Inside and Out, Chapter 8 and Epilogue, The End.

Chapter 81

We ran up to the Command Center. Lewis took one look at the radar and ordered the fighters to launch their planes. “Cally, get your computer up here so we can talk with these things. Josh, go see if we can get Myrtha out there; we’ll need everyone we can get.” I took off, I didn’t want anyone to die and from what I had seen in the transcripts these Cybernetics could get pretty nasty. When I got back, Myrtha was on next to Lewis; she was a little shaky, but she tried to hide it. 2

“I can fly.” She protested, even though she was shaking from head to toe. 3

“Look at you Myrtha, you’re in no condition to fight, you can’t even stand up!” said Lewis. Josh walked up to Myrtha and held her by the crook of her arm. 4

“Stay on the ship this time, you can’t fight.” Said Lewis.5

“Than why did you ask Josh to see how I was? If I could fly? You said so yourself; you need every man you can get.” 6

“We need every man who can fly, not every man who can try and stand.”7

“Lewis this is ridiculous! We dealt with this when I came on-I ain’t going to stay here. I belong on a plane if I belong anywhere.” Lewis shrugged, then turned to me. “Cally, I want you in the plane with Myrtha; you’re going to try and fling these viruses back into the Cybernetics. If we don’t I have a feeling that we’ll be incapacitated.” I grabbed my computer and Myrtha dragged me down to the hangar bay. “Well I can see you’re excited.” I said. “Oh be quiet.” She said as she strapped into the pilot seat. 8

We were the first to take off and I started to hack into the Cybernetic viruses. They were quicker than I had expected, and I couldn’t focus with the plane jumping and somersaulting all over the place. “Would you stop tossing this hunk of metal all over the place?” I asked. “You want to fly?” she hissed. “Sorry. I’m having a little trouble handling this thing.” I looked at my screen to see what progress I had made, “I think I know why.” In retaliation, to my attempts to hack in, the viruses had spread to the plane and were fighting with Myrtha for control until they wrenched the controls from her hands. “The computer is flying.” “No,” I said, “the Cybernetics are flying.” They had all the fighters under their control and had us heading toward the Godspeed. “I need a headband!” I groaned and handed her the one Josh had given me. “Here!” she closed her eyes and tried to fight for the plane with her mind. She won a little ground, but the effort was exhausting her. “Godspeed, this is Athena, we are under enemy control. I repeat: the fighters are under enemy control.” “Copy that Athena, we’re firing pellets to see if we can shake the viruses off.” Small bullets came hammering toward us, “They won’t do any damage, their designed to hack and get rid of the viruses for a little while.” Said Myrtha. But the viruses didn’t pay attention to the pellets. “Crud!” shouted Myrtha, “Athena to neighboring craft my plane has fired at the Godspeed, Raena, fire a torpedo towards the missile.” She fired and hit the missile we had fired. “Myrtha, we can’t last much longer like this, tell Cally to hurry up.” I rolled my eyes; these people had obviously never tried to hack.9

Narrative finished by Myrtha10

We were fighting the Cyberetics for our own planes, how on earth were we supposed to get them out of existence? I remembered how I had told them to leave at Silicon, “Cally! Take the helm.” I said. “I’m kind of busy right now!” she said. “Just take it! It’s like driving a car.” I said, giving the co-pilot’s seat full control. She took the wheel and I closed my eyes, I had no idea how to separate my brain at will but it happened without too much trouble. I whizzed through the fleet, a small piece of me in every ship and into every single Cybernetic virus. “For the fleet, against your masters, turn to those who would have you do their work. Go to them and speak your mind, you’ll no longer bend to their will.” They released control of my ship and I went back to my body. The Cybernetic ships squirmed with discomfort, “Make a light-speed jump!” I shouted the order then jumped as the Cybernetics exploded, for real this time. 11

Upon landing, we were greeted with shouts and cheers. There was a big celebration among the crew, but I couldn’t join them. Raena, El, Josh, Lewis, Cally and I had our own private celebration in our quarters. We all were quiet though, hardly joyous as we should have been. 12

“You talked with him yet Lewis?” asked Raena.13

“About what?” 14

“The ship, it’s yours.” 15

“I’m not going to bother him with it. Fellow’s got enough on his mind already.” Said Lewis. “What about you Myrtha?” I shrugged. 16

“I don’t know if I’m ready to have my father back.” I said. My mother, overjoyed though she was, felt the same. We’d gotten so used to saying he was dead that getting him back was almost like a delusion to us. We finished celebrating in silence and the only people left was Cally, Josh and I. 17

“What are you going to do about it?” asked Josh, referring to having Boswell as my father. 18

“As far as I’m concerned, he can rot for eternity!” said Cally.19

“I’m divided completely, so we’ll see how it turns out.” 20

The next day, I was summoned to see Boswell. I went to his office and saw that it was exactly as Lewis had left it when we had been arrested. “I figure it belongs to your friend anyway.” He said. “Lewis.” I said; he nodded slightly. “I’m not staying on the Godspeed.” Said Boswell, “I’m taking command of another ship, the Conqueror. I’ve stolen your friend’s ship long enough.” I smiled. “I’ll talk to you soon, good hunting.” He said. “Dad,” I said it quietly, but he turned toward me anyway. “Good hunting, sir.” I saluted and Boswell left. 21

Epilogue22

Dear Myrtha,23

I’ve probably robbed you, but from what I’ve seen of your character you won’t let me get in the way of whatever you need to do. I never imagined that you would end up in the Fleet, I always pictured you following your mother’s footsteps by becoming an artist of some sort. Who’d have thought that you would become an officer? From what I’ve heard it’s, in a way my fault, although since your enjoying it I guess that’s the one thing I’ve done for you. I never really was there, I could have been there now; but I can’t live with all that I did to betray the fleet. You would feel the same way had you done what I did. Never realized we were that similar, anyway… What I really meant to say in this letter, which is getting a little long, is that I’m sorry I let you down, you and your mother. 24

A Commander, as you know, can leave his ship to anyone in the fleet fully qualified. I know a position cannot fully repay you, or your mother but I leave the Conqueror to you. Good Hunting, Myrtha. Your father, Commander Joseph Boswell. 25

This was one of the two letters found on my father’s desk after they heard a gunshot come from his office. The other letter was written to my mother, and I have yet to see its contents. 26