The loud, terrible wind pulled at everything in the silver room. It was a magical vacuum. The giant mechanical heart was broken. A terrifying black hole was opening up inside the empty glass tube. It was sucking the air, the dust, and the blue liquid into absolute nothingness.Luna held onto the heavy metal pipe on the wall. Her one strong arm shook. The wind pulled her hair. It tried to drag her into the screaming black hole. Forge, the blind machinist, held onto the same pipe. He gritted his teeth.In the center of the room, the old Physician stood strong against the roaring wind. The old master held a glowing green cloud of light in his wrinkly, wet hands. The green cloud was Rick’s broken soul. Rick had pulled the silver needles out of his own chest to save his master. Rick had ruptured his own spirit."You healed the dead today, my brave boy," the Physician smiled gently. His white hair blew wildly in the storm. "Now, let me show you how to heal a broken world."The Physician di

Rick’s chest heaved up and down. He was furious. But he was not angry about the bombs. He was angry because he was terrified. The thought of Luna walking alone in the dark, hunted by silver monsters, made his stomach turn to ice."I am the protector!" Rick shouted, hitting his own chest. "It is my job to take the risks! It is my job to bleed!"Luna stared at him. Her brown eyes narrowed. The fear in her face vanished completely. It was replaced by a fierce, burning, absolute rage."Stop it," Luna hissed. Her voice was quiet, but it was sharper than a scalpel.Rick stopped yelling. He looked at her."Stop acting like you are the only person in the world who is allowed to be brave," Luna said coldly.She stepped right up to him. She poked his chest hard with her single finger."You think you are so noble," Luna cried, angry tears spilling from her eyes. "You think you have to carry the whole sky on your shoulders. You bleed for the patients. You let your soul rupture for your master. Y

The old man nodded slowly. He leaned on Luna's strong shoulder. They walked toward the hidden crack in the wall.In exactly two minutes, the busy, crowded clinic was completely empty. All the medical supplies were gone. The beds were gone. The people were gone. It just looked like an old, dirty, abandoned train station again.The evacuation was flawless. It was a perfect, silent retreat. But Rick did not walk toward the hidden tunnel.Rick stood in the center of the empty room."Rick!" Luna hissed from the dark crack in the wall. "What are you doing? The army is right outside the heavy iron doors! We have to go!""I cannot go yet," Rick said softly. He walked over to a dark corner of the room."Why?!" Luna cried, stepping back into the room."If Isaac’s army breaks through the doors and finds an empty room, they will not stop," Rick explained. His voice was perfectly calm. "They will know we just left. They will bring in the robotic dogs to sniff our footprints. They will follow you i

CRACK! BOOM! The massive stone pillars shattered. The ceiling of the tunnel entrance instantly gave way. Hundreds of tons of heavy concrete, rusted iron pipes, and thick mud crashed down, completely blocking the only way out of the subway station.The loud noise shocked the blinded guards.The green light faded away. The room returned to dim, dusty shadows.Commander Vance blinked his eyes, trying to clear the spots from his vision. He looked at the metal chair in the center of the room.Old Tom was still sitting there. But the bright green light in his eyes was gone. His eyes were closed. His peaceful smile remained on his pale face. The magic had left him. He was just a quiet, resting body again. The spark of borrowed life was returned to the earth.Vance looked around the room in a panic. He saw the massive wall of fallen rocks blocking the entrance."We are trapped!" a silver guard yelled in terror. "The tunnel is blocked! We are buried alive!"Vance spun around wildly. He looke

CRASH!The giant barrel slammed into the mud. It did not hit the old man's head, but it hit his lower body.The massive weight of the solid iron barrel crushed the old man’s legs and his lower stomach against the hard ground."AHHHHHHHHH!"The old man let out a horrific, blood-curdling scream. It was a scream of absolute, blinding agony. It echoed over the sound of the rain and the roaring train engines.The workers gasped in horror. They backed away.Thick, dark red blood immediately began to pour out from under the heavy iron barrel. It mixed with the black mud, creating a terrible, sticky puddle.Overseer Kreel marched over. He held his electric whip. He looked down at the crushed, screaming old man."Get this garbage out of the way!" Kreel shouted angrily. He did not look sad. He looked annoyed. "The train leaves in four minutes! Move the barrel!"Three strong workers ran forward. They pushed with all their might against the heavy iron barrel. With a loud grunt, they rolled the ba