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“My people tell me that the Khul are in the far back hallways.” Typhon frowned. “Despite eliminating the jammer, I am still having some difficulty locating them.”

“Perhaps they are carrying some kind of localized devices,” Davies suggested.

We really need to investigate the Khul technology to understand how it is blocking us. After they’re dead. Very, very dead, Davies thought as he imagined a Khul’s body covered in squirming, dying larva. He understood the urge and need to simply burn those suckers to ash.

Typhon waved his comm near a scanner and the door whispered open. Davies glanced inside.

“No one,” Davies said. “Which way do we go?”

But before Typhon could answer, Jace was communicating with him over his own comm.

Davies! Dr. Hayter! Jace cried.

“Pilot! Oh, I see more colors when he talks,” Dr. Hayter murmured happily and began drawing invisible figures in the air.

“Doc, should we leave you here?” Davies asked.

The doctor blinked and shook his head. He slapped his cheeks and said, “No, no, I’m going to get it together. I will!”

I’m so glad you’re both okay! Jace exclaimed and there was a burst of balloons and confetti to indicate a celebration.

“Well, I’m okay. And David over here is having a right good time,” Davies answered dryly.

Oh… why are his vitals so strange? Ohhhhhh, he took a stim, didn’t he? Jace asked.

“I hurt my knee! But now, I feel like a new man, Pilot!” Dr. Hayter dreamily answered. “And all the colors!” He shook himself. “There are no colors. But I admit there is no knee pain either!”

Well, you should be fine in a few hours. And we’ll get your knee fixed up then, Jace responded after a confused moment probably regarding the “colors” statement.

“Forget about us. What about you? Are you still where we, ah, left you?” Davies asked, keeping it vague as to where Jace was in case the Khul had tapped into their comms. He hoped Jace would keep it just as vague, too.

I’m fine. Still not able to fight physically though, Jace added a sad emoji.

“Physical fighting is not where you should be, Pilot.” Typhon was frowning. “You are too valuable for that.”

Davies tended to agree, but he wasn’t surprised by the angry-face emotion that Jace made, which became a sad face. Typhon’s eyebrows drew together at the likely unusual emojis.

Though I don’t agree with you, Typhon, I don’t have much choice. I’m just about able to sit up in the chair by myself, Jace admitted. Well, with help. Your sister’s helping. A lot.

“Are you safe where you are?” Davies asked.

Yes, for now, at least. I’m working on getting the Compound’s defenses working. There’s just… a lot wrong, Jace answered and Davies could feel the frustration in those ellipses.

“We have allowed our world to rot,” Typhon answered grimly.

It’s going to be okay. We’re going to fix that, Jace assured him. The reason the shield and wall failed into the Compound was because things were a little neglected, but now I know what to expect.

But, of course, the additional problem was that while Jace might know what to expect now, he likely didn’t have time to fix it, or so Davies guessed.

“You came here expecting an advanced civilization, but what you found are people playing in an ancient city that is falling apart all around them.” Typhon looked grim.

You’ve done your best, Jace said kindly. The past is the past. We can’t fix that. We can only change the present and the future.

Typhon put an arm across his chest in a kind of salute. “You are right, Pilot. Forgive me for my black thoughts.”

No need to forgive, Jace said. In the meantime, I sent Gehenna and some of the warriors to the east quadrant where the Khul broke in. Khoth, Nova and a squadron of warriors are coming up behind them. The Khul will be trapped in a trick box with death on both ends.

“Has anyone been… captured?” Davies asked.