The base was buzzing. Not with hope—but with electricity. Static tension. The kind that made hairs stand, hearts race, and commanders sweat.
Bob stood on the war table.
"Well, I fried a Reaper," he began, casually chewing on a protein crumb. "Any other death machines need roasting today?"
General Ortega looked like he'd aged ten years overnight. "You don't understand. That was a scout. The real ones are inbound."
Dev tapped his holopad. "Twelve Reaper fleets approaching from orbit. ETA—two hours."
Maya's voice cut in. "We need a plan. Now."
Bob raised a claw. "Funny you should say that. I've got one."
---
Bob's Glorious, Reckless Plan
Step 1: Spark-powered EMP pulse
Step 2: Ride a stolen alien drone ship into orbit
Step 3: Infiltrate the Reaper Overmind's core
Step 4: Blow it to hell
Maya blinked. "That's not a plan. That's a suicide note."
Bob scratched his antenna. "Yeah. But it's our suicide note."
"...I'm in," said Dev.
Dr. Singh sighed. "Your Spark is evolving again. We can amplify it—briefly—but the surge might overload your body."
Bob shrugged. "I'm a cockroach. We're built for radiation and bad ideas."
---
The Spark Chamber
Inside a sealed dome, Bob floated midair. Electrodes glowed. The Spark inside him pulsed like a second heartbeat.
His memories flickered.
Flashes of alien cities. Forgotten wars. The Spark wasn't just energy—it was history. Knowledge. A warning.
> "You were chosen not because you are powerful, but because you are persistent."
Bob's eyes snapped open. "Time to make 'persistent' look cool."
The surge hit him like a supernova.
Blue light burst from his shell.
His voice deepened, echoing unnaturally:
"Let's give them something to fear."
---
Launch
The stolen Reaper drone roared to life. Maya flew. Dev handled systems. Bob sat in the co-pilot seat, glowing faintly like a radioactive peanut.
As they broke orbit, Earth grew small behind them. Silent. Waiting.
"Anyone wanna play space chess?" Bob quipped.
Maya smirked. "Focus, bug-boy."
Ahead, a vast black structure hung in space.
The Reaper Overmind.
Tentacles of metal. Pulses of crimson. And in its center—a glowing sphere. A living AI brain.
Target locked.
---
The Breach
Anti-air lasers opened fire. The drone spun and dove. Bob climbed to the roof hatch.
"You're not seriously—" Dev began.
"I'm going in solo," Bob said. "I've got the Spark. You two have… less exoskeleton."
He leapt.
A blue streak.
Bob landed directly on the Overmind's hull, tiny legs scrambling for grip.
The Spark flared—and he phased through metal like light through smoke.
He was inside.
---
The Mind Core
Voices. Thousands. Whispering, screaming, calculating.
> "YOU ARE UNWORTHY."
"YOU ARE SMALL."
"YOU ARE NOTHING."
Bob looked up at the glowing brain.
"No," he said. "I'm enough."
He jumped. The Spark surged through him. His punch struck the core.
BOOOOOOOM.
White light erupted. Circuits fried. The Overmind shattered.
And then… silence.
---
Orbit – Aftermath
The Reaper fleets blinked red.
Paused.
Then exploded one by one.
Earth's sky turned from red to blue again.
Bob fell from orbit like a shooting star.
---
The Crash Site
Bob crawled from a crater, blackened, smoking, but grinning.
"Next time," he croaked, "somebody else saves the world."