Forty-five Part 2
 After a brisk jog Intrepid entered the Unverse Gateway room. It stretched long and wide like a warehouse with a ceiling around 150 feet, to accommodate the Cube-Gateway structures that already accommodated machines of war, arms and armor, or a Darkitect.
 There were other designs too. A tall heptagonal structure, not unlike The Ring breacher in its spiric design that lacked depth, was 70 feet tall and a ways away, between two Cube-Gateways. Also between Intrepid and The Heptagon was a delegation of Wormholer Stromlings wearing blue sashes, indicating some elitism.
 Like The Ring, the Heptagon had steps to a platform to enter its event horizon. Also on the platform were its minifigure-sized controls, manned by normal Stromlings. Also on the steps Intrepid identified two more of the Wormholer Stromlings flanking a Stromling that must have been their leader.
 Then a bunch of familiar heads climbed the steps into view. Intrepid only saw them from behind, but recognized Cyclone, Edgar, and the rest of his team ascending the platform. They were walking as if voluntarily, without obvious bindings. Then he noticed the blinking lights from bands on their heads. Mind control. Typical.
 A Stromling swung a lever on the platform controls and a warm hum filled the air. The Heptagon Breacher was powering up.
 Intrepid ran faster, shoving his way between the first Wormholer Stromlings, not bothering to smash them since there wasnât enough time. He vaulted up the armored back of another to dive over the rest, then somersaulted on the ground into a crouch, multiblaster in hand. He fired a piercing shot that passed through the back of the Stromling at the controls, vaporizing the Stromling and destroying the power switch.
 He was too late, there was an infrasonic roar that popped Intrepidâs ears, lights in the Heptagonâs corners flashed, and then a breach burst open, revealing a subterranean cavern not unlike the mine, but no doubt from the side of the Maelstrom Dimension. Out flew a dragon that he recognized as Torchblight, although this version of her had seen some upgrades like laser guns on her face and Maelstrom infused armor. She was one of the original Forbidden Valley dragons, Intrepid knew, but there was something else about it he couldnât recall at the moment, since opened her flamethrower of a mouth and swung straight for him. At the same time Wormholers warmed up around him as the Hammer Stromlings finally decided to do something about him.
 Intrepid dove low and swung with his re-equipped Staff to upend five Hammer Stromlings and throw them behind him, between him and Torchblight, just as she roared to unleash a hellfire. The flame burnt through the Hammer Stromlings, smashing them, but Intrepid slid out of the way. He doubled back just as Torchblight passed and grabbed her foot, vaulted himself up, and swung over her red back where a saddle and reins awaited., and he was pulled into the air, away from the Wormholer Stromlings. He pulled the reins but Torchblight had a mind of her own and swung back towards the Unverse breach.
 Torchblight was a mountable dragon, Intrepid remembered for some reason. Then he remembered that reason and his blood went cold. Torchblight was Demonstraitâs steed, and if Torchblight was hereâ¦
 A rifle blast suddenly fired from the breacher platform and Intrepid couldnât guide Torchblight to avoid it. Rather she sort of tilted herself so the energy arced straight for him. It hit him in the chest and knocked him off the dragonâs back to fall onto the platform right in front of his captured teammates and slide to the feet of the Wormholer Stromlings and their leader.
 Intrepid looked up into the barrel of a rifle, held by none other than Demonstrait. âGet up.â the Stromling leader spat, then kicked him backwards.
 Intrepid found he could not move. Some sort of paralysis spell kept him from moving except to breathe, and probably speak, as Demonstrait stepped over to him again. âWho are you?â the Stromling asked. âDo you even know who I am? I know many foolish minifigures, but it takes an extra amount of stupid to attack me!â
 âThis is a bleary place for the Darkitectâs right hand, eh Demonstrait?â Intrepid puffed. He received a kick to the face. âSeems you got demoted to field commander-â another kick silenced him.
 âWait, I know you.â Demonstrait leaned close. âYouâre Intrepid Fusion Eclipse. Youâre supposed to be dead.â The Stromling shouldered the rifle, grinned, and held out a hand for one of his Wormholer Stromlings to hand him a gun of that type. âDonât worry, Iâll make this painful.â
 Intrepid rolled his eyes backwards to see Cyclone, staring straight ahead, effectively as paralyzed as him. But he didnât look infected yet. Then Intrepid shut his eyes and he reached inside himself as Demonstrait activated the Wormholerâs chainsaw. It spun to life and he felt the rush of air as he brought it down.
 It was milliseconds from impact when Intrepid gave his Creative Spark a mental yank to smash himself, and the Wormholer cut harmlessly into the platform floor. Now as a free-floating Creative Spark he felt the immense level of Imagination emanating from the Creative Sparks of Cyclone and Allison, but not Charles for some reason, like his had been damaged. No matter. He rebuilt himself off Cycloneâs Nexus-esque power and shot Demonstrait.
 âAh!â the Stromling fell down, the multiblaster shot still smoking in his chest, but then he bounced back to his feet. âA multiblaster, eh? Powerful, but a single one wonât kill me.â Demonstrait cackled.
 âGood thing I got two.â Intrepid held up Evil Redâs in his infected hand and fired both straight ahead. Demonstrait dove to the side to avoid them so they hit the edge of the Heptagonal breacher instead, tearing through the structure and setting it aflame.
 Intrepid was then struck from behind and he whirled around to see Cyclone attacking him.
 âWhat in he-â a fast uppercut from the mind controlled Space Marauder knocked Iintrepid into the air.
 âFools!â he heard Demonstrait yelling. âGuide them into the breach, now!â
 Cycloneâs headband flashed, then he rejoined the rest of the captured team. The Wormholer Stromlings ushered them into the breach, then Torchblight flew through, and finally Demonstrait paused in front of Intrepid, who was standing up.
 âYou have failed.â he mocked, raising his Wormholer again. âNow you will die when this breach is destabilized and the mine collapses.â
 âDid you say the mine will collapse?â Intrepid repeated.
 Demonstrait glared and charged the Wormholer, but Intrepid was faster and shot Demonstrait in the chest again, knocking the Stromling backwards and into the breach, sending him on an irrerversible trip to the Maelstrom Dimension, presumably.
 A piece of flaming debris fell next to Intrepid and he looked up.
 The Heptagon breacher was oddly flammable, or the multiblasters had some chemical-altering properties to their rounds, since flames now fully encompassed its obsidian structure. Its lights flickered and the Unverse breach warped and distorted, no longer sustained, as the Heptagon breacher looked about to explode.
 How damaging the breacher would lead to breach destabilization, Intrepid could understand that, but destroy the mine too?
 Not really a failure in his book, unless he died. He gave his vitals a once-over and doused himself in a Notion Potion again. This caused his entire left forearm to sting painfully, since Maelstrom infections donât react well to Imagination, but it replenished him. He considered smashing himself, since without a physical body to worry about he could probably survive the resulting explosion.
 But then heâd still die, his Creative Spark slowly draining until he ceased to exist, since there were no Nexus Figures standing around or Rebuild checkpoints set up for miles.
 There was no other way to go. Intrepid activated his Unverse Manipulator and immediately his infection surged. He landed far outside the mine on the same cliff where they had planned their ill-fated mission before, just in time to see the flat plain underneath of which the mine was situated explode upward into a geyser of rock, flame, and metal fragments. Intrepid shielded his eyes until the fire abated and the rocks stopped raining.
 Where the mine used to be was a massive blast crater, inside of which was a massive hole, something like an Unverse breach, but completely matte and gray like dust, devoid of light or darkness, luminosity or reflection, without a destination. It was more than just a tear in the reality of this dimension, it was a hole in Unverse. Oblivion.
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