Starhoppers

26 - Skeleton Key, Skeleton Crew

Silence loomed over us like a fog, an eerie stillness permeating through the air and burrowing into my chest. Ralph was the first to break it.

"Figures, doesn't it?"

Ezra shook his head, his gaze clearing. "That can't be right," he stammered.

Serena sighed. "The weapon's firing mechanism requires a biological touch to complete. A safeguard of sorts, it seems."

"This is getting ridiculous," Lily scoffed. "We're wasting our time, Ezra."

"It's been ridiculous," Ellie added.

"You're sure, Serena?" Ezra murmured, avoiding our eyes.

"Without a doubt," Serena nodded.

"Keep searching the network," he said. "There has to be another way."

Serena remained silent, peering curiously at Ezra for a moment before vanishing.

Faith groaned. "So much for that, then."

"And what the hell are we supposed to do now, exactly?" Ramsey scoffed.

"This isn't over yet," Ezra shook his head. "Serena will find something. I know she will."

"And what makes you so certain?" Ramsey laughed.

Ezra's jaw remained open for a moment before the words came out. "Because she has to."

Ramsey rolled his eyes. "How optimistic of you."

Ezra didn't respond, his gaze turned away as Ramsey continued. "All we have going for us is a suicide mission that may not even work at all," he said, shaking his head. "I think it's about time somebody else starts making the plans."

"Calm down," Ralph narrowed his eyes. "Ezra's trying his best. We all are."

"He's trying his best to get us all killed," Ramsey spat. "And he's been doing a really great job at it, too."

Lily sighed. "We need to come up with a new plan. We won't be getting home by standing around here arguing."

"Who said anything about changing the plan?" Ezra spoke, drawing our gazes.

"Did somebody need to?" Ellie scoffed, narrowing her eyes. "What are we supposed to do? Do you really expect any of us to want to give up our life over a maybe?"

Ezra groaned, rubbing his cheeks as he stared into the abyss below. "No, not really," he murmured, his voice nearly a whisper. "But none of you have to. This was my idea, anyway. Not yours."

Ellie's gaze softened, her jaw hanging open as her words caught in her throat. "What?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ezra," Lily said.

"If somebody needs to do it, it may as well be me," he spoke, his gaze darting wildly in every direction but our own. "This has gone on for long enough. It will work - we just need somebody to push the button."

"You don't know that," Ellie groaned. "You're going to blow yourself up for nothing."

Ezra flinched. "I need to try," he said, his voice shaky. "Whether you like it or not, firing the weapon might just be your best chance of getting out of here."

"Might be. We don't even know how this thing works. Not really."

"Well, we have a pretty good idea," Ezra scoffed. "I don't need to understand the science behind blowing up the sun to know it'll get the job done."

"What job?" Ellie pushed, peering at me for support. "When did our job become wiping out an entire solar system?"

"Probably sometime after we found the humanity-ending parasite," he narrowed his eyes. "That'd be my bet."