"You can reverse this thing?" Eli called.
Alana nodded, finally lowering her hands and taking a knee, her lungs straining for breath.
"With the boost I just gave it, yes," she said, pointing up at the top of the portal drill.
The room transformed from a red tint to blue as the ghouls and dark water were cured by the two Boon Docs. Sure enough, the spinning canisters at the top of the portal slowed to a stop, before gears whirred and they reversed directions.
The beam of light shining down to create the portal turned bright blue and white, and immediately the gravity in the room shifted. A strong wind pulling everything toward the middle formed, and the ground shook as the inverted portal drug the High Plains monster down with a furious roar. Part of the floor collapsed, taking Dark Bane with it.
"Purified dark water is just water, but with the slug energy I added, the portal can keep going!" Alana called over the wind, tensing as the Frostcrawler shield shattered and the shards were pulled into the portal.
"We gotta get somewhere stable!" Kord yelled, crouching down and making his way over. "Or we're gonna-"
"Wait! Blakk!" Eli exclaimed. Without another word, he took off for the hallway out of the portal room.
Trixie, Kord, and Pronto started for the control panels lining the back of the room, dodging Dark Bane that were getting dragged into the portal. Without Alana's warning about the sudden change, they hadn't been prepared to hold their ground.
Alana faltered, trying to get to her feet again. The exhaustion from fighting Dana and the Dark Bane combined with releasing as much energy as she could to cure and reverse the portal was beginning to set in. She felt like she'd just run a marathon.
She took one step forward and swayed, nearly taken off her feet by the force of the portal's wind.
"Guys, I think I might need-"
Before Alana could finish her request for help, something wrapped itself around her ankle and dragged her back to the ground. Alana whipped around, instinctively grabbing her blaster. A Dark Bane, who must have battled the force of the portal to crawl over, had grabbed her, snarling in a way that vaguely reminded Alana of a ghoul.
"Get off!" Alana yelled, frantically trying to kick at the Dark Bane as the two slid down the floor, getting closer and closer to the portal.
"Death to the midlanders!" the Dark Bane spat, tightening his grip. "But especially to nasty Caelums!"
Alana wasn't sure why the Dark Bane seemed to have it out for her in particular, but not definitely wasn't the time to ask.
"Not today!" she snapped, leaning down and, using both hands, wrenching the Dark Bane's claws from her ankle. At the same time, she delivered as strong a kick as she could muster to the monster's face. The Dark Bane gasped and tried to regain any sort of hold on Alana or the ground below him, but he was unable to find any form of leverage. He slipped and tumbled downward, spiraling into the blue portal.
But Alana's victory was short-lived. She slid down a few more feet, now only a few yards from the edge of the reversed portal. She tried to hunker down to keep the wind from dragging her down after the Dark Bane, but she could feel herself slipping. She couldn't risk using her blaster- she was certain the moment she was down to holding on with one hand, she'd completely lose her balance.
"G-guys, I can't-" Alana began to shout, but she was interrupted when a scream from Trixie pierced the air.
"Eli! NO!"
Alana looked up in time to see Eli flying out of the exit hallway. He rolled along the floor, heading in Alana's direction. She gasped and pushed herself to her hands and knees, leaping forward and trying to catch Eli's arm as he flew by. She wasn't even sure she would be able to stop his fall, though she had to try. But she couldn't get her tired limbs to move fast enough, and Alana cried out as her fingers barely grazed Eli's.
"Eli!" Alana screamed, terror rising in her as she watched her best friend disappear into the portal to the Deep Caverns. Eli's eyes met hers for a brief second before he was pulled past the lip of the portal. Alana felt the ground shake beneath her, and gasped as more of the floor cracked and was pulled downward.
For a single moment, Alana felt weightless as she was suspended in the air. Then the portal's gravity finally overcame her, and she began to be pulled downwards.
In that moment, she was certain she was going to die.
If she survived the trip to the Deep Caverns, the dark energy there would probably wreak havoc on her. She would be weak and without a Lightwell to rejuvenate her. And if that didn't kill her, it sounded like the Dark Bane would. She honestly wasn't sure what would be worse.
Fear made her stomach churn, and Alana's eyes watered as she screwed them shut, too terrified to watch herself fall.
Then something grabbed her right wrist, painfully yanking her to a stop. The sudden halt in momentum caused a painful pop in her right elbow. Alana shrieked out in pain but was flooded with relief as she hovered in midair instead of finishing her downward fall.
"Thanks-" Alana began, ready to express her gratitude to Trixie or Kord. Even Pronto or a Shadow Clan.
Instead, her voice caught in her throat when she met the eyes of Dana Edwards.
Dana looked as confused with herself as Alana felt, but that didn't change the fact that she was in fact holding onto Alana's arm. Dana's left hand held onto a pale green Attacknet web, the other end of which was attached to a wall behind her. Small shards of Geoshard crystal still clung to Dana's clothes. Her arms and fingertips were cut up, suggesting a difficult struggle to escape the lime green crystal. Alana had underestimated her ability- or her drive- to escape.
Alana tried to think of something, anything, to say to Dana. But the sight of her eyes shifting back and forth between scarlet and their natural gray-green made Alana hesitate. What if she said the wrong thing and made Dana snap out of whatever benevolent trance she was under? Thanking her might help, or it might just anger her.
Instead, Alana stayed silent, save for small hisses as pain shot up her right arm. Her elbow was definitely dislocated, and being held by it certainly wasn't comfortable. Tears of fear and agony formed in her eyes, but she refused to break eye contact with Dana.
Out of the corner of her vision, Alana spotted orange flames and another figure hurtling into the portal. She was certain that all the Dark Bane had been sucked in, but she didn't dare glance over to identify the latest victim. It definitely hadn't been anyone from the gang, so she didn't care.
In her peripheral vision, Alana could just barely make out a green and orange form inching along the wall, closer and closer to Dana and Alana. Alana could only pray that it was Trixie, ready to somehow catch Alana if Dana decided to release her.
"I... I don't..." Dana stammered, shaking her head as if to clear it. For a moment, her eyes were their natural cold tones, and when she looked down at Alana's hand in hers, Dana's face flashed with genuine relief.
Then scarlet flooded Dana's eyes. She winced, then straightened up, her lips curling into a sneer. For a moment, her grip on Alana's wrist painfully tightened. Alana's gloves were the only thing keeping Dana's nails from painfully digging into her skin.
Alana knew what was going to happen before it actually did.
"Wait, please, Dana-" she croaked, finally breaking her silence. But it was too late.
Dana let go, turned away, and pulled herself back up towards the wall. She didn't even hesitate, or glance back to watch Alana fall. It was like she'd just dropped a wrapper in a trash bin.
Alana's breath left her body. She was unable to scream as she toppled towards the portal, slamming down on the ground and rolling toward the gaping pit. Her head hit the ground first, and spots flooded her vision while a dull pain formed behind her eyes.
"Alana!" Trixie's voice called, "I've got you!"
Just as Alana fell past the lip of the portal, nearly blinded by swirling white and blue light, something wrapped around her waist. This time there was enough slack to keep her from getting whiplash, although the movement still sent more pain shooting down her arm. Alana gasped, her left hand flying down to where a string of Jellyish slime had wrapped around her torso.
Alana's limbs went lax with relief as, foot by foot, she was pulled out of the portal and back up to stable ground. She turned and grabbed the green Jellyish goo with her left arm, steadying herself and smiling weakly at the sight of Trixie, Kord, and Pronto pulling her to safety.
"I thought you were right behind us!" Trixie cried, yanking Alana in for a tight hug as soon as the blue-clad slinger was within reach. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay, I was, then a Dark Bane got me, and then I fell," Alana blabbered, hugging Trixie back with her good arm. "It's okay, it's not your fault- wait, Eli!"
Alana tensed and pulled away from Trixie's hug, but still kept her left hand on Trixie's shoulder to keep herself steady as the portal continued to spin.
"Eli's still in there," Trixie breathed.
The leader of the Shadow Clan suddenly materialized at the ceiling of the room. He held one of the Dark Bane's black, silver, and orange spears in his hands and crawled up to the gears spinning the tubes that powered the terraportal. Alana's eyes widened as he reached back and jammed the spear into the gear. After a few sparks flew, the gear grinded to a halt, and the portal drill began to weaken. The spinning canisters slowed.
"Hey, stop!" Kord yelled, watching in horror as the leader put staffs in two more gear systems. "No, Eli's still in there!"
"Why is he doing this?!" Pronto exclaimed, his hands on his head.
"The Dark Bane have so much dark water at their disposal," Alana explained weakly, wincing as her dislocated elbow shifted when she turned to watch the Shadow Clan leader. "If I can reverse the portal, maybe they can too? They could try to come back through the barrier."
Trixie glanced around at the battered and bruised remaining members of the Shane Gang.
"And we can't handle that fight again," the redhead finished miserably.
"And I can't hold the portal open on my own. If the leader's closing it, then it's getting closed," Alana said grimly, staring at the ground. Her head was still spinning and aching, and she still hadn't quite processed that for a moment, Dana had seemed ready to save Alana's life.
"Certainly Eli has some sort of plan?" Pronto asked, wringing his gloved hands.
But no one could provide an answer. The slingers could only watch in silence as the Shadow Clan leader jammed a spear into the final set of gears. The portal completely lost its glow as it stopped spinning. The large tubes on the ceiling lowered, and the circular portal on the floor collapsed on itself.
"Guardian slugs," Trixie whispered, resting her forehead on Alana's left shoulder. "What are we gonna-"
"Wait, look!" Pronto shrieked. Alana and Trixie's heads shot up in time to see a figure rocket up from the portal as it closed.
It was Eli Shane, riding on the back of a still-transformed Burpy. Pale blue flames danced off Burpy's wings, but Eli clearly wasn't getting burnt. Burpy reverted back to protoform, dropping down to the floor next to Eli.
Trixie was shaken out of her shock first, sprinting forward and nearly tackling Eli to the ground with the force of her hug. Kord and Pronto followed soon behind, then Alana, who clutched her dislocated arm with her left arm, trying not to let it get too jostled as Kord swept up the entire Shane Gang in a hug.
"Careful, watch Alana's arm," Trixie warned with a laugh as the five slingers were packed together like sardines.
"And I think I have some bruised ribs," Eli gasped, but he was laughing too as Kord gently set everyone back down.
The cave troll kept a protective hand on Eli's shoulder as he glared at the Shadow Clan leader, who materialized from the shadows in front of the gang.
"You wanna explain yourself?" Kord growled. Eli raised an eyebrow and unclipped the shadow talker from his backpack.
"What's wrong, Kord?" he asked carefully, glancing back and forth between the leader and Kord.
"He's the one who shut the portal down," Kord explained, gesturing up to the spears still sticking out of the portal gears. "While you were still in there."
Alana watched Eli's reaction carefully, waiting to see how he reacted. She didn't want Eli in the Deep Caverns any more than the rest of the gang, but she also understood the Shadow Clan's line of thought. It certainly wasn't worth picking a fight, now of all times.
"Forgive me, son of Shane," the leader said. He dipped his head and Alana could have sworn she saw shams in his green eyes. "My actions were for the good of all of Slugterra."
Alana quietly translated to Kord, Pronto, and Trixie as the leader continued.
"The barrier has been renewed. And without the ghouls, it will not be broken again."
"So it's over?" Eli breathed. "The Dark Bane, Blakk... they're gone."
"Yes. Thanks to you and your friends, son of Shane," the leader said, nodding to the Shane Gang.
Eli laughed softly, running a hand through his hair before turning back to the rest of the gang.
"We did it. We really did it," he said, swaying slightly on his feet. He winced and brought a hand to his side. "We... really need some doctors."
Trixie nodded and quickly pulled out a small holoscreen.
"Bonnie Springs was in good condition last time I checked. I got this from Dana Por," she laughed, holding up her screen.
It showed Dana Por, who took a shakey selfie with a blue blur in the background that Alana recognized as Mario Bravado. It was captioned "he jsut scaled the buildign??.!!??"
"I sent out a signal to them a few minutes ago," Trixie continued, clipping the screen back to her belt. "Sam Gray and a few others are on their way to us. I don't think we should be riding right now."
"Got that right," Kord grumbled, clearly favoring his right leg. "I'm not making that trip right now."
Alana glanced up at the Shadow Clan leader and the other clan members that were gathering around him.
"Are you all okay? Our Boon Docs are pretty spent, but we have doctors on the way," she offered.
The leader turned to his clanmates, hissing quietly and checking in on each one before shaking his head.
"We will be able to travel home to the Dark Periphery, and rest there," he answered. "But we thank you for your offer, Alana Caelum."
"No prob," Alana said, moving to give a thumbs up but instead hissing when she instinctively tried to raise her right arm.
The Shadow Clan gave one last nod to the Shane Gang before shadow travelling away, one by one. Alana looked around at the empty portal room, surprised by the peaceful quietness around her. Only minutes before, the terraportal had been raging on.
"Let's wait for the Bonnie Springs crew outside," Eli finally suggested. "No reason to make them navigate the citadel, unless, Kord, are you good to walk?"
"Please, bro, I've been through worse," Kord scoffed. "But, uh, yeah, maybe we should take it slow."
"I'm in no sprinting mood," Eli assured as the gang slowly made their way down the empty gray hallway leading into the rest of the citadel. "I really do think I have some bruised ribs."
"What happened?" Alana asked, grateful for any kind of smalltalk that would distract her from the ache in her arm.
"Blakk blasted me through a wall," Eli said proudly. "But I still got a fusion shot off."
"Yeah, before we showed up and saved your butt," Trixie added. "We fought the Dark Bane and Blakk's workers out front. Once the Shadow Clan showed up, it was pretty easy. What about you, Alana? I thought you had Dana handled, but then..."
Alana glanced down, trying to push down the anger that boiled inside her when she thought about Dana letting her go.
"Right. Well, I thought I had it covered," Alana admitted. "We dueled, and I trapped her with a Geoshard, but I guess I underestimated how strong she was. She was all cut up and still had crystals on her when she caught me. She must have ripped herself out of it."
"Yikes," Kord muttered.
Eli frowned and turned toward Alana.
"Wait, what? Dana showed up again? What do you mean she caught you?" he asked worriedly.
"Oh, yeah, you were busy giving us a heart attack," Alana deadpanned. "Well after you fell in, I almost did, too. A Dark Bane tried to take me down. And then Dana showed up out of nowhere and caught me."
"That's surprisingly nice of her."
"And then she let me go into the portal."
"Never mind, there it is."
Alana shrugged, keeping her eyes downcast.
"It's whatever. I don't think I really had high hopes for her, but... still," she trailed off.
"Well, Pronto had a very fun trip to the Dark Periphery, thank you again for that, Eli," Pronto drawled. "After rallying the Shadow Clan and defeating Blakk's forces outside the citadel, Pronto fought off ten- no, twenty- Dark Bane singlehandedly!"
"Right," Trixie drawled, straightening up when the gang reached the exit to the citadel. The door was askew and decorated with scorch marks. "We really did a number on this place. Feels good."
"The real estate value's definitely down," Eli agreed, leading the slingers outside. They all took a seat on the steps leading up to the door.
The gang sat together for a few minutes, looking around at the now-empty battlefield before them. Scorch marks, spider webs, crystals, and rubble told the tale of the fight for Slugterra's safety. Alana leaned back and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.
For the first time in a while, alarm bells weren't sounding off in her head. There were still ghouls all around Slugterra from Blakk's reign, sure, but none were actively being made. Plots to release the Dark Bane weren't developing. The deaths of her and her friends were being wished upon by at least a few less people.
There was still plenty of work to be done. There always would be. But for now, at least, Alana could rest for a few moments and be at peace. She didn't budge until Eli began gently shaking her awake, notifying her that Sam Gray and the others had arrived.
~~~~~~~~
"Alana, please stop. This is embarrassing."
"Absolutely not. What's embarrassing is you getting beat by a one-armed concussed slinger, which is what's gonna happen if you don't knock it off!"
"Your blaster isn't even loaded."
Alana was perched at the edge of her hospital head, holding her blaster in her left hand. Her right arm hung in a sling, recently put back into place by Rhydian. The cuts scattered around her arms and legs from Dana's Briardrill luckily weren't deep enough to need stitches- only the occasional bandage.
Alana looked down and realized that her blaster was, in fact, not loaded. An unfortunate effect of being concussed. Alana had been certain she loaded an Arachnet. Or a Jellyish?
"Doesn't matter," Alana said, tossing her blaster to the foot of her bed. "I'll fight you hand to hand."
"No you won't," Eli deadpanned, crossing his arms from his bed, which was across from Alana's.
"Alana, please, you were exposed to dark water. Just one little blood test?" Sam begged. "We just want to make sure everything's normal."
"Everything is normal!" Alana argued. "I can feel when there's dark energy affecting me and right now there's none. I promise, Sam."
Sam still looked unconvinced.
"I just helped save Slugterra," Alana finally said, bringing out what she was sure was going to be her trump card for a while. "I don't want to get poked and pass out. Please?"
Sam's stern look faltered for a moment, then finally fell. She sighed and threw her hands up in defeat.
"Okay, fine. Fine. I trust you to know your own energy stuff," Sam finally relented. "Okay, I'll leave you guys be now. You're gonna give me gray hair."
With that, Sam Gray took her leave from the Shane gang's room. Alana sighed with relief and carefully laid back down, huddling under the surprisingly fluffy blanket the hospital had provided.
The gang had been rushed to Bonnie Springs, coerced into promising to stay one night to be monitored after the fight of their lives. The hospital was in surprisingly good shape. The lobby had taken most of the hits from the battle, and there had been no casualties. Kord and Pronto were finishing up various x-rays, while Eli, Trixie, and Alana were preparing to wait out the night.
"That was amusing," Trixie laughed, lowering her camera (which Alana hadn't even noticed she was holding). The redhead's injuries luckily hadn't surpassed some singes and bruises.
"I'm glad you found it funny," Alana grumbled, wriggling under the blanket and relishing in its warmth and the relief from the room's light. "I nearly died."
"You were just getting some blood taken," Eli laughed. This was quickly followed by a wince, and he carefully laid back in his bed. He had a broken rib and would have severe bruising throughout his right side, but otherwise, the Shane was unscathed.
"I like my blood where it is," Alana said. "In my body. I already got a concussion, I don't want to pass out from a needle."
"Bah! Pronto cannot imagine fainting at a simple needle! I was very brave during his tests. I got a sticker!"
Pronto must've finished his checkup and was ready to let the gang know all about it.
"Yeah, yeah, move over. I'm laying down, I hate using these crutches."
And there was Kord, who had a pulled muscle and bruising on his left leg.
Alana couldn't help but smile, letting her eyes drift shut as she listened to her teammates bicker. She felt Ash and Mage wriggle up next to her- the two had been inseparable since the Boon Doc's return.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but she knew it was probably the easiest she'd drifted off since Blakk had ramped up his ghouling efforts.
~~~~~~~~
Dana held onto Alana's arm, the two nearly succumbing to the gravitational pull of the terraportal.
"Thank you," Alana called, a relieved smile on her face. "I knew it. I knew you still cared."
Dana returned her smile. Then, in a wave of light from the portal, her smile turned sinister. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, which flashed a deep scarlet.
"Please. I stopped caring a long time ago. You should've, too," Dana said, letting go of Alana.
Alana screamed as she fell into the portal. White and blue swirled around her, not unlike the Lightwell, but infinitely less comforting.
And then her feet were on solid ground, and she was looking around in horror at the Deep Caverns. Dark water stretched for miles, and before her was Brimstone.
"Alana Caelum," he laughed. "How we've longed to see a Caelum here. You'll wish you'd just been killed by Blakk's ghouls when you had the chance."
Brimstone's roar echoes throughout the cavern as he raised his hand, claws glistening, and-
"Alana, come on, it's okay."
Alana's eyes shot open and she gasped, her good arm shooting out from her blankets to grab the hand that was shaking her.
The hospital room was dark and silent, save from the occasional voice or footsteps outside. The hand resting on her shoulder belonged to Trixie, who had apparently gotten up from the bed she had next to Alana. A quick glance around the room told Alana that nobody else had woken up.
"Sorry," Alana whispered, releasing Trixie's hand. "Sorry, it was a dream, I'm okay."
Trixie nodded and sat on the edge of Alana's bed. Alana carefully sat up, minding her arm.
"You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I really am, by the way. I feel awful," Trixie mumbled, staring down at the ground. Alana frowned, realizing that Trixie's eyes were watering.
"What do you mean? Why would you be sorry?" Alana whispered, getting up and sitting next to Trixie. "You saved me today. I'd be in the Deep Caverns right now if you hadn't caught me."
"But I only caught you after Dana let you go. And Dana only let you go because I didn't realize you were falling in the first place," Trixie explained, rubbing her eyes. "It was just so crazy, I forgot how tired you would be after using so much energy on top of dueling for so long. What kind of teammate does that?"
Alana's heart sank, and she reached forward and hugged Trixie tightly.
"There was plenty going on. I was getting dragged down by a Dark Bane, too. It's not your fault, and I would never blame you," Alana promised quietly. "You were there for me when I needed you. You always are. You're a great teammate, Trix."
Trixie sighed and returned Alana's hug. The two stayed together for a few moments before pulling away.
"Thanks, Alana. You too. Sorry, I think I'm still really frazzled with everything that happened," Trixie laughed quietly, glancing around to make sure none of the boys were awake. "I was really scared today. I was worried we wouldn't all make it home. But we did."
"Of course we did. We're the Shane Gang. Duh."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. We're unstoppable," Trixie said, getting up and stretching out her arms. "I think I'm gonna try to go to sleep now."
"You mean go back to sleep?" Alana asked.
"No, 'go.' I never fell asleep. Too jittery," Trixie said with a shrug. She got into her own bed and collapsed into the sheets.
"Good night," Alana whispered.
"Good night."
~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you guys are okay to go home?" Sam Gray asked for the fifth time the next morning. The dark-skinned woman led the Shane Gang out of their room, past many others filled with slingers, hospital staff, and patients still being taken care of after yesterday's chaos.
"We're sure," Eli answered, also for the fifth time. "Don't worry, we're not going out and about. Only straight back to the hideout. We want to sleep in our own beds."
"Pronto is going to mute the holodesk and sleep all day," Pronto proclaimed excitedly. "Finally, the beauty rest a hero deserves!"
"Sounds like a day well spent," Sam laughed. "Okay, just remember what I said. Alana, you can't drive for another few days, you're still concussed. Got it?"
"I got it, I got it," Alana promised, waving her left hand. "I won't try driving one-armed, anyway."
"Good, because if you end up back in this hospital, I won't be amused," Sam deadpanned. "And Kord, keep using those crutches, none of that cave troll pride nonsense."
Kord grumbled in response, but made no attempt to stop using his crutches as he walked.
"Right. And Eli, you better not mess up your ribs again. No dueling, got it? Rest up, I know there's plenty of work that still needs done with ghouls and all that, but it can wait," Sam ordered. "I don't want to see any of you until whenever we decide to hold the press conference."
Sam took the time to look every member of the gang in the eyes, waiting until they nodded in agreement. Alana typically wouldn't be excited for a press conference, but considering the one they were planning was to tell Slugterra that Blakk had been defeated, she had to admit she was happy for it.
The group reached the hotel lobby. Hospital workers were still buzzing around cleaning up rubble. Rhydian sat on the counter of the front desk, chatting with Mario Bravado, who waved at the gang. He'd stopped by earlier in the morning to let them know that Brodie, Indrid, and Dana had made it out of Bonnie Springs to make a sweep through other caverns to make sure things were okay.
Mario himself was staying in the hospital for another night. He'd sheepishly explained that even with his newfound bravery, he was still trying to convince himself that there weren't ghoulslingers ready to ambush him at home.
"There's reporters stationed outside, so I'm gonna send you guys out the back, okay?" Sam asked, clasping her hands together. "I know you've heard it a lot already, but get used to hearing it a lot: thank you all. You pulled off not only protecting the hospital, but also battling Blakk and the Dark Bane. We wouldn't be here without you."
"Thank you for being willing to work with us even when Blakk threatened you," Eli replied, looking around at the intact hospital. "We're just glad we could help. We'll keep you updated on the press conference. In the meantime, let us know if there's any problems."
"I won't, because you'll all be home resting," Sam said with a sweetness that implied that she would also gladly tell off any of them if they disobeyed her orders. "Alright, get going, I know you want to get back to Wild Spores. Alana, could you stay back a sec with me?"
"Oooh, you're in trouble," Eli jeered quietly as the rest of the gang headed for the back exit of the hospital.
"Ha ha," Alana replied, rolling her eyes. "Go on ahead and set up Midnight's autodrive, I'll be there in a couple minutes."
Sam waited a few moments before sighing and looking Alana over.
"Are you actually okay?" she asked.
"I am, I promise," Alana said, her shoulders relaxing when she realized Sam was just being Sam. "My arm feels fine. And, yeah, I'm... kind of heartbroken that Dana let me go. But..."
Alana watched as the gang waved at workers bustling around the lobby as they made their way out the exit doors.
"I've got them. We all just had the most important fight of our lives. If I can trust them to have my back there, I can trust them here too."
Sam smiled and nodded, her shoulders drooping in relief.
"I'm glad you think that," she said, giving Alana a quick hug. "Okay, go on, now. Go home. And Pronto has a point. Mute the holodesk. No distress calls. Take the next couple days to recover. For now, at least, Slugterra is safe."
~~~~~~~~~
I think we've got two chapters left :o I think it'll be one last main chapter and then a short epilogue but we'll see idk
interested in joining a slugterra discord?? if you're over fifteen then head on over to my profile's announcements page for the link!
ok have a nice day cyan out!