Jack Strong and the Red Giant

Chapter 36: The Core

The crimson skies faded away, replaced by the white walls of the control room. There Jack met Padget and a young, brown-skinned girl he at once took to be Kat. He hugged them both immediately.

"Did you find Vyleria?" he asked.

"You have to let her go," said Ros. "It's time to accept the truth."

"She's not dead!" Jack shouted. "Have you scanned the planet for her ship?"

"No... I wasn't sure how to ... listen Jack ... you need to."

"I need to what Padget? I NEED TO FIND HER – That's what! We all do."

Jack thrust Padget aside and started scanning the planet for signs of life. He expected to find her immediately. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. What was he going to do?

Without thinking Jack jumped into the pilot's control and took the ship back down towards the planet.

"JACK!" They all screamed at once. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'LL KILL US ALL!"

But he wasn't listening. He was going to find Vyleria no matter what. Everything else was immaterial.

They plunged into the sizzling sea of lava like a silver dart. Ros, Padget and Kat recoiled, expecting to burn up at any moment. But nothing happened. It was like they were flying through air, not one of the hottest substances known to exist.

At first Jack couldn't see anything, then he pushed a button which made the lava transparent. Before his eyes he could see giant rocks and boulders melting and exploding into nothing. But there was still no sign of Vyleria or her spaceship. Where is she?

"JACK!" he heard Ros shout. "You've got to hurry up. This ship might be able to withstand lava but if this planet explodes it won't be able to stop a flying continent."

Jack went quicker and quicker, determined to find her. Still nothing. More searching. Desperate now.

Then he saw something.

Something small.

Something silver.

Her ship was at the bottom of a long, deep gash that stretched all the way from the surface to the core of the planet. Her ship looked to be still intact, but there were no signs of life. He checked his instruments again just to be sure. Still nothing. His heart sank. Maybe she was dead after all?

He transported her ship on board, placing it into one of the rooms next to theirs. Then he turned the spaceship around and shot out at a thousand times the speed of light, the planet exploding behind them as tens of thousands of volcanoes erupted all at once, showering the entire surface and much of outer space in a splurge of lava and red hot rocks.

As soon as they were well away from both the planet and the red giant Jack ejected himself from the pilot's control and ran to where he'd beamed Vyleria's spaceship.

Ros, Padget and Kat were there when he arrived, Vyleria cradled at their feet.

She was missing one leg, covered head to toe in cuts and bruises, and she was horribly thin. Jack had never seen her look so weak and vulnerable.

"You're alive," he whispered, as he gently held her head in his hands. Her forehead was on fire, sweat pouring down her cheeks.

With heavy eyes Vyleria looked up at him and smiled. "Jack," she croaked, "I... I thought you were dead. So... so happy."

Then she went quiet, closed her eyes and lost consciousness.