Take Back the Light

Chapter 46

Nothing that morning felt quite real.

Alana used her Slyren the night before the raid of Blakk's citadel to get a peaceful sleep. She never wanted to have nightmares of terraportals and ghouls, but especially not on the night of what was shaping up to be the biggest mission of her life. So Sonic lulled her to sleep quickly after the gang returned home from Ricochet Pizza, and not a single dream plagued her.

Then her alarm went off, and it was time.

She sat in her bed for a minute, staring up at her ceiling and taking deep, steady breaths.

Today's the day, she thought, a faint smile on her lips. In twenty-four hours, the fight with Blakk would be over. Alana sat up, enjoying the pale yellow Lumino light for one more moment before getting to her feet. Her slugs began to gather into her black backpack as she changed into her slinging gear.

Black boots, gray pants, a light blue shirt with a single bar of black on each side. As she pulled her shirt on, her gaze flickered first to the scar on her side where the Thrasher had cut her, then up to the burn on her right arm where the Dark Slinger's Darkfurnus had burnt her. She slid on her knee pads and gray belt, and grabbed her black and blue gloves.

One third scar, on her right forearm, where Dana had taken a slash at the hand Alana had held out to her. Alana narrowed her eyes and quickly tugged on her gloves. She glanced at her closet, decorated with pictures of herself, her slugs, and the gang. She knew that tucked away behind the sliding door was a shoebox holding pictures she'd rather not see every day, including some with her and Dana.

Eli had pulled her aside before the rest of the gang went to bed the night before.

"We know Blakk will probably have most of his forces outside the citadel," he had said. "So I'm thinking Trixie, Kord, and Pronto stay out from and keep them occupied while you and I get past them and go into the citadel. I'll go for the portal, and you..."

"Go for Dana," she guessed. Eli nodded.

"If the portal's already activated, we won't be able to stop it if she's willingly keeping it open," he said. "Even if it isn't, we won't be able to permanently neutralize the dark water if she can just keep curing it."

Alana glanced at the ground as he continued.

"I know it's hard. You shouldn't have to be the one to fight her, but you are. And I know you want to help her, and I'm not going to ever try to talk you out of that. But the focus will be incapacitating her as quickly as you can," Eli stressed. "Not healing her. We need to stop the portal as soon as possible. After that, I promise you can go back and do whatever you need to do, and then we'll figure it all out as we go."

Alana nodded. "I'm ready," she had assured.

Admittedly, Alana wasn't sure if she had meant it at the time. But now that the day was here, she only felt adrenaline, ready to be released.

"Let's go, guys," she said, grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs.

The rest of the gang was already preparing to leave, eating hurried breakfasts and grabbing their gear. Trixie looked up as Alana walked to the kitchen area and smiled, tossing Alana an apple.

"How do you feel?" Trixie asked.

"Ready," Alana replied confidently. "We've been dealing with Blakk for too long. I'm ready for it to be over."

"You're not nervous?" Trixie asked, grabbing her blaster and holstering it.

"Nah," Alana said, waving a hand. Trixie raised an eyebrow, and Alana sighed and shrugged. "Okay, sure. But worrying about it won't change anything. We're as ready as we'll ever be."