Jack Strong and the Red Giant

Chapter 28: The Plan

"Jack, is that really you?"

"Vyleria!" shouted Jack, feeling a tide of joy surge through him. "What happened? I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were too," she said. "Where's Ros?"

"I don't know. After we crashed we got into an argument, then he flew off in a huff. He hasn't come back since."

"How long ago was that?"

"Days, I think. Though it's hard to be sure around here. But what about you, where've you been? Have you been unconscious all this time?"

"I don't know. I can't remember. I think I was in some sort of coma."

"A COMA? But that's serious."

"Don't worry about it. I'm better now. I think it had something to do with..."

"Go on..."

"Oh it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It doesn't sound like nothing if it put you into a coma. And you sound a little tired too. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, stop worrying. I've been through quite an ordeal. It will take me a while to get back up to a hundred per cent. You should be more concerned about those things that were chasing you. What were they?"

"I don't know. I was making my way back to the spaceships when the dust storm started. I had just about made it into a cave when I heard them growling behind me; luckily for me though the dust storm kept them at bay. But as soon as it lifted they began to chase me. I just about made it back it one piece."

"Well whatever they are, they're still out there," said Vyleria, making her spaceship semi-transparent.

As soon as the creatures saw her they swarmed all over her, trying to rip and claw their way in, each one biting and scratching for her head.

"What are we going to do?" asked Jack, making his ship translucent in order to attract some of the monsters his way. "We're trapped. We can't take-off and with these things around we can't even leave the spaceships."

"I don't know," she said.

"We have to think of something. And soon. This planet is going to crash into that star. We have days left, perhaps hours now."

"Wait. Are you sure?"

"Yes, well that was what Ros said before he left and I see no reason to doubt him. He seemed pretty sure at the time and the star is definitely getting bigger in the sky. Vyleria?"

"You're right," she said a few seconds later. "I've just done the calculations myself. I can't believe it."

"What are we going to do then?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Kat can help us."

"Hang on a minute, who's Kat?"

"That's me," said a girl's voice. "Nice to meet you finally, Jack."

"You've got to help us," said Jack, after Kat had told them all about how Xylem had taken over the spaceship. "You're our only hope."

"No way," she said, her voice quivering. "They'll get me, I'm sure of it."

"You have to; it's our only chance to escape. Without it we're doomed."

"Don't be silly," said Vyleria. "What can she possibly do against an army of thousands?"

Jack paused for a few seconds. "I don't know. Let me think of something."

"We don't have time for that. We've got to think of something now."

"No wait. I've got it!" yelled Jack suddenly. Could it really be that easy? How had they not thought of it before?

"Got what?" asked Vyleria.

"The plan. I need you both to listen very carefully. We may get out of this yet."

"It may just work," said Vyleria after listening to Jack's idea. "But there's just one problem. We aren't there. She is. Kat is going to have to do all this by herself. She's not ready for this."

"But we have no other choice. We're toast otherwise."

"Please Jack, don't make me do it," said Kat, her voice trembling more than ever. "They're gonna shoot me, I know it."

Then Jack said the words that he would remember for the rest of his life. "I'm scared too Kat. I'm always scared. I'm just like you really. Back on my planet I would get bullied all the time. I wanted to do something about it, but fear would always get the better of me. Being on the spaceship and meeting Vyleria and having all these experiences has made me realise that I can stand up for myself, that I am brave. There wasn't really any difference between myself and the other children who were bullying me. Some were even smaller than me. It was just that they had confidence and I didn't. Well, now I have confidence Kat and if you look inside yourself you will find that you do too. You might have hidden when you came aboard the spaceship, but you didn't run away or try to leave. You might have panicked when you saw Xylem and his people attacking and taking over the spaceship. But you didn't. You contacted us. You're strong Kat, I know it. Take confidence from that and help us all to get out of this mess."

"'Okay, I'll do it," she said a few seconds later, the tremor in her voice gone.

"Great. I knew you had it in you," said Jack. "Now let's show Xylem what we're made of."