Page 14 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
Melissa doesn’t even crack a smile.
“The explosion took out the main circuits,” she says. “You’ll need to find the backup generator and reboot it manually. Be careful—the zone’s unstable.”
“I plan to come back in one piece, sweetheart,” Vlad says. “And I think a post-crisis dinner date would help me recover from the trauma.”
Melissa doesn’t even blink. Just turns to me, waiting for someone more serious to acknowledge the mission.
I give a nod, take the tablet, and pull up the static map.
“Got it. Let’s move.”
5-Ayden
The three of us head north, our boots echoing slightly against the composite floor of the corridor.
“I’m telling you—she’s totally into me,” Vlad mutters, ever the master of keeping things light.
“If you say so,” I reply, not even bothering to look at him.
“Who? Melissa?” Oscar cuts in. “Not a chance, man. That woman’s got the emotional range of a neutron star. Honestly, I think Ayden would have a better shot than you.”
“Ayden? Please,” Vlad scoffs. “He’s not into blondes.”
“What the hell makes you think that?”
“Hey, no judgment—honestly, it’s great for the rest of us. We’ve all noticed it. Every time we’re out hunting, you just conveniently ignore the blondes. No offense, though—it leaves more for us.”
I hesitate. The truth is… he’s not wrong. But it’s not what he thinks.
I almost tell him that a blonde has been haunting my thoughts more than I care to admit. But there’s no way I’m opening that door. Not even a crack.
And right on cue, a pair of intense blue eyes flash into my mind—framed by that same dark halo Logan has. I blink hard, trying to chase the image away.
No. No way I’m confessing that the one girl I can’t think about is the very reason I avoid her type.
“Vlad, focus on the actual problem and read us the damn map,” I say, cutting him off and changing the subject.
We reach an airtight door that marks the entrance to the next section.
“Manual override required,” Oscar says. “Each zone is sealed by a double airlock. The release lever is hidden above the center ceiling tile.”
“Well, that’s smart,” I grumble. “And how exactly are regular-sized humans supposed to reach it when it's a good fifty centimeters out of reach?”
“Protocol doesn’t say,” Oscar shrugs. “Sorry guys, I’m still kinda new here. Haven’t been briefed on all the ancient booby-trap doors yet.”
“No worries!” Vlad activates the comms. “Hey, Gorgeous? We’re at the airlock. Any chance you can tell us how to open it?”
“Just like it says—the lever is above the center tile,” Melissa snaps back, clearly annoyed.
“You won’t believe this, but I can read. In every registered language in the galaxy, in fact. The real question is, how do we reach that lever? I mean, I’m tall—and in more ways than one—but even I have my limits.”
Oscar stifles a laugh, nearly choking on it. Melissa doesn’t answer right away.
“Backtrack five or six steps,” she finally says. “Look for a symbol on the wall—two stacked lines, like stairs. Behind it, you’ll find a panel with a step ladder.”
I spot it almost instantly, etched into the wall. I press the symbol, activating a manual release. A small compartment pops open with a foldable step stool inside.
“Well, there’s our golden ticket,” I mutter, yanking it out. “Let’s hang on to this. Something tells me we’re gonna need it again.”
