A House, A Home: Part Four

      She followed Gorix, Cylara, and Scout as they led the way over the hill and to the house. She passed Gorix the keycard, who threw open the door and started firing.

      The house was empty. Cylara nodded. “Makes sense. They wouldn’t have spread their forces out any more if there was no one left in here.”

      Edda added, “Now let’s go investigate what used to be our garage.”

      They walked down a broad tunnel that sloped downwards. Eventually, it opened up, and Edda gasped. There was a giant hangar in here!

      It wasn’t nearly full to capacity, and many of the ships bore battle scars. Yet others were merely boxes – which explained how they had gotten in here.

      But there wasn’t any time to gape, as the Garoo Elite opened fire. Her companions ducked behind a pile of engine parts as they returned blasts. Edda didn’t take much care with aiming – she figured anything she hit out there was a blow to the minions of Sloth.

      Soon, there was no more enemy fire. Gorix looked to Edda. “That was your first firefight, wasn’t it? Are you okay?”

      “Yes, I’m fine.” I think I am, at least. I just have to keep my mind on the task at hand. Can’t think about the big picture, or I’ll freeze up.

      There was a tunnel at the other end, which they followed. Scout froze, and put her ear to the wall. “There’s an alarm going off. We aren’t a secret anymore. Let’s keep going.”

      Gorix nodded. “Blasters at the ready, everybody! We may not get much warning!”

      Edda looked out and noticed the light at the end of the tunnel. Then she had to throw herself to the floor as a blaster bolt shot over her head with a screech. She heard Gorix yell orders. “Forward! Don’t fire until we see who’s down there!”

      Commander Valka and his fighters were pinned down in the first chamber, the one where Juju had been caught. There were several squads of Garoo Elite here, and they had shot a couple of clockwork Grundos. They didn’t have any giant robots like they had at the Space Station, thank Fyora for small favors!

      Gordon shouted, “There’s blaster fire coming from another tunnel – it’s the others!”

      That was when a large door opened across the room, revealing Commander Garoo.

      And yes, he had giant robots.

      There were two of them, and they immediately opened fire, scattering the members of the Resistance.

      Edda’s brain worked furiously. She wasn’t much good against the Garoo Elite. She remembered reading the details of the fight in the Neopian Times... there were exposed wires in the back of the robots’ necks.

      She remembered the scissors she had in her pocket that she used to open packages at the depot, and dashed out into the middle of the battlefield.

      She grabbed one of the robots and swung up onto its back. It shook her like a rag doll, trying to dislodge her. She went flying backwards and slammed into the wall. Ow... that’s going to hurt... But she was right next to the other robot now. She disregarded the pain and tried again. As a blaster zinged past inches from her head, she pulled out her scissors and cut the exposed cords. The machine crumpled to the ground.

      Cylara applauded. “She just took down a robot solo!”

      Gorix reminded her, “There’s still one left! Keep shooting at it!”

      Edda blinked as a laser bolt missed her ear by inches. Commander Garoo was headed toward her, murder in his eyes. “Congratulations, Edda. You’ve just signed your death warrant... and your sisters’, too.”

      Edda glared right back at him. “You’re never going to threaten my sisters again.”

      Then she drew her blaster and fired.

      Commander Garoo dodged the bolt by inches, and leapt at her. She shot again, but it went awry as he slammed into her. She grabbed his blaster as he fired, and it hit a computer screen on the wall.

      He was trying to wrest her blaster away from her... she held onto it with both hands, afraid to shoot for fear of hitting a member of the Resistance. She dimly noticed shouts in the background, and the sizzling of sparks...

      The remaining giant robot fell on top of Commander Garoo’s legs.

      He cried out in pain, and Edda used the opportunity to take both blasters and point them straight at him as she stood up. She screamed at the top of her lungs, “GAROO ELITE! WEAPONS DOWN, HANDS IN THE AIR, OR THE COMMANDER’S A GONER!”

      They all turned for one tense second to see whether she was bluffing or not. Then they all dropped their weapons and put their hands in the air.

      Commander Valka crossed the room and shook hands with her. “Very good, Edda. Congratulations.”

      Commander Valka gave them the report as the last of the prisoners was put on the ship, headed back to the Space Station. He told them, “It seems that the Crater Valley mine is about to hit a very rich vein of Kreludite. Garoo and Sophix intended to use it to rebuild their fleet and continue Sloth’s mutation program.”

      Scout asked, “But where’s Sophix? She wasn’t arrested with the rest!”

      Gorix said, “She’s always been a slippery one. I’ll bet she ran for it as soon as the battle started.”

      Then the transmitter on Commander Valka’s belt crackled. “This is Zabox, sir! We have Sophix at the office!”

      Scout pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”

***

      Juju and Marielle had been sitting in the hanger for what felt like an eternity. Until they heard someone trying the service door. They heard the blaster outside, and figured it must have broken the lock, because the door swung open.

      Sophix stepped into the hangar.

      They nodded at each other, and jumped on her. Juju pinned her arms, and Marielle pulled her blaster away, pointing both of them at the Aisha. “Surrender. Now.”

      Sophix scowled. “I surrender.”

      Juju let her arms go and pressed the transmitter. “Zabox? Xokef? We have Sophix right here at the hangar.”

      Commander Valka surveyed the three girls. “Many thanks to all three of you. You have done wonderful work today.”

      He took out three badges, green ovals with triangles in the middle, and pinned one to each of their shirts. “Of course, now that we know what the three of you are capable of, you are now on call for the Resistance, to fight for us when we need you.”

      Edda nodded. “We’ll be right here whenever you need us.”

      Marielle said, “Of course.”

      Juju grinned. “Yep!”

      “Then, I hope to see you again. Not soon, because I think we have had enough action today to last us for a while, but when we are threatened again.”

      Then the members of the Resistance got back on their spaceship for the flight to the Space Station.

***

      Marielle looked around their home proudly. After four weeks, you couldn’t even tell that a large number of blasters had been fired in here. If anything, it was nicer than before. The underground base had been closed up with several intimidating locks until the government thought of a suitable use for it. Even Juju didn’t try to get in... she had had enough of that place.

      Crater Valley was a boom town now. They had hit the vein of Kreludite that Garoo and Sophix were after, and the sisters were no longer twenty minutes from the nearest house. Edda was working with the Defenders of Neopia now... annoying Xokef on a daily basis.

      Edda walked in the door after a long day. Her dinner was sitting on the table. She sat down and looked around their home, smiling. There was plenty of furniture now... it was all bright and cozy.

      She looked out the window... Neopia was coming over the horizon, a beautiful ball of green, blue and white. She could see the shapes of Lutari Island and Mystery Island from where she sat.

      Marielle followed her sister’s eyes. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

      “Far more beautiful than Kreludor ever was from there.”

      “Oh, Kreludor’s not bad at all once you actually get here. It’s a great place for a home.”

      Edda noticed the significance in what Marielle said, even though Marielle went to tuck Nally in as though she hadn’t said anything special. She fought against this so much, but Kreludor’s home to her now, too.

      We did it. We made a home and a life here on Kreludor. We had to fight for it, in more ways than one, but we did it. Kreludor is home now. Not Neopia Central. And that’s what I was working towards since the beginning.

      Edda smiled again.

      It was good to be home.

The End

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