The Elevator doors opened, and Brian found himself at the center of a giant, circular area with tall windows all around that looked out into space.
"Please feel free to explore the outpost station and enjoy the view. This area is completely interactive," Dead-Zed said.
Brian stepped out of the Elevator and turned, sweeping around to take in his surroundings. On one side of the station, Brian could see some sort of circular space structure in the distance. It looked like a giant ring, through which a dense field of bright stars could be seen. While stars were also visible around the structure, these were dim and sparse. On the opposite side of the outpost, a cluster of giant, floating space rocks dominated the view. They did not appear to be very far from the station. Nothing but stars could be seen in all other directions.
Brian turned and looked at the space ring again. "What is that thing out there?" Brian said, pointing to it.
Dead-Zed seemed to ignore the question. "Why don't we start with a little game?" he said. "Did you notice the asteroid field over here?" Blue lights began to glow on the side of the station where the space rocks were visible, painting a small area on the floor.
Brian sighed, walking over to the illuminated spot.
"Let me tell you a little secret, human. The Superior knew nothing of the game I was creating. My kind does not understand the beauty of human entertainment that I came to know. I learned that humans enjoy many types of games. In some they build; in others they destroy. There is a place and time for each."
Brian heard a faint hum, as a hatch in the floor opened, and a small, black joystick rose from the floor on a pedestal. It looked like an old Atari 2600 joystick, with a single red button.
Brian cocked his head. "What's this for?"
"Grasp the joystick, human."
* * *
"Listen, Jim," Dale said, "Brian's working on stopping the nuclear attack. We just need a little time, and—"
"Shut up," Jim said. "You guys have gone too far. We can't have you getting in the way anymore."
Ralph swallowed. "You're not going to shoot us, though. Right?"
"Get in the cruiser," Watkins said, motioning to the vehicle behind him.
Dale and Ralph were handcuffed, and placed in the back of Watkins' cruiser.
A few minutes later, a satellite truck pulled up close to the gas station. Dale and Ralph watched as the dish on top of the truck unfolded, and was positioned.
* * *
Carol returned to the meeting room and walked to the head of the table. She remained standing, folding her arms in front of her. Jessica could see beads of sweat on her face. "Our uplink will be restored in a few minutes, Frank. Be ready."
Frank gave a nervous nod and focused on his laptop.
Jessica looked at Carol. "Brian will find a way to stop this. You'll see."
Carol looked at her sharply. "Is that so? And how exactly is he going to do that? I tried to speak with him a few minutes ago, and he wouldn't even acknowledge me. He is in his room at this moment, staring at the wall."
"He isn't just staring at the wall. He is in the Gateway, trying to contact one of the Borae for help."
Carol glared at her. "What are you talking about?"
* * *
Brian wrapped his fingers around the joystick. As he did so, the whole station pivoted slightly on its axis.
"You now have partial control of the station. Be careful, human. This is not a simulation."
Why would he give a human control of one of their outposts?
I do not know. However, if he was put to death as implied, his actions may not have been considered loyal to the Borae cause. He seemed to have taken a liking to humans; at least, to their games.
Brian experimented with the joystick. When he tilted it to the left or right, the station rotated in that direction.
"To activate the weapons system, press the red button."
Brian did so, and a green, holographic display came down from the ceiling and surrounded Brian. He was now within some kind of spherical enclosure, and a blue cross-hair symbol was visible directly in front of him. He found that the cross-hair tracked with his vision, following just behind his eyes as he shifted his gaze.
"Now press the button again to fire a plasma blast. Choose your targets wisely, human. You have only three shots."
Brian focused on one of the asteroids and waited for the tracking cross-hair to paint it. When it did, he pressed the red button. There was a short, whining sound, and a red fireball shot toward the targeted asteroid. The rock exploded in a red and yellow spray of molten rock.
"Well done!" Dead-Zed boomed. "Try again." Brian aimed at another asteroid, and repeated the process, with the same result. "Excellent. You have one more shot available to you." Brian shook his head. What was the point? He stepped away from the illuminated area, and as he did so, the holographic surround dissipated.
"We're just wasting time," Brian said, scowling. "Exit, please."
Dead-Zed did not respond.
"Exit game."
Nothing.
"Quit."
Still nothing.
Brian hurried to the Elevator. The doors were closed, and there was no button he could press to open them. He tried to force them open, but they wouldn't budge.
Dead-Zed finally spoke. "There is no exit from the final challenge, human."