Page 138 of Pets in Space 10

“I hope so. This is not the only place from which they can control us. They have a space station circling the planet, which is why this lab is now unoccupied. They don’t need to be here to send commands to the collars.

But this is the original control centre.

If we’re lucky, everything sent from here overrides commands from other sources. ”

My fingers danced across the screen – scales shifting slightly as I moved. I had to guess at some of the options, but I didn’t get any error messages. I was amazed this system still worked this smoothly. Maybe it got updates sent remotely.

A schematic appeared. Red dots blinked across a map of Kalumbu. tyvarin. At least fifty of them. Maybe more, scattered through the mountains and forests. Sleeping. Waiting. Hunting.

Still enslaved.

And not as many as I remembered. Where were the others? Sent to other planets? Dead?

A cold shiver ran over my scales. My brothers.

I felt Hazel step closer, her breath warm against my arm. “Can you break the connection?”

I nodded once. “I can disable the signal that feeds their collars. Not destroy the collars – not from here. But cut them off from the masters’ commands. Give them a chance to wake up. The way I did.”

“And if they don’t?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they will retreat somewhere, waiting for new commands. They will not hunt. They will do nothing but wait. Until the masters repair what we break today.”

I pressed my hand to the activation pad.

There was a pulse. A low, thrumming sound, like a heartbeat suddenly cut short.

The red dots vanished.

All of them.

Gone.

Hazel sucked in a breath. “You did it.”

“I hope so,” I whispered. “I hope they feel the silence now. I hope it gives them peace.”

I didn’t feel triumphant. Not yet. But I did feel… lighter.

A soft sound interrupted the stillness – a low, rumbling roar from far away.

The fallen tyvarin.

Hazel and I exchanged a look, then moved quickly through the corridor, retracing our path. The outer gate still stood open. The black-scaled tyvarin lay where I had left him, breath shallow, eyes flickering.

By his side was the little one, Ruby, nuzzling his soft belly. She greeted us with happy tweets and jumped into Hazel’s arms. I smiled at the sight of the two before crouching beside the tyvarin, gently touching the side of his neck.

His eyes focused on me.

No fury. No orders. Just confusion.

Then pain.

Then… recognition.

He didn’t speak – couldn’t, not like this – but I saw it in the way his claws flexed, in the low rumble of his breath. The command chain was broken. He was free.

Hazel crouched beside me, her voice soft. “Will he be okay?”

“He will be lost. Like I was. But he will have a chance now. If his injuries heal.” I got up and scanned the area.

“I will hunt for him. We will leave him with supplies and a fire to restore his own. Then it is his choice whether to enter the lab and use the machine like I did or to stay a tyvarin. A free tyvarin. But first, help me take the collar off him.”

I missed my old strength as we struggled to heave the collar from around his neck. Hazel helped as much as she could, while Ruby cheered us on, tiny purple wings flapping with excitement. By the time the collar finally dropped to the floor, we were breathing hard.

A low buzzing noise alerted me to an incoming drone.

“Hide,” I hissed at Hazel, before swirling around to face the enemy. My wings unfurled, beating once, twice, remembering their function. I jumped into the air, half-expecting to crash, but my wings carried me like they always had.

I raced towards the drone while gathering fire inside my chest. It was still burning there, the fire the makers had cursed me with. Would I be able to use it in this form?

Only one way to find out.

When the drone came into reach, I reached deep and breathed…fire. A stream of turquoise flames shot at the drone, engulfing it. The buzzing stopped and the drone fell from the sky, shattering on the rocky slope below.

I pumped my fist in victory.

My mouth tasted of ash and acid, my lips were too hot, almost burned, but I had vanquished the enemy.

But more drones would follow. By now, the game makers had to know that we’d broken into the lab. It was time to leave.

I landed in front of Hazel with an uneven stumble. I needed to work on my flying skills.

“We have to go,” I announced. “I will carry you down into the valley. Then I will hunt and bring some meat to the tyvarin, while you and the little one rest and recover.”

“Are we going back to your cave?”

“It is too far just now. I want to stay close to the tyvarin, in case he needs more help. I thought I could leave him to his own devices, but… he is like me. I want to help him.”

She put a hand on my arm. “I understand. And I agree with your decision. Although I don’t like being parted from you.”

“Neither do I. But it won’t be for long. Now, let’s find a place to shelter before more drones come.”

I turned towards the ridge.

The sun was beginning to set behind the mountain peaks, casting long golden shadows across the stone. The air felt cleaner somehow. Like something had shifted beneath the skin of this world.

Freedom had begun.

And I had someone to share it with.