Take Back the Light

Chapter 45

Eli paced back and forth in front of the television, while Alana stood behind the couch, nervously cracking her knuckles. Trixie, Kord, and Pronto sat on the couch, while Red Hook could still be heard tinkering with the slingers' blaster cores in the garage.

It had only been a half hour since Blakk's message. Distress calls had immediately flooded in from Bonnie Springs and the caverns surrounding it, as if people thought there was any way the Shane Gang hadn't heard about what happened.

"This just got a whole lot more complicated," Eli said, shaking his head. His eyes were narrowed with frustration. "Even after seeing the drill, I was confident we could do this. We need to attack the citadel as soon as possible, because once the Dark Bane are here, I'm not sure we can stop them. But I was hoping to gather our allies for support."

"We can still get allies around," Trixie said. "We just won't have the healing support we'd like."

"We can gather as many people as we want, but the second we start to attack the citadel, he'll give the signal for his men to take Bonnie Springs," Alana explained. "He's got us backed into a corner. No matter what we do, we'll be split up."

"Could we not liberate Bonnie Springs first, and then attack Blakk?" Pronto asked.

"We could, but I don't think it's worth the risk," Kord said. "I'm not sayin' the people there are less important, but if we don't beat Blakk, it won't even matter. And we're the ones with the most experience fighting the Dark Bane, and Alana has to be ready to try to stop the portal."

Alana stayed silent, glancing down at the ground. The gang had to make their move fast to ensure the Dark Bane didn't breach the caverns, but it meant she had almost no time to prepare. She wouldn't have experience or training to fall back on when the time came for her to stop the portal- just instinct.

"So we hit both targets at the same time," Eli suggested. "If we just send other slingers to Bonnie Springs now, Blakk will be able to put a lot more effort into taking the cavern. But if we're also attacking the citadel, we'll be his focus."

"We'll be in the most danger," Trixie noted cautiously.

"Better us than the patients," Alana replied, and Trixie nodded.

"We're gonna need some information about what exactly's goin' on in Bonnie Springs," Kord said. "After we get that, we can meet up with some of our allies and pass it on to them tomorrow. Then the morning after, we all attack."

"It's probably not a good idea to message Sam," Trixie said. "She'll be busy, and we don't know if Blakk has access to the hospital's communications."

"Max, then," Alana said, heading over to the holodesk, trying to ignore the flashing red distress call tabs, all from panicking residents of Bonnie Springs. "I'll talk to her. After that, we should all get to sleep. We've got a big couple of days coming."

~~~~~~~~

Even before Blakk's announcement, Bonnie Springs Cavern didn't exactly have an intense night life. There were always cafes and clubs open after the Lumino light faded, but it was always safe to rely on calm and peaceful streets.

But now that slingers clad in Blakk Industries colors guarded every entrance and exit to the cavern, and new men and woman in pale gray and white uniforms patrolled the streets, not a soul stirred after dark-

Except for one wayward artist.

Max would have loved to be asleep at two in the morning. It had been maybe nine hours since Doctor Blakk's announcement, and Sam had quickly ushered her out of the hospital before things could grow chaotic. Sure enough, by nine that night, the new uniformed workers entered the cavern and instituted a strict curfew as soon as the Lumino darkened.