happily replaying video recording beside them, finds the comparison rather amusing.

  A tiny fox drone then breaks above the horizon, its wheels turning against the harsh, dry sands, with the blinding sun’s rays glistening off of their monitors, catching John’s eye from the glare. The machine happily hums and whirls as it races down the sandy dunes, before stopping near John’s feet. Some specs of sand brush against the human’s foot from the maneuver, and John carefully picks up the little robot, gives it a gentle pat across the head, and hands the machine over to F.O.X.

  F.O.X. then beeps and whirls after receiving their drone back, and another “^.^” face scrolls across their monitors. The behaviour is starting to grow on John, who is finding more of their mannerisms to be increasingly adorable, and F.O.X.’s tail begins to wag as they project a hologram on the sand to review. “Scouting mission complete! Great work little drone!” The machine beeps in a higher-pitched tone, and the drone chimes back as well.

  John then turns his attention towards the hologram, and watches as the footage shows all of the armed personal patrolling the military base. The guards have been highlighted in red for the human, and several supplementary sidebars report their activity has increased substantially over the past several weeks. “It’s heavily guarded, just like we expected.” John hums while scratching his chin at their predicament. A part of him had secretly been hoping that sneaking into the military base would base easier than anticipated, but it appeared reality had other plans, and was being blunt about their upcoming struggles.

  F.O.X. then opens beside the hologram another projection showing the interior of the military base. It is enhanced footage received from A.N.T., and they connect the two screens to form an overlapping image of the base. The surface of Area 51, was simply a basic aeronautic base, comprised of large hanger bays and runways. Most of the craft were carefully tucked within their metallic roosts, but the truly interesting part was an elevator located near the centre of a smaller bay near the back of the base.

  This section, while visually appearing abandoned, was actually the entrance to the world of all the conspiracy theories John had read about on the internet. Deep underground, approximately 50 kilometers into the Earth’s crust, was a massive expanse of laboratories all running highly classified research projects. External scans of the structure from F.O.X.’s drones placed the horizontal area coverage to be a diameter of around 20 kilometers, which was roughly equivalent to the span of multiple compact cities. John’s mind had difficulties comprehending the sheer scale of the underground facility, with his brain ultimately cataloguing it as an iceberg of sorts. What was seen on the surface, failed in comparison to what lied below.

  John continues tapping his foot against the sand while doing his best to absorb the reconnaissance intel they have just received. The duo had been monitoring the base for several days already, in preparation for a “worst case” scenario, which unfortunately came to pass when A.N.T. contacted them about their failed assassination attempt against Aton. Neither of them had been able to locate the reptile and their Xinos partner since then, and they also hadn’t noticed any sighs of abnormal escorts entering the base either. They were flying blind, so to speak, with the only information they had, being how to roughly get to the actual bomb in question once they entered.

  John then taps the air in the corner of his vision, bringing up an augmented clock showing the countdown to the start of the next round. It is finally about to hit 0, meaning they will have access to what F.O.X. described as laser beams, laser rifles, and barrier shields to deflect almost all forms of ammo. The digits then finish their mission, and the message [Round ε – Start!] briefly scrolls past John’s peripheral vision.

  A gentle rumble then shakes the earth below John’s feet, startling him slightly. F.O.X.’s ears then twitch after identifying the vibrations, and they cock their metallic head at the shaking sand. Some lights along the intelligence’s head then flash through a series of blues and greens, and the Xinos looks at John with pinned back ears. “That... Wasn’t an earthquake.” They beep in a low tone, before completing “the seismic waves don’t match the typical profile observed with such geographical events.”

  F.O.X. then turns their attention to the revealing scan, which fails to show any Xinos are nearby. The line blips and whirls around their screen, then eventually locates an identifier labelled L.I.Z.

  John’s eyes snap to the enemy’s identifier and he springs to his feet. “We got to go!” He quickly shouts to F.O.X., while leaping onto their back. John then clicks his tongue and curses lightly under his breath. “It was so obvious, and I missed it!” John says, prompting F.O.X. to tilt their monitors towards him.

  “It’s an elaborate research base underground. If I was going to infiltrate such a facility, I would rather take the path of least resistance. Humanities conspiracy theories around the lizardmen also claimed they had an exceptional network of underground tunnels. I’m such an idiot...

  They’re already breaching the facility from an underground access point!”

  F.O.X. quickens their pace towards the military base, opening their channels to allow excess Xytrolyte into their hind limbs. Some airhorns then roar to life across the tarmac, blaring an alarm with all the soldiers scrambling into the main hanger bays. The contextual information seems to be indicating something has happened at the military base, and the intelligence agrees with John’s assessment.

  F.O.X. then reaches the chain linked fence closest to their access point. The machine then activates their light concealing cloak, an adaptation made possible from the recent restrictions easing and the Vulpes vulpes trait for stealth. John’s body is then covered by an obscuring barrier deflecting photons to perfectly warp around their body. They are essentially close to invisible to the naked eye, save for the faint shimmering wave around their wobbling outlines.

  The machine then leaps over the fence, dashing towards the abandoned hanger and banks around the corner. The hanger’s doors are thankfully open, and a small entourage of soldiers has just piled into a nearby elevator, confidently ignoring the “Out of Service” sign and tape plastered across the lift’s entrance. The two then creep into the metallic roost, taking care to avoid the impressive jets resting within. John can’t help but stare in awe at the machines up close, but quickly turns his attention back to the mission at hand.

  John then arrives at the elevator and pushes the button to call the vehicle. He frantically taps the button harder, hoping it will speed up the device. John then looks at F.O.X., back to the elevator’s doors, then the machine again. His eyes widen, and he curses again. “How am I going to fit you inside.” John states, only now realizing that F.O.X. is way too large to fit within a conventional elevator.

  F.O.X.’s monitors flash, and their ears fold back at the observation. They too had forgotten about their size. It had never been relevant before, yet now of all times, even the tiny Xyfokit wasn’t tiny enough for this part of the mission. Their network hums while scanning the environment for any possible solution. John then kicks a nearby metal frame in frustration, and the machine’s monitors then lock onto another sign nearby.

  Their network identifies the words “For Planes Only.”, and notices it also appears to be an elevator of sorts. It is more like a lift, but it’s similarly designed to transport larger vehicles underground. F.O.X.’s network hums, and their analysis connects the vertical tunnels to the same destination as the elevator they’re still waiting to arrive.

  “John!” F.O.X. quickly beeps while motioning towards the sign they identified with their paws. John’s eyes follow the appendage, and a smile forms along the corner of his lips. “Great work F.O.X.!” he replies in a cheerful tone, and the pair begins sprinting towards the lift.

  Suddenly, the light inside the hanger bay faulter, and a bright flash blinds the human’s eyes. John is disoriented from the blast, and he notices his ears are ringing. He coughs, and feels something tickling his nose and throat each time he inhales. His eyes then turn towards F.O.X., and he can clearly see their outline glittering, despite the supposed stealth capabilities of the light cloak. It looks like a bunch of tiny particles have stuck themselves to the machine, and John eventually notices the same particles appear to be stuck to him as well.

  Another group of soldiers then run into the hanger bay before pausing. F.O.X. and John currently stick out like a sore thumb, and the unit quickly enters into firing positions, aiming their rifles and unloading their magazines into the intruders. The bullets harmlessly bounce off their barrier systems, with a few of the bullets ricocheting into the nearby jets.

  “But we’re the good guys!!!” F.O.X. attempts to whirl at the marines, who simply ignore the machine’s pleas and reload their weapons. John continues running towards the lift, and smashes the “Call Lift” button as quickly as he can. The metal creaks and moans from the request, and the doors slide open after playing their typical chime sound. He then motions for F.O.X. to join him, and the Xyfokit strengthens their barrier systems to increase the radius of coverage.

  The soldiers continue advancing, firing some gas canisters at the two, which deflect off of the barrier systems, bouncing back at them. John continues frantically spamming the “Close Door” button, and he seriously wonders if elevator doors have always been this slow. His eyes then snap to the panel inside the lift, where he notices there is only a single option to select for the levels, and he starts spamming that one instead. It is labeled “Definitely Not Classified.” And he rolls his eyes at the lame attempt to disguise the shafts true intentions.

  The shaft then jerks, shifting slightly as it starts to descend. There is still an army of bullets chasing after them, which are quickly lose at the lift descends further into the ground.

  John exhales, crouching over slightly, then leans into the elevators wall in an attempt to calm his jittering nerves. Alarm bells then start ringing again, spurring emergency lights into action inside the lift, and he covers his ears from the harsh racket.

  F.O.X. Stands beside them, bringing up their holographic map. The lift then increases in speed, and the machine updates their expected arrival to be 3 minutes. It will be one of the longer elevator rides John has even taken, and his brain is currently racking itself over how they will ultimately stop L.I.Z. and Aton. They are already behind schedule, and he seriously wonders if they can even make it in time to prevent Sundial’s activation. They have probably already reached the main storage area for the nuclear warhead by now, meaning whatever chance they have at stopping them, is probably nonexistent.

  John drifts his gaze to the ground as he continues mulling over all that has happened to him this past month. He’s only a human, just a single, tiny human amongst the sea of humanity. Last month, he was living an ordinarily life streaming Fork Knife for his stream audience, and now, he’s currently fighting in what feels like a vain attempt to save the world. He wonders why he even agreed to do this. They are outmatched, and out gunned, and the most likely outcome is he will probably die trying to stop a highly efficient killing machine and lizard...

  Suddenly, a cold metallic snoot nudges John’s arm, breaking him out of his trance with the steel floor. He jumps slightly from the touch, and turns to face towards F.O.X. The machine’s monitors are staring straight at him, and they nudge him again.

  “John...” The quietly hum while the lights along their head cycle through an array of soothing colours. “I know your scared, and, I know you’re doubting our own plan considering the circumstances. But, despite all of that, and despite what might happen, I want you to know that I’m really glad to have met you, John.

  You’re not alone anymore, and, you’ve shown me what it means to defy expectations. We will defeat L.I.Z., and we will save your planet!”

  John looks at the machine before him, their monitors sparkling ever so slightly in the humming elevator’s chambers. Why did he ever start to doubt himself... When did he ever start to doubt himself. This isn’t who he was... He had never been one to give up when the going got tough, yet now of all times he was having doubts.

  “You’re right F.O.X., thank you.” John says, his voice resolute at his internal decision to trust in his friend. “We will stop them!”

  ...

  The elevator then reaches the bottom floor, and the doors slide open with lazy enthusiasm. John then rushes out into the hall, and immediately stops and gags at the scene before him. Human remains lie in crumpled and unnatural positions across the floor, with limbs and viscera scattered all around like the product of a curls box of confetti’s antics. His head begins to spin under a wave of nausea, and he staggers forward slightly, grabbing a nearby wall to help steady his stance. The nausea unfortunately gets the better of him, and John curls over his knees, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the blood and organ-stained tiles.

  He is disgusted at the cruel display before him, and tries his best to suppress the response and carnage his eyes are forced to see before him. John shakes his head, then presses forward.

  John and F.O.X. then continue running down the hallway. More scientists appear to have been slain in the area, and he’s starting to see the corpses of armed guards as well now. Movement suddenly catches his eye, and his head quickly snaps to follow the motion. Something just ducked behind a nearby glass viewing pane, and he motions for F.O.X. to follow.

  John carefully creeps towards the window, peeking over the ledge, and he jumps slightly after seeing the creature inside. Cowering in a corner, huddling with an equally terrified human, is what looks like a typical grey alien from all of the documentaries he has seen. “They’re actually real.” John says, as the pair continue trying to make themselves as small as possible.

  John’s eyes then locate an interesting object at the back of the room, drawing his attention further in to investigate. It’s a purply-blue light emanating from the end of a small, metallic tube, and he almost forgets the horrible emotions from earlier when he recognizes what it is. “Is that... A beam sword!”

  F.O.X. briefly raises their paws to try and stop John, but hesitates to complete the action. Time was of the essence, but seeing the weapon has suddenly given their network an idea they were keen to drill down into.

  John then enters the room, and the human and alien pair jump slightly from his presence. “Please! Don’t kill me!” The man responds while crying into his hands. The alien also says a phrase to the gamer, but he doesn’t quite understand what they were saying. “I’m not the enemy.” John says, trying to convey as much confidence as possible with his words. “My name’s John, and I’m actually here to stop a lizardman and another alien robot. They are going to activate something called Sundial, and I would appreciate any help you could offer me.”

  The cowering duo eases ever so slightly from John’s words, but then quickly go back to shaking when F.O.X. enters the room behind him. “Don’t worry, that’s F.O.X., they’re with me, and are friendly.” John understands their hesitance, and the human in the white lab coat is the first to respond. “I’m Frank, and this is Gleble gloop, we’re both researchers here.”

  John simply nods at their introduction, and continues walking towards the fascinating weapon firmly strapped to a table. A giant black cube of... Something has been cleanly cut from the weapon, and his mind begins racing at the possibilities before him. He then looks to his left and sees a door connecting to the room, and walks over to turn the handle. “D-d-don’t touch that! It’s... h-h-highly dangerous!!!”

  The grey alien quickly shakes their head as well, and John states to the duo. “Could I borrow this? I... Have a feeling it might come in handy.”

  The two researchers share glances amongst each other and nod. “I... Alright. But be careful! That hard light sword can cut through at minimum tungsten with ease. We were in the middle of researching its potency when our lab was suddenly attacked.”

  Frank then stands up from the ground, helping Gleble gloop as well, then runs over to a button near a set of extricate control panels, carefully skirting around F.O.X.’s frame in the process. Frank taps a button which disables the beam from firing, then pulls some keys out from his pocket. His hands are shaking, and he fumbles with the lock several times before finally inserting the correct key to turn the cam.

  John then walks into the room and unfastens the tube from the pedestal. He grabs and rolls the device around in the palms of his hands, and a smile begins to grow across his face. He then flips the tube over on the side, and sees a sliding button. He then puts his thumb in the groove and pushes up on the switch.

  A beam of light bursts forth from his actions, creating a column approximately 1 meter in length. John lightly swings it around, pleased with how comfortable the grip actually feels in his hands, then slashes at the tungsten cube nearby. The beam seamlessly pierces the metal, severing a large chunk from the block. The metal shifts from molten residue along the seams, then slides and crashes onto the floor, shaking the room.

  John then flicks the sliding button again, switching the saber off, and glances back at the scientists. The nanomachines within John then alert him they have updated their processes to commune and coordinate handling the beam saber. He then glances towards F.O.X., who whirls and chirps with their tail wagging, making it obvious to him how he received the upgrade.

  Then, with his new weapon in hand, John stares at the scientists, his contagious smile infecting them from the welcomed change of emotions as he greets them. He’s thankful that some people have at least managed to survive L.I.Z. and Aton’s assault on the base, and, with these researchers potential pending help, John is now confident that thwarting Sundial’s activation, has suddenly become a real possibility.