Through the portal

LXIII

HOPE

"The ball is going to throw us out. Get ready." Nolan yells and the hole in my palm spits out my laser.

The ball spits us out just like Nolan said, and suddenly, we're soaring through the air. The wind rushes past us, whipping through our hair as we're lifted higher and higher. The exhilaration of the moment is overwhelming.

My feet finally touch the ground, I step back, and my back touches Pia's. 

"Here we go again." Pia says as everyone looks at us confused, and we both run in opposite directions when they start to to attack us.

I jump and hit the back of the head of an Opal and he falls to the ground. The alarms sound and I put down the laser and I look at the sky to see the ships leave.

"When the curfew ends." The Opal starts to say and I look at him. "I'll kill you." He says and turns around to leave. 

"That was fast." Tracy says putting his arm on my shoulders. 

"Fast for you who spent it underground." Faye says. "Nice closing show you gave us, by the way." She says before running towards the base.

"Let's never talk about that again." Tracy says

"Okay." Pia says. 

"Never."Nolan says as we walk towards the base.

"Attention, report to the base immediately." Says the robotic female voice scaring me and Nolan laughs.

"Are you still nervous?" Tracy says putting his hands on my shoulders. 

I'm not nervous I just never expected that the first thing I would hear when I entered in the base would be a robotic voice screaming in my ears.

"What does the colonel want now?" Pia asks reluctantly.

We enter the auditorium, and the whispers are louder than ticking time bombs. 

"What's going on?" Nolan asks.

Nolan the gossip lord doesn't know about the gossip? That's a weird thing.

"Haven't you heard?" Tara says approaching Nolan.

"The gossip doesn't reach the underground." Pia says.

"Attention!" Says the colonel and we all run like Tonriies from side to side looking for our groups.

Tonriies: Green, hairy, long but small, they have 4 legs and they have antennae, imagine it as a grasshopper, but with those characteristics.

"Esen." I say seeing him talking to Taena, a boy from another group. He looks at me smiles at me and returns to his place. I make sure everything is in order in my group lines and then I go back to the front. 

"Attention." The colonel says and we get into a position of attention. "We we have incredible news." He says and now I understand why he isn't yelling at us, nor is he acting paranoid. "Emperor Arkin has died in battle."He says he and my eyes go wide.

Died? The mighty emperor of the entire galaxy has died? The emperor has been in many wars, the most powerful Opal? The same emperor who no one could get close to him without being killed by him?

I expected everything except this.

"Tanea, come forward." He says and Tanea walks to the front of the room.

If I could open my eyes more I would.

"That boy is a newbie! What was a newbie doing at the forefront of battle? Newbies stay behind!