"HOW CAN YOU WIN THE GAME IF YOU NEVER MAKE A MOVE?"
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What would you do, if you were given a chance to save millions of lives throughout a galaxy?
Would you do it? Could you even do it? Is such a feat even possible?
Or would you crumble and choke...
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You speak of destiny as if it was fixed.
—Philip Pullman
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Melanie stares at the glass windows of the turbolift, mind far away, as she waits to arrive on the Temple Archives floor.
To her right, she distantly registers the blinking numbers of the sci-fi box descending lower and lower.
She is heading down to the Archives for something. Something important.
But it doesn't matter. She'll never reach her destination.
She doesn't know exactly how she knows this, but she just does.
Vacantly, she hears a muffled explosion echoing out from somewhere above.
She ignores this; something deep inside of her already aware of what's coming.
Her hands are already reaching out to steady herself against the steel surface of the walls before the turbolift begins to shudder in warning.
The lights flicker ominously, making her stomach clench in dread.
Then the sci-fi lift screeches to a stop; the automatic doors slowly scraping open, allowing her to take in the yawning expanse of darkness outside.
Melanie swallows, pulse racing, as the void of darkness stares back at her.
As another muffled explosion echoes out from somewhere outside the Temple, she squeezes her eyes shut, gritting her teeth in frustration.
Fuck, she has to get out of here—!
Her hands twitch at her sides, itching to reach over and slam her fingers against the blinking buttons of the turbolift.
But she doesn't.
Because there are children down here. Children in danger.
She clenches her jaw, swallowing down her growing terror, before finally finding the courage to step out into the wide darkness of the hall.
She comes to a stop in the center of the hallway, staring blankly ahead at the stone column in front of her, as she waits for the same scenario to begin.
