The red spike plunged into Billy’s chest. A blinding, violent wave of dark magic poured out of the computer console. It rushed into the young hacker’s body. Billy screamed. His eyes burned with bright, evil fire. The Overlord was trying to turn the boy into a living, world-ending bomb. Commander Oliver did not wait for the bomb to explode. He moved with absolute, terrifying speed. He did not grab the red spike. He knew the dark magic would shock him. Instead, he raised his titanium combat knife with his human left hand. He threw the knife. The sharp steel blade spun through the air. It flew right over Billy’s shoulder. It hit the thick, glowing red cables connecting the control chair to the ceiling. The knife cut cleanly through the thick wires. The bright red light instantly died. The dark magic stopped flowing. The control chair powered down with a loud whirrrr. Billy gasped loudly. The

The glass-winged monster stood in the ruined room. It wore a smooth, mirror mask. "You broke the silence, my sweet boy," the creature whispered. The voice belonged to Oliver’s mother. It was warm and full of love. Captain Iris and Sergeant Miller froze. The sweet voice paralyzed their hearts. They could not raise their weapons. Commander Oliver did not freeze. He did not feel love. He looked at the monster. He saw only a trick made of broken light and dark magic. Oliver walked straight toward the creature. He raised his pitch-black, metal right arm. "My mother is dead," Oliver stated coldly. He punched the monster directly in its mirrored face. The mirror shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The sweet voice turned into a horrible, screeching static noise. The creature exploded into a cloud of white dust and black smoke. The wind blew the dust away instantly. As the monster

The giant iron hammer swung down through the dark air. Elise, possessed by the evil god, smiled with pure joy. She held the heavy hammer over the massive, black Doom Bell. If the hammer hit the bell, the dark sound wave would wipe out every living mind on the planet. Commander Oliver had exactly two seconds. He knew his physical body was too slow to cross the room. He knew his combat knife could not stop a sound wave. He needed to fight noise with noise. "Keep singing!" Oliver commanded his squad. His cold, metallic voice sliced through the heavy air. Captain Iris, Billy, Sergeant Miller, General Vega, and the giant mutant Rax raised their glowing ancient weapons. They sang the simple, beautiful human lullaby. Their voices were brave, but they were only five people. Five voices could not stop the end of the world. Oliver needed a bigger army. He reached to his chest with his human left hand. He touched the alien black coin buried under his armor. He did not pull dark magic out. H

The red fire beneath their boots burned like the surface of the sun. The fake Billy laughed. His eyes were entirely black. He pressed his thumb hard on the glowing red detonator. "You lose, Commander! The world burns!"Commander Oliver stood in the center of the room. The floor was cracking. Bright orange lava bubbled up through the metal grates. The heat was apocalyptic. General Vega, Sergeant Miller, and Captain Iris scrambled backward, trying to escape the flames. But Oliver did not look at the fire. He did not look at the fake Billy. He looked into the dark shadows at the back of the room. He looked at the real Billy. The young hacker was dirty, bruised, and bleeding from a cut on his head. But he was alive. He held a thick bundle of torn blue wires in his shaking hands. "Specialist Billy," Oliver commanded smoothly. His metallic voice cut right through the roaring fire. "Prove you are real."The real Billy swallowed hard. He stepped out of the shadows. He did not run away. H

Commander Oliver drove his pitch-black, metal fingers directly into the glowing crack in the sky. He did not use a ship. He did not use a machine. He used the dark, pulsing magic in his alien arm to tear reality wide open. He pulled the air apart like a ripped curtain. A blinding, silent tunnel of white light opened in front of him. "Step through," Oliver commanded smoothly. His metallic voice lacked any warmth. "Do not look at the edges of the tunnel. Move."General Vega, Sergeant Miller, Captain Iris, Billy, Rax, and the surviving civilians hurried into the light. They trusted their cold Commander. Oliver stepped in last, letting the torn sky snap shut behind him. The bright tunnel spit them out onto a smooth, clear floor. The squad fell to their hands and knees. They gasped for air. Oliver did not fall. He stood perfectly straight. His heavy boots rested on the clear floor. He looked around. They were no longer on a planet. They were standing on a vast, flat bridge made of in