CHAPTER SIX.
spacewalker.

     MARS KNEW THAT THEIR MISSION WAS URGENT, but she didn't expect the Elders to practically shove them outside after accepting the task. So, having stood by as Ceren's most trusted engineers and mechanics fixed up the few damaged pieces to the Silver Wolf for what felt like hours, she was beginning to feel a bit anxious. She still wasn't completely rid of her doubts, but she was trying to push them down to her best effort, but clearly that wasn't the concern of the others..

     " Gods, I could've had it up and running by now. " Max muttered, arms crossed steely over his chest as he watched the sparks flying from the tools that the engineers wielded across the backyard of the Council building. They were fine tuning and oiling the Silver Wolf, insisting that they should probably check it out before they tried flying a rusty spaceship.

     Mars' eyes drifted from his face, where small blotches of soot seemed to permanently stain the edges of his skin, to his arm— the one made of bronze colored metal and screws. She knew it was probably rude, but she couldn't help the strong curiosity she felt.

     " Did you make it? " She asked promptly, using his previous comment to fuel her question; he lazily dragged his eyes over to her, raising a thick eyebrow as if he didn't understand what she meant. Mars' face wrinkled as she clarified, " The arm, your arm. Did you make it yourself? "

     " Of course I made it myself, do you really think I would trust anyone to make me an arm? " He retorted, fingers digging into the upper part of the aforementioned prosthetic, wrapping tightly around his shirt sleeve, glowering.

     " Why? " She persisted, not taking her eyes off of his even when he turned away with an aggravated sigh; her voice had drawn the others' attention to her, save for Kanae, who was more invested in the Silver Wolf than she was Mars' questions.

     " You ask a lot of pointless questions. " Max informed her bluntly, barely holding her eyes for more than a second before he straightened his gaze again, exhaling quietly. " It's none of your business. "   

      Mars seemed a bit taken back by his attitude but she let him blow her off coolly, shoving her hands into her jacket and tilting her head the other way. KP caught her eyes from across her, raising his eyebrows in silent questioning before the girl just shook her head gently. Alec appeared between Max and Mars, draping an arm over either of their shoulders and closing the tense distance between them by pulling them towards his own lanky body.

     " Now, ladies, no need to be at each other's throats already, " He tutted sarcastically, making Max scowl at him and Mars just raise her eyebrows in surprise, " there's enough of me to go around. "

     " Shut up, Murphy. " Max insisted, shoving his arm off of his shoulder before stepping away from him, crossing his arms back over his chest just as sternly as before.

      " Jeez, maybe we should leave you behind with the old geezers. " Alec clicked his tongue, drawing his arm from Mars' shoulder as she rigidly stood beneath him; he moved a step away from her as Kanae suddenly decided she was listening to them, turning on her heel with a small frown.

     " This mission is of utmost importance, " She reminded them, directing her disapproval at Alec, whose eyebrows furrowed together in slight disbelief, " I suggest you act mature. "

     " Mature? " He repeated, scoffing as he gestured towards the short girl, " I don't think you have any room to be calling me immature, you're like, twelve. "

     " Fifteen, actually. " She corrected in a matter-of-fact tone before a sharp glare overtook her pale face, " But, my mind is just as old as the rest of you, and I know more than you could possibly imagine. "

     " How's that possible? " Mars asked, genuinity in her tone. Alec, Kanae, KP, and even Max, who was reluctant to even spare Mars his attention, all turned to her. " How can your mind be seventeen and your body only fourteen? "

     " My blood has Titan properties, one of which is immortality. I age slower than any other species, but my mind doesn't stop growing. " She briefly informed them, and she seemed a bit nervous to see their reaction; Mars noticed that the three strangers were good at hiding their emotions and true feelings through walls of blankness, and she was already regretting agreeing to this. Having to do anything with their band of misfits would be difficult, if not impossible.

     " Well, good to know. " KP stated, looking over at Mars with the same, slightly startled expression; neither of them knew exactly how to react to the information.

     " Yeah, if anything, we can have her play the old puppy eyes trick. " Alec suggested, making the four of them turn to glare at him; he shrugged, rolling his eyes, " Used to work for me when I was younger. "

     " I'm sure that's exactly how you managed to steal from all those people, right? " Kanae responded rhetorically, and Mars was beginning to think that she knew a little bit more about them, and the mission in general, than what the Elders had just told them all.

     " Nah, just takes these good looks and a little bit of skill. " Alec replied wittily, not letting her jab spite him as Elayne began to approach them; the group all visibly straightened and tensed, but she gave them a welcoming expression that tried to calm them.

     " We've already marked your first destination on the tracker inside. Minerva should be fairly easy to recruit. " She informed them, and KP hesitantly raised his hand; Mars rolled her eyes and let out a breathy laugh but he ignored her as Elayne turned to him with a raised brow. " Yes, Mr. Barnes? "

     " Uh, what about our families? " He asked, which seemed to make Mars look over as well for an answer. " We can't just. . leave them. "

     " Well, " Elayne began, though she sounded less confident than before, her warm smile faltering briefly as she placed a hand on his broad shoulder. " you'll have a chance to send them a video while you're gone. "

    " Wait, what? " KP questioned, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, " Why can't I just call them right now and tell them? "

     " I'm afraid that could jeopardize the mission. Parents aren't usually okay with their kids running off in a ploy to save the world, and unfortunately we don't have the time to waste. " Elayne insisted, and her sadness did seem genuine. " I'm sorry, but that is how it must be. "

      KP didn't argue although he sure looked like he wanted to, instead choosing to look at the ground. Elayne nodded towards the Silver Wolf as the workers parted from it, leading the group of five over to it's exit hatch as it laid out for them. She then took a step back to join the other Elders who stood near them, different expressions of doubt and hope on their faces.

     " We will be in contact, if you need assistance. We wish you safe travels and good luck, children. " Delia said, a serene smile on her face as they seemed to dismiss them. Max turned around and was the first to begin to walk up the ramp, Kanae close behind after nodding solemnly to her father. Murphy and KP bickered quietly on their way up. Mars waited a moment in hesitation before she turned around and moved to follow them.

      " Mars, " Elayne's voice called quietly, and the girl glanced over her shoulder as the woman gripped her wrist loosely; her eyes locked into Mars' as she gave her a deadly serious look, " you must ensure this mission is a success. The fate of the galaxy is resting in your hands. "

      Right, no pressure, she wanted to mutter, but she kept it to herself as she nodded in response. Elayne gave her a small smile before releasing her and stepping back once more. Mars began up the ramp, walking into the spaceship that had gotten her into this mess. Well, in hindsight, it wasn't really fair to blame the Silver Wolf, she was the one who actively went searching for it.

      " Holy shit, this is a lot. . " KP commented as the hatch shut behind Mars, making her glance back at it, startled; she approached the group as they surrounded a small ledge that had popped out of one of the sides of the ship, a handful of various weapons displayed on it.

      " Yeah, what kind of trouble do they think we're gonna run into? " Max asked, and Mars crossed her arms tightly over her chest as she peered past KP to see the display.

     " The kind we need to be prepared for. " Kanae said blankly, picking up a pair of silver brass knuckles and heading away in satisfaction. Mars blinked at the shorter girl as she passed her without a second look; she already had a katana strapped to her, did she really need brass knuckles too? How much fighting was she anticipating?

     " Ooh, come to daddy— " Alec picked up a shiny blaster from the table, only for KP to pluck it from his hands, earning him a glare from the Eol.

     " Call me crazy, but I don't think the criminal should have the gun. " KP insisted, to which Alec rolled his eyes; the bigger teen leaned over the table and picked up a small, silver pin and dropped it in his hand with a smirk. " There, have fun. "

     " What am I supposed to do with this? " Alec muttered, twirling the pin in his fingers as he moved away from the table with furrowed eyebrows; Mars snorted quietly and held up her fist to KP as he bumped it whilst looking over her head at the annoyed Eol with a childish grin.

     Max had taken the pair of daggers that were there, examining them as if he had to know every detail about them. KP seemed to like the blaster, leaving Mars to look upon the leftover supplies. She wasn't very fond of using knives in general, having no experience with them, and she assumed KP took the only blaster, so she just took the five communicators off the table. She tossed one to KP, who was startled but caught it nonetheless.

     " Here, communicators. " She announced, turning and throwing one to the other three, who each took them and analyzed them in their hands; Mars walked over to sit in the pilot's seat, glancing over her shoulder at the others, who looked a bit puzzled. " What? "

     " Do you expect us all to sit on your lap? 'Cause, while I definitely wouldn't mind it, there's not enough space for KP. " Alec pointed out, smirking a bit at his own joke; Mars rolled her eyes and turned to face the front of the ship.

     " Sorry, not all of us can be squirrely twigs like you, Murphy. " KP grunted, seeming unbothered by the comment as he looked at the different knobs and buttons on the blaster.

     Mars instinctively grabbed her necklace, chewing on the inside of her cheek as her eyes skimmed the wide array of buttons and levers on the console. She quickly found a set that was labeled "interior", and had a pretty good feeling about one of the switches. She flicked it on and waited impatiently, feeling the four pairs of eyes burning into her back.

     Then, with a roar of life, the Silver Wolf rose to all four legs and a set of crimson cushioned seats came from hatches in the metal floor. The others were a little taken back, and Mars grinned to herself as they began to sit down.

    " There, we settled? " She asked, getting only murmurs of agreement before she reached forward and grabbed one of the levers. " Alright then, hang on tight. "

     The ring around her necklace began to glow a bright white, making Max, Alec, and Kanae lean forward curiously. The engine roared to life, and the Silver Wolf reared its head up to howl before its blasters turned on, pushing them into the air. Below them, Mars could see the Elders watching them, and she looked down at the tracker to see a green dot blinking at her. She pushed the lever forward, and they zoomed into the atmosphere. A small glass case popped open over one of the buttons, and Mars raised an eyebrow at it questionably before assuming that Silver wanted her to press it. Perhaps she should stop assuming that the mechanical wolf knew what was best for her, but it hadn't failed her yet.

    " Auto-pilot engaged. Destination: Minerva. "

     Mars sat back in her seat with a small smile on her face, watching as Ceren blasted past them in a blur of blue and green. She had always wanted to see other planets, to venture deeper into the Andromeda Galaxy, and she was finally getting her wish. The planet she had spent all seventeen years of life on began to get smaller and smaller until it turned into a small blue blob. The stars were more prominent but it was hard to see much other than their shiny reflections as the Silver Wolf moved at a speed unimaginably fast.

    About fifteen minutes into the flight, it was   painfully quiet. No one had spoken since they left Ceren, and even Mars could feel how oddly tense the atmosphere was. She leaned around her chair an inch to try and see if everyone else felt as awkward as she did, hoping they weren't all just asleep or something. Kanae was staring off into space, and KP was actually dozing off, a bit of drool dribbling down his chin. Murphy was busy messing with his pin, a befuddled expression etched on his face, and Max caught Mars' eyes almost instantly when she looked at him.

     He didn't speak for a minute, and she was trying to understand why he found her so irritating while they both just looked at each other. She wasn't exactly the most well liked person in school, but before people started seeing her as the girl with a dead dad, they didn't necessarily hate her either. Keeping her from thinking about it too long, he finally asked, " How'd you find this thing? "

      " Pure luck. " She responded half-heartedly, he didn't seem convinced even if it was basically the truth. He raised an eyebrow, looking choleric almost naturally, but his eyes went elsewhere as he accepted her answer. Maybe that was half because he simply didn't want to talk to her more and less of him actually believing her.

     Now that the ice had been broken, Murphy straightened his back and stretched his arms, lazily dragging his eyes away from the pin to look over at Kanae, " So, pipsqueek, what're we actually up against? The Elders didn't really explain what would happen if we actually happened to encounter Titans. "

     Kanae slowly turned her head to look at him, eyes narrowed the slightest as she replied, " I've studied the prophecy since I could read, and I've been taught how to fight since I could walk. I know how to combat what we're 'up against'. "

     Alec hummed uninterestedly as he waved his hand around, " Right, good to know, but that's not what I asked, killer. "

     Kanae glared at him at the figure of speech that she most likely didn't understand; then, upon looking around and seeing Mars and Max also looking to her for an answer, she sighed quietly and pursed her lips.

      " Commander Amon, at least, that's what they call him. He's the one that's leading them. He was Valaya Mortem's right hand man, and he broke out of Damnation, thanks to some rogue Titans on the inside. " Kanae explained, eyes darting across each pair staring at hers with seriousness, " Valaya is dangerous, but with her locked up, there's no telling how Amon will handle things.

     " According to the Elders' records, there are a few hundred Titans reported in the Titan Army so far, not counting the previous members that are locked up alongside Valaya. " Kanae continued, and Murphy shrugged.

      " Well, relatively, that doesn't sound like a lot. " He insisted, but the look on Kanae's face said otherwise.

     " Even ten Titans is enough to decimate the biggest region on Ceren. It's impossible to know what abilities they all have and how well they know how to use them, not to mention they are way bigger than any of you. " She said bluntly, and Murphy raised his pointer fingers, spinning in his chair to face the wall.

     " Nevermind. "

     " Is there anything we know for sure? " Mars questioned, and Kanae glanced over at her, eyeing her for a moment as she contemplated an answer before settling on a morbid one.

     " If we don't stop them, they'll destroy the galaxy and enslave whoever happens to survive. " She said it so plainly that it even sent chills down Mars' spine as she tried to shove that thought far from her head.

     " Well, that's encouraging. " Murphy quipped, earning a grimace from the shorter girl.

     " You need to take this seriously, the galaxy depends on it. " She reminded him distastefully, and he leaned forward in his seat as he scowled at her.

      " I'm taking you being half Titan very seriously. " He retorted, making Mars tense in her seat at the sound of approaching conflict. Kanae let out an angry grunt and lunged forward suddenly, hands outstretched to the Eol before she was tugged back by her seatbelt.

     " Hey, calm down! " Max shouted, stirring KP with a groan as he placed a hand on his own seatbelt, ready to jump into action if needed.

     " Kanae, come on, he's just— " Before Mars couldn't finish her sentence, the dark haired girl turned her aggression towards her, anger lighting her dark eyes.

     " No, you're not my boss! None of you are! " She shouted, unclasping her seatbelt, making Murphy flinch and Max instinctively undo his own. She stood, fists clenched at her side as she declared, " If you want to be foolish, then so be it. I'm here to protect you, but if you can't be serious enough to stay alive, that is not my problem! "

     Mars must've looked genuinely frightened of the girl, because Murphy glanced over at her, an eyebrow cocked as he called, " Yeah, better get used to this, it's in her blood, after all. "

     " Shut up, Murphy, " KP mumbled, somehow still half asleep through the commotion.

     The trio watched as Kanae stormed off towards the back of the ship, punching the wall before disappearing behind one of the doors to her bunker, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake. Mars let out a heavy breath as she leaned her head against her seat. KP cracked his neck, eyes still sleepy as he unbuckled his seatbelt with a groan.

     " Well, I checked the map before we left. Minerva is a good while away, I'm going to go make my video now. " He informed them, rising from his seat to stretch, his arms nearly reaching the roof of the Silver Wolf. For a guy with a very close family, he was hiding his feelings about not being able to say a real goodbye very well. He began to walk back towards his bunker, adding, " I'm sure Erin would love to hear about her big brother going to save the galaxy. "

     Mars quietly laughed, earning a dozy smile from KP as he walked away, holding up a peace sign before disappearing from view. Max also stood, and, when Mars shot him a questionable look, he raised his eyebrows back at her.

     " He's right, might as well take advantage of the time. " He insisted, looking between both Mars and Murphy before pleading dryly, " Try not to burn the ship down while I'm gone. "

      Mars rolled her eyes and Murphy only smirked, knowing well enough that the jab was directed mostly towards him. He shifted in his seat as Max left, looking to Mars with a smug look.

     " And then there were two. " He said playfully, only for Mars to scoff as she felt her back aching from the odd position she was sitting in, turned around facing him while having to bend around her seat.

     " Why aren't you going with them? Not in a hurry to be polite for more than thirty seconds? " She asked, not meaning for it to sound as harsh as it did, but he seemed to brush it off, shrugging.

     " Got no one to make one for. " He admitted, and Mars instantly felt bad for what she had said; she opened her mouth to apologize, but he beat her to it, shaking his head lightly and masking the hurt in his eyes with, " No, you're right, though. Not sure if politeness is really in my system. "

     Mars offered a half hearted smile but her eyes still dropped, but Murphy only leaned forward in his seat to catch her attention again, raising an eyebrow as he nodded towards her.

     " What about you? I can watch the controls if you wanna. . . " He offered, cheekily adding, " I mean, it is on autopilot, not much to mess up there. "

     " My mother knows where I am. " Mars replied firmly, her eyes meeting his, trying not to linger too long on the whitened pupil. She also tried to keep the distaste from her voice when she spoke of her mom. She was annoyed with her, aggravated, and she felt as though not sending her a goodbye message was a sort of revenge.

      He saw through her placated words, but didn't want to push further for once, so he clicked his tongue, " Oh, gotcha... Well, it must be pretty cool to have a war hero as your dad. Coolest thing my dad could do was change the color of his eyes. "

     Mars knew he didn't mean it in a foul manner, and she was sure he couldn't have known, but she still spitefully replied, " I wouldn't know. My father's been missing for three years. "

     There was a slight hesitation that crossed his face when he refused to look away from her. Mars watched his forehead crease as he pressed his lips to a thin line. She assumed that he was trying to figure out a semi-nice way to avoid another conversation with her and head to his bunker as well.

     " Sorry. " He apologized, and it was the most sincere Mars had heard him sound the little time she had known him; he gave her a ghostly half grin before saying, " So, parents are a touchy subject for both of us, good. I hate small talk. "

      Mars quipped an eyebrow at him, not having expected that sort of reaction at all. His devilish grin was contagious and the girl found her lips twitching into a smile as he leaned on the armrest of his seat, a mischievous look on his face although he was anything but at the moment.

      " Me too. " She told him, and his grin burst even wider; Mars was a bit uneasy, not exactly sure when the last time she spoke with a boy her age that wasn't KP was. She wasn't nervous in the slightest, but she wiped her hands on her pants just in case.

      " We have so much in common, War Princess. " He insisted, and he watched as her face instantly faltered, turning into a frown. Mars turned away from him and locked her eyes onto the scanner. Murphy felt his own grin fall as he raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he had done wrong.

     After a beat of silence, Mars quietly said, " Don't call me that. "

     " Sure. " He agreed a little too quickly for Mars to not be suspicious; she turned around in her seat to see that he had moved forward, opting to sit in Max's seat directly behind her. " As long as you tell me something. "

      Mars crossed her legs underneath her, raising an eyebrow at him as she questioned, " What? "

     " Oh, I don't know... favorite color? Mine's red, if you were wondering, scarlet, to be precise— "

     " Red. " She agreed, the sliver of a smile appearing on her face as Murphy seemed satisfied; Mars still quizzically looked at him like he was a bit crazy. " No specifics, just red. "

      " See? Told you. " He remarked, and Mars had to fight the urge to roll her eyes as she let out a breathy laugh.

      " That's really what you wanted to know? My favorite color? " She persisted, and he raised his palms ever so slightly, lightly shrugging.

     " I was trying to be cheesy. " He defended, then tapped his hand like he was deep in thought, " I can think of something better, though, for the sake of team bonding... What about your fondest memory? "

     Mars' eyes narrowed at him curiously, wondering what he got out of a question like that. Still, she knew that if they were all supposed to be a team, she had to instill some sort of trust into them. Maybe Murphy would be the first trial, and, hopefully, she'd succeed.

      Upon seeing his expectant expression, Mars nodded and insisted, " Okay, I'm thinking... "

      There were a thousand memories that she could choose from, but none were coming to mind as specifically her fondest one. Nothing within the past three years would be remotely considered her most coveted memory, that was for sure. She assumed a moment with her parents or KP would be it, but when she finally latched on to the first thing she could visibly see happening again, she smiled.

      " Well, I broke into my school's anti gravity chamber, " Multiple times. " and I put on one of the suits they had hung up for class. " She began, remembering the moment fondly.

      " And? " He urged, raising an eyebrow at her as she paused, trying to remember the exhilaration she felt in the moment.

     " And, " She said pointedly, resting her chin on her hand as she smiled serenely, " I walked around inside, pretending like I was spacewalking. I've always wanted to do something like that, but, uh. . I got kicked out of that school, for unrelated reasons. . "

     " That's it. " Alec declared, drumming excitedly on the arm of his seat as he straightened, a proud grin on his face as she raised her eyebrows at him, " Spacewalker. "

xxx.