Thomas used the sleeve of his jacket to gingerly sweep the ashes off the operator’s console. A small part of him felt silly taking such care with the ashes, especially since he was already coated head to toe in it, but it felt wrong.

Campbell stood in the doorway, waiting patiently. “Were you close with them?”

Just like on the doors of the storage rooms, post-it notes with hastily scrawled translations and notes had been placed near the sides of the console. The console itself was comprised of a vast array of metallic buttons, each one representing a character within the Penitent’s logographic alphabet. At the rear of the console, there were what appeared to be empty bowls with bottoms made of crystal.

“Hey, did you hear me?” Campbell’s voice held a tinge of worry.

“Yeah, I did. Sorry. No, I didn’t. Not really.” He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palms. He could barely remember their faces, let alone their names.

Campbell opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t seem to find any words. Thomas gave him an empathetic look. What was there to say? Neither of them knew anything about them.

Is there anyone left who does?

Thomas looked out across the plethora of Post-it notes. “Well, if anything can be said for them, they at least did a damn good job of translating all of this.”

“You think you can operate it when the time comes?”

Thomas took a breath. “Knock on wood, but yeah, I think so. Or at least I should be by the time Edd gets the power back up.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Campbell left the station.

Thomas took a glance around the booth. The window overlooking the three trains on the platforms had been shattered, but from the explosions or the crew’s assailant, he had no idea. The hydraulic door to the small station had been open when they had gotten here, so the Idex could have just as easily have gotten to them through that.

Thomas scanned the entire loading bay, looking for any avenue of attack. He trusted Campbell enough to be on the lookout, but it provided a small sense of security. Refugees were packed like sardines inside each of the three open trains, their faces illuminated by a dim, blue light. Their original cargo had been haphazardly tossed aside and onto the platform. The roof of the loading bay arched upward, supported by chrome buttresses, until meeting a line of thin windows that ran the length of the bay. None of the windows seemed to be opened or shattered, but it was possible they could be opened and closed.

Another distant explosion shook the booth like a thunderclap.

That can’t possibly still be Ithlin.

He had only ever had a single conversation with her, but he was surprised to find that he was actually afraid for the strange robot. She had saved him twice now. Or, more accurately, three times, if he counted her kind rescuing his back on Earth. Even if she was just programmed to do it, he owed her a debt. One that he would begin to repay by taking advantage of the opportunity she had created and helping these people get to safety.

He spent several more minutes studying the Post-it notes as if he were cramming flashcards before an exam until, finally, the time came. The console gave off a low buzz, and the symbols on the buttons began to glow a neon blue-green, and the crystal bowls projected a holographic model of the loading bay. Clusters of symbols hovered around each of the trains, blinking on and off like little warning lights. He felt his throat tighten. He had always hated cramming.

Campbell peeked through the doorway. “Hey, looks like that Scottish guy did it.”

Thomas bit his lip. “And now it’s my turn.”

He looked at the first Post-it and slowly read the steps. He found the first symbol representing the first train and pressed it. The projection morphed into a globe of the whole planet. The notes had mentioned this but had neglected to explain how to tell which location was which. Every station on the planet seemed to be on it, and if he hit the wrong one, they could end up on the opposite side of the planet from the atrium or stranded in some abandoned ruin.

Do you know the backstory of that saying, “All roads lead to Rome”?

The words sprang up in his mind as if his old friend’s ghost had put them there. Thomas had never met Damien in person, but he had gotten to know him as an avid history buff over thousands of hours online. Most of Damien’s spiels had been poorly timed, jumbled messes that he used to break awkward silences. They had always felt random until now.

 The rail lines covered the planet like a web, meeting at several clusters, which had likely been the major population centers at one time. But one was larger than the rest and located just north of the planet’s equator. He couldn’t be entirely sure that it was the Atrium, but it was a gamble he had to take. He methodically pressed the corresponding combination of symbols listed next to the Atrium’s icon and then pressed the button to take him back to the model of the station. He input the first train’s string of symbols and heard cheers from below him on the loading dock as the doors closed. For a brief moment, it felt less like an emergency evacuation and more like a rollercoaster beginning its ride.

As soon as he hit the final button, the train shot off like a bullet and disappeared down the darkened tube.

“Hell yeah!” Campbell shouted, sending Thomas a foot into the air with a startled shout.

Thomas looked back at him and gave him a relieved smile. But as he turned back to the console, a blur of motion from across the loading bay caught his eye. It was on the opposite wall, easily twenty feet above the bustling crowd beneath it, beneath an overhang that ringed the bay. For a second, he assumed that it was simply another bit of machinery that had come back to life as it shifted what looked like an antenna to an upward position…

Aiming straight at him.

Just as the pinprick of light appeared at the end of the barrel, Thomas dropped to the floor, banging his knee. The wall behind him erupted in a shower of molten stone and metal, singing his clothes. He looked to the doorway and saw Campbell hunkered in its frame, frantically looking across the bay to find the sniper.

“Directly across the bay! Beneath the overhang!” Thomas shouted. The hopeful chatter and cheers of the refugees had turned into a sea of screams and panic.

Thomas watched him mechanically scan the entire bay from down the sights of his rifle until his head came to a dead stop. His rifle cracked as he spat burst after burst at the alien.

“I’ve got him suppressed! Move now!” Campbell shouted as he halted his to readjust his aim. Thomas scrambled to his feet and darted to the wall to the right of the window, chancing a quick glimpse of his alien attacker.

Deveraux or one of the other soldiers was now firing on the Idex, too. At least half of the fire missed the alien entirely, but whenever a bullet was about to hit, a small white burst of energy would sparkle just a few inches away from the alien’s body, only to leave it seemingly unharmed.

The Idex clawed the overhang, its clawed gauntlet tearing a handhold out of the stone and swinging itself up and onto the wall above it. A fountain of shrapnel erupted from the wall as Campbell and the others unloaded upon the alien as it ascended the sheer face up to the top window. With one arm, the Idex hefted its staff and fired into the glass, which immediately began to glow and deform. Like a spider, the Idex covered the last ten feet of the ascent, hurled itself through the weakened glass, and disappeared onto the roof.

Campbell slowly lowered his rifle, its tip shaking ever so slightly. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine," Thomas stammered.

“It was just curled up like a goddamn bat up there watching us. We need to get these people out of here now.” From somewhere below them, Deveraux yelled for Campbell to give him a status update.

As the two talked, Thomas noted Campbell’s wording and wondered if he was included among “these people.”

If we’re going to get as many people out of here as possible, then I’ll have to either be on the last train or not leave at all.

He should’ve felt more fear or dread, but he didn’t. It wouldn’t be the worst way to go, staying behind so that they could save as many lives as possible. Nonetheless, his hand trembled as he prepared the next train. He just hoped Edd would be on it.

As the second train shot off, Campbell tapped his shoulder. “Here, take this.”

He shoved an olive-green pistol into his hand, along with its magazine.

Thomas gave him a wary look. “I haven’t shot a gun since I was like nine.”

“What kind?”

“A hunting rifle, I think.”

“Close enough. That’s the safety.” He pointed to a small lever on the side and flicked it off and back on. “Whenever that thing comes back, you flick it off immediately. It won’t wait for you to. Now, get to work on that third train.”

“How do I reload it?” Thomas gestured with the spare magazine.

Campbell grimaced. “We don’t have time for a gun safety course. Just focus on the train and remember to fire in bursts. You only have ten rounds in there, so you’ll have to be more accurate and conserve-”

The young soldier’s brown eyes widened and then glowed, enveloping him with blinding light. As Campbell disintegrated in front of him, Thomas froze, his mind desperately trying to catch up to his eyes. Through the dust cloud, he saw a bulky silhouette moving faster than it should have been. It fired its staff again just as Thomas darted for the door controls, the cloud of the fallen soldier shrouding his movement.

Blinded by the ash, he clawed at the wall until he found the door controls and heard the hydraulic hiss as they shut. The alien pounded and clawed at the door, trying to pry it open. When that didn’t work, Thomas heard the familiar hum of the staff charging and flinched as he heard the roar of energy tear at the door.

The roaring continued, but somehow, the door still held. Edd mentioned that the rail system was designed so that it could be used even during disaster situations, and that intention was clear in the door design. After several seconds, the roaring stopped.

Did it give up?

By now, Deveraux and the others were likely on their way here. Was the Idex so desperate to kill him that it would risk getting cornered? He backed into the back corner of the booth behind a shelf and raised the pistol at the door.

A scratching sound shifted his gaze to a long, bronze finger wrapped around the frame of the window.

Just remember to fire in bursts.

Thomas squeezed the trigger and felt the gun force his hand upward with each shot. The first burst two shots missed entirely, and the second met the same white energy as he had seen before. The alien ignored the gunfire and brought its staff to bear as it hung there like a gargoyle.

Cornered and with no other option, Thomas steadied himself and kept firing bursts at its exposed hand.

Five, six…

Each shot was stopped by the same white energy as the last. The staff fired its golden beam just above his head, shearing off the top of the shelf.

Seven, eight…

The ringing in his ears was so loud that he wondered if he would ever be able to hear again. Not that he would need to.

Nine, ten.

The alien’s knuckle blasted apart in a fountain of golden blood. It recoiled back away from the window. Thomas clumsily fiddled with the pistol until he was finally able to eject the empty magazine, all the while listening for it to come back. But all he could hear was shouting from somewhere below him.

“Is anyone still alive up there?!” It sounded like Adrianna, but the ringing in his ears made it difficult.

Thomas cautiously walked to the window, his hand clutched around the pistol, and looked down at her and Deveraux. “Campbell’s gone.”

Deveraux looked away, cursing. Adrianna swallowed and furrowed her brow. “Then let’s not let it be for nothing. That thing’s gone for now, but it will come back, and I doubt it’ll be alone.”

“I can spare another man to come up and take Campbell’s-“

“Don’t bother. I’ve sealed the door, and it’s held up so far. You all can do more good down there than up here.”

If I had closed that door when the power had come on, Campbell would’ve been fine.

Deveraux frowned, unconvinced. “If you say so, we’re spread thin as it is. We’ll watch the window to make sure it doesn’t pull that crap again. Do you have a weapon?”

Thomas waved the pistol.

“Good. Let’s get back to it.” They began to walk away.

“Wait! Have Edd and Wong made it back yet?”

Adrianna turned back to him. “Not yet. I saw them go in, though, and it looked like they had a long way to go. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

Thomas took a deep breath and focused on his work.

Don’t let it be for nothing.