The red lights pulsed like a frantic heartbeat, the sirens a deafening scream that vibrated through their teeth. Captain Zero, still clutching a slightly dented bobblehead, looked as if he'd swallowed a lemon whole. "Right then” he squeaked, his usual bravado replaced by a nervous tremor. "Escape sequence! Flint, your genius plan, NOW!"
Flint Maddox, surprisingly calm amidst the chaos, adjusted his goggles. "Escape pods, Captain! The Obsolete's got a few emergency ones tucked away – I found the schematics during my... uh... inventory check." He gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. His inventory checks were legendary for their… unconventional methods.
Luna Silva, however, wasn't amused. Her fingers flew across a salvaged Zenith data pad, her usually bright eyes narrowed with grim determination. "The security systems are locking down! We’ve got maybe five minutes before they seal off all access points.”
"Five minutes?!" Captain Zero shrieked, his toupee doing a frantic jig. "That's barely enough time for a proper dramatic exit!"
"Dramatic exits can wait” Griz Mallory growled, his laser pistol already drawn. "Let's go." He hefted his rather large, surprisingly fluffy, space-hamster, Captain Fluffernutter, onto his shoulder. "Get ready for a bumpy ride, Fluff."
The escape sequence was less of a carefully choreographed maneuver and more of a chaotic scramble. Vee Korr, with her usual efficiency, cleared a path, disabling laser grids with precise shots from her pistol. Zee, ever stoic and unflappable, provided covering fire with a surprisingly modified flamethrower (obtained, she explained later, from a particularly enthusiastic space-chef she'd met on a previous mission). Drake Valor, meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying the pandemonium, his enigmatic smirk widening with every passing explosion.
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Captain Zero, true to form, tried to make a heroic, if somewhat clumsy, entrance into each pod's launch bay, invariably tripping over something – a discarded data cable, a rogue space-soda can, or, once, a very startled Zenith security bot.
Flint, demonstrating his unparalleled resourcefulness, bypassed several security checkpoints with a combination of expertly placed distractions (a strategically timed release of potent mango-rocket fuel fumes, for instance) and outright bribery (using the aforementioned miniature Zenith executive bobbleheads).
Luna, meanwhile, wrestled with the activation codes for the escape pods, her fingers flying across the keypad with the frantic speed of a hummingbird’s wings. Each successful activation was met with a satisfying whoosh as the escape pod shot off into the night sky.
The pods, as Flint had warned, weren’t exactly luxury models. They were cramped, slightly rusty, and equipped with only the bare minimum of life support systems. As they blasted off, each pod carrying a different group of the crew, the mayhem left behind a trail of flaming debris and disoriented Zenith security forces.
Captain Zero, Griz and Captain Fluffernutter, along with Zee found themselves in one pod. The chaotic launch had left Captain Zero somewhat disheveled; his toupee was now askew, and a faint smudge of space-goop decorated his cheek. Zee, however, remained unfazed, calmly checking their life support systems.
In another pod, Flint and Mira (who'd managed to wriggle free of her data-cable bonds during the chaos) engaged in a tense stand-off, her icy glare never leaving him. The escape pod was remarkably cramped and Mira kept subtly threatening Flint with the surprisingly sturdy data-cable she’d used for her own restraints.
Luna and Drake found themselves together in a third pod, the journey punctuated by Luna’s increasingly frustrated attempts to contact the others, her technological expertise proving frustratingly ineffective against the Zenith jamming signals. Drake simply smiled, his eyes twinkling in the dim light. This, he clearly thought, was entertainment.
Vee and Mira, meanwhile, shot off in a fourth pod. This, turned out to be a pod designed for a single passenger, and as they braced for impact it was clear why Mira hadn't been in a rush to leave with the others.
Scattered across the vast expanse of space, the crew of the Obsolete faced an uncertain future. The escape from the Zenith facility was only the beginning. The real fight, the final confrontation with Mira and the now planet-threatening Kryptonite device, was still to come. The seeds of their future defeat, or unexpected victory, were sown among the stars.
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