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Chapter 13

He should have figuredout what the odd component was as soon as he’d seen it, but it had been muddled with other toxins, and his first few attempts to decipher it had failed.

It hadn’t helped that his brain felt fried, and his concern kept flicking to Sloane. And it was only when he’d seen the unusual mineral tag she’d pointed out, that he’d put it together. Of course, she was always the one to fit the pieces into place. She helped to make him whole.

Dallin paused by a display screen and scrolled through the stores on the waystation. He wasn’t surprised to find there was nowhere to buy explosives.

But there was another source that would have what he needed. Even though this place was set up for fun, the security team would have weapons.

Dallin hurried to the security hub in the center of the station, doing his best to block the noise from other aliens, although it was much quieter now. The attack from the mutant beasts must have scared most of them away, or they were hiding in their rooms.

Nalid stood at the desk in the security hub, her expression strained. She looked up at him. “Dallin! You’re still here.”

“I am. And I need your help. Do you carry explosives?”

Her eyes widened a fraction. “We have some on-board. What do you need them for?”

“I found the source used by the Siblet to manufacture their poison. I plan on blowing it up.”

“It’s on the waystation?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s a mine. There’s a planet in this area that has the substance they must be using, and it’s unique to that planet. I’m taking a shuttle and making sure the source is shut down for good.”

Nalid hesitated. “You’re doing that alone? If the Siblet value this mine, it won’t be easy to get into.”

“I’m going alone. Do you have the explosives I need?”

“We have a small armoury.” She grabbed a key card off the desk. “Follow me.”

Dallin was glad Nalid didn’t ask too many questions, or slow him down as she fast marched into a quiet area of the waystation.

She turned the corner, headed down some steps, and used the key card to open a locked metal gate. She went through another security door, keyed in a number, and pulled it open.

Dallin stepped into the room and glanced around at the small row of cabinets.

“It might not be the all-you-can-tool-up paradise you were hoping for, but take what you need,” Nalid said.

He looked through the cabinets. There were grenades, flash bombs, and smoke bombs, but nothing with enough firepower for what he had in mind.

Dallin turned to Nalid. “Is this it? I need something to bring down an entire mine.”

“The grenades should work if you use enough of them,” she said. “They also have a timer option, so you can set them to detonate at the same time in different places. Would that give you enough explosive power?”

He worked his jaw from side to side. He had no idea how big the mine was, but that could work if he picked a central location, or found something to spark more explosions. There’d be power inside the mine, and that would be flammable.

“Are you okay?” Nalid touched his arm. “You kind of spaced out on me.”

Dallin shook himself. He couldn’t afford a brain freeze. “I’ll take all the grenades.”

“You got it.” Nalid opened a locker and started lifting out the explosives.

He’d get in, set the grenades, and hope for an easy route out. And if that failed... well, he’d do it, anyway. Destroying that mine was the most important thing.

Nalid grabbed a belt and clipped the grenades onto it. “I don’t envy you this job. Is there any other way you can stop the Siblet?”

“There isn’t. And this needs to be done quickly.”

“Are you sure you want to do this without backup?”