Willa's stomach growled loudly, begging for food, and water. She tried to convince herself otherwise, because now that Willa had a soft feeling running through her, she couldn't risk Schaffel for her own personal gain. 

She'd stay here until she would starve to death if she must.

Suddenly, a loud chatter came from the hallway. Willa jumped at the sound, and quickly crawled to the door and placed her ear up against it listening.

"The boy is the only thing that can kill us," one of the monsters said. "I still don't understand why he wasn't with the girl. He should've been. But it was only her."

"He has powers!" The one guy slapped the other.

Willa's eyes widened.

He must've gone unintentionally invisible again, Willa kept listening.

"Taking him, and these dumb gullible humans will be easy. Earth will only be shreds of rock and pumice in the end." The one giggled. "They'll get what they deserve."

What they deserve?

"It won't be easy Buzz, they've advanced a lot. But the boy will be the most difficult nuisance to get rid of." The other replied.

Then the leader responded, his voice low and like a growl. "Nothing we can't handle."

The sound of slimy, loud footsteps faded and they left.

Willa turned, leaning her back against the door, and sighed. "Schaffel's in trouble, and I can't save him." Her voice broke, as she shoved her face in her hands. "I'll be stuck in here, and he'll die."

What should I do?

Suddenly, another sound approached, softer and lighter. Willa removed her hands from her face, as the footsteps drew nearer. 

Willa moved back, into the darkness of her cell. Finally the footsteps stopped and the door opened. 

"Jan?" Willa couldn't believe it, why was he here? In her cell? 

"Willa, I have many things to tell you." He said, with puffy eyes and a broken voice.

"I have no interest." She crossed her arms and turned away. 

Jan sighed, and looked into Willa's eyes. He knew she was listening, and that she wanted to, but she was afraid of the consequences if she did. 

"I'm not a Nazi, Willa," He started. "I am protecting you. I heard about what happened in Poland, and I had no idea what to do. I thought you died. I was lost, you were like the daughter I never had, Willa." He sniffled. 

Willa turned her head, her eyes soft and sympathetic. But anger still raged deep down.

"The Nazis heard of my work, so they wanted me to help you. Yes, they wanted to use you, but I had no choice. They were going to kill you and me if I didn't contribute." Willa could see the glimmer in his eyes from Jan's tears. "Doing the research Willa, the brain disease wasn't just random and small." 

Willa listened attentively. 

"It was from the bomb in '39, in Poland. That's why you survived. It went through you and caused so much radiation to your brain it caused the brain disease. I had to help you, hoping you would escape from Helsinki. But it was severe, and growing worse than I had imagined. The only way was to remove your memories."

Willa exhaled her breath and turned away. 

"I'm not trying to hurt you, nor am I teaming with the Nazis. I'm trying to help you." 

His last words were: "I'm sorry." Willa could hear him crying, as he closed the door and left. 

Little did she notice her own tears, streaming down her cheeks. 

✯✯✯

"Okay, okay," Schaffel repeated to himself, pacing in circles. "You're the last Cadmusian, you have powers you don't even know how to use, you have this weird thing the literal Emperor gave you, and basically you have to save your friend and this planet." He looked up and nodded, trying to look confident, "I totally can do this." But then Schaffel groaned as his face fell into his hands. "I can't do this!" 

Suddenly, the object started to vibrate and he dropped it to the ground. Schaffel began to hear the voices again, as he reached for it, and picked it up. Suddenly, purple sparkles began to spill out of it, as it flashed open. Schaffel almost dropped it again, as it nearly blinded him.

As his eyes adjusted, Schaffel's mouth hung open in shock. 

Indigo lines were sketched left and right of strange shapes. Schaffel recognized these shapes, as they were the green parts of Earth he'd studied. His eyes widened with excitement. "It's a map!" Schaffel laughed, gazing at the detail and moving images. He watched as flock of birds pass over a purple dot, and at that exact moment, the same flock of birds passed over his head.

"So this, I think, is me." Schaffel pointed. "Where's Willa?"

He drew his finger across the page, as a dark red dot appeared, further north in a place called Helsinki.

Schaffel closed the map, and looked ahead in thought. 

"How can I save her? I'm not strong, or powerful like she is, I can't even protect myself from powerless bullies. How do I even save her from armed Nazis and Imods?" Schaffel sat down and pulled his knees to his face. "I can't." He shook his head, rocking back and forth. 

✯✯✯

Radio room

"Has the girl responded?" The general asked firmly.

"No, she's as stubborn as can be." One of the Imods replied.

"Then she'll rot in there, like the others." The general said. "What's the update?"

"Well, the Canadians have been taking your fleets down like they're nothing." The Imod described.

"Those storm troopers...then we are going to need even bigger-" The general stopped and gasped for breath. 

He looked down, as a knife stuck out through his belly blood soaking his uniform.

"Your reign has ended here." The leader Imod smirked then ripped the blade from the general.

His body fell to the ground, as he looked up to the Imod eyes begging for mercy. 

Suddenly, several other Imods ran into the room, and killed the rest of the loyal soldiers effortlessly.

"Pathetic humans." The leader said, as he shot the general, killing him.

✯✯✯

Schaffel sat with his face on his knees, still rocking back and forth. "What do I do?" Schaffel mumbled, "I can't save her, I'm powerless...useless." Then, Schaffel heard a voice in his head, it was weak, and tired but he immediately recognized it. 

It was Willa.

You are good enough, it's just you have to be confident in yourself.

Schaffel contemplated, then shook his head in disbelief. But the voice repeated itself, louder and more aggressive. "I don't know how."

Just as he said it, a large purple bird flew toward Schaffel. He gazed in awe, knowing he had seen this bird many times before.

As the bird came closer, it dived toward Schaffel. Before he could escape it clutched his shirt, and threw him on its back. 

"Woah!" Schaffel cried, lying with his belly on the beast's back. He wrapped his arms around it, and squeezed his eyes shut.

He then felt the bird fly high up, soaring in the sky.

Schaffel opened his eyes slightly, then looked down and gasped as he saw the ground far beneath him. He hid his face in the bird's fur, "I can't look."

Schaffel opened his eyes, to notice the purple fur. 

Wait.

He looked ahead at the bird, and Schaffel smiled as he immediately recognized it now from the dark purple line down the centre of its face.

Schaffel patted its back, "thank you."

The bird looked back, and nodded. 

Schaffel is about to become super epic hehehehehehe