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Nanostation, January 23rd, 2126
He had to think fast. The Golden Warriors had just rammed their entire mothership into Rycroft's crumbling Nano-station, and the nanobots chewing through its hull didn't help.
There was only one glimmer of hope on his mind: The Teleporter. If he could reach the center of the station, then he could hopefully get down to Earth and reach Venus in time. Judging by Rycroft's smarmy report, he was probably already waiting there with Venus, but that could wait.
The Being knew he didn't have time to wait, there had to be a way out. He scanned every room, checked every corner, then stopped when he noticed a panel sliding open on one wall, marked “OVERRIDE PANEL 311-A”. He stared, eyeing the various switches inside, no doubt a last line of defense in the event of catastrophic failure.
He found one: “Elevator Remote Call” and flipped it. In seconds, he heard a soft “Ping!” and ran toward the middle of the room. Without access to a fire escape or any other route, he swallowed his fear, raced inside, and slapped the topmost button: "Living Quarters".
The lift shuddered and shook as it rocketed up the shaft, not designed to move in such an unstable state. He gripped the handrail and closed his eyes, imagining the loose nanobots eating into every inch of this crumbling station. Or the crazed Golden Warriors who just sacrificed their entire ship to “Save” him. Were they still alive? He couldn’t bear the thought. And one question lingered: Where on Earth was Dr. Rycroft?
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As it happened, up in his private office, Dr. Alex Jacob Rycroft was already packing his bags for the teleporter. He smirked at the computer screen, seeing his escapee rising on a schematic of the station. Even with the CCTV shot out, he knew only three corridors remained between the two of them. But Dr. Rycroft already had his next plan lined up, and right now he was taking his leave.
The station shook as he climbed the next stairway, throwing Rycroft off balance. Bracing himself against one wall, he kept clambering upwards, uncaring that it was he who set the rabid nanobots loose. It was a simple scuttle procedure that Weston Carnodyne would more than be able to compensate for. A resource no longer needed; both understood that.
At the top, Dr. Rycroft punched in a code for his personal elevator, and rode it up to the station’s transport bay. Once there, he stepped out into a huge white room open to the void of space, only protected by a force field. Quickly, Dr. Rycroft turned to a control panel and typed in the elaborate sequence to power this system, likely for the last time ever.
Then an alarm began blaring, while A computerized voice spoke over the intercom, “Attention: Teleport Charge Initiated! Activation in T-minus: five minutes!”
Several floors down, the Being drew his Multipistol and charged out of the elevator, scanning for any sign of his treacherous foe. The living quarters were neat and tidy, but held little evidence to peruse. Judging by the klaxon, though, it didn’t take long for the Being to piece together where to go.
He sprinted up the stairs and made quick work of the elevator with his Autohacker, though this console proved the most complicated one yet.
While he worked, Dr. Rycroft watched as the teleporter countdown hit zero, and a huge beam of light burst from the center of the station.
The Being had just enough time to make it to the top floor to catch Rycroft turning toward him. The Being’s eyes filled with rage as he drew his pistol, but Rycroft paid no heed. He simply gave him a mocking wave and stepped into the beam, vanishing.
“Oh no, you don’t!” thought the Being.
He sprinted at full force after Rycroft, leaping into the beam as the station at last gave out and exploded. Wherever they were going, the Being hoped his savior would be there.