​

     "You keep looking into the sky," Niki said. "What are you looking for?"

     "Algren," Gramps replied. 

​     "Think they're going to show up?"

     Gramps shrugged. "They're not going to just let us take Adam Forwarder and his child without a fight."

     Then, as if Gramps had called for them himself, they appeared...

     out of nowhere, seemingly.

​     The algren.

     Their pitch black warships were on the smaller side, not much bigger than Gramps' van, really, but designed for battle.

​     A dozen appeared. 

     "It'd be a great time for the Azure to show up," Niki said. 

     "Yes, but in the meantime..." Gramps waved a sensor. A wall slid away to reveal a weapons rack. 

​     Gramps strapped a portable rocket launcher to his left shoulder. 

     He strapped a laser pistol to each hip. 

     He filled his pockets with grenade marbles.

     "You might want to grab a little something, too," he said to Niki.

​     "I don't know. I just may want to stick with the weapons I've got, the ones I've trained with."    

     "At least slap on a couple lasers."

     "Yeah, yeah, okay." 

     "I mean, you know, point and shoot." 

     "You're right." 

     She also grabbed a pocketful of grenade marbles.

     "You don't use anti-gravs?" Niki asked. "I love having that whole extra dimension to fight in." 

     "I like to say grounded as much as possible." 

     "To each their own." 

     "Showtime," Gramps said. 

     "Bye," they both said, turning invisible as the door leading out of the van opened. 

     Gramps jumped left as Niki, on her anti-gravs, rose into the sky.

     As they did, the van got slammed by algren fire, filling the van's interior before the door of the van, once again, closed.  

                                                      CONTINUE