Strike 2: Dawn of the Daybreaker by Charlie Wood

find here, and all you can tell me is that you’ve found ‘historical stuff?’”
    “We—we’re looking, sir, it’s just that—”
    Rigel leaned down, inches from the scientist’s face. “You haven’t found a single mention of the Daybreaker or how to find him?”
    The scientist pressed his back against the wall and turned his head. “No, no, not yet, but we are—”
    Rigel walked away. “I’ll be back in an hour. Find something.”
    As the red giant stomped out of the lab, the scientist dropped his shoulders and let out a relieved sigh.
    In the pyramid hallway, Rigel was joined by Adrianna and Nova, and the three of them walked toward the building’s command center in the center of the headquarters. It was a large, open, foyer-like area, where one could look up and see the other floors of the pyramid, all the way to the flat top of the structure.
    “I know I’m kinda new at this stuff,” Adrianna said, “but kidnapping the best scientists on Capricious and forcing them to work for you? Isn’t that a little...blatant?”
    “We need to examine the data from the robot,” Rigel said. “He could be the key to finding the Daybreaker.”
    “I know, but don’t you think we could be risking being found out, since we—”
    Rigel stood in front of Adrianna. “I’m sensing some doubts.”
    Adrianna looked up at him. “No, I just don’t think it’s smart to—”
    “If you are faltering in your commitment to the Rantamede,” Rigel said, “please let me know.”
    “No.” Adrianna was nervous. “I just want what is best. I don’t want to expose ourselves if we don’t need to.”
    Rigel stared at Adrianna, then turned to Nova.
    “You said there was someone here who wanted to see me?”
    “Yes,” Nova replied. “Right this way.”
    Nova opened the door to the command center. The shortest of the punks from Jesse’s Place—the saloon in the Never-World—was sitting in a chair, and standing on either side of him there were two green-skinned Rytonian guards. The punk was bandaged and bruised from his fight with Wakefield.
    “Who are you?” Rigel asked. “What do you want?”
    “You’re looking for Strike and his pals, right?” the punk replied. “Well, I know exactly where they are.”
    ***
     
    In the workshop of Wakefield & Son’s, Orion was staring at Wakefield, with his mind racing.
    “People have been seeing Scott?” Orion asked. He looked into the shop’s lobby to make sure Tobin and Keplar couldn’t hear them. “What do you mean?”
    “Just what I said,” Wakefield replied. “People I know—people we both know from the old days—they say they’ve been seeing Scott wandering around the Never-World. A couple of ’em have even tried to speak with him, but he has no idea who they are. He doesn’t even know who he is—he’s just wandering around, lost.”
    Orion’s eyes darted around the floor. “That’s impossible, Wakefield.”
    “I know, I think so, too, but I just wanted to let you know. He was last seen down near the mines around the Shadow Ocean, looking for work, so I thought you’d at least want to go down there and see for yourself. It’s gotta be a mistake, but if it’s not…I’m sure he needs our help.”
    ***
     
    The next morning, Tobin and Keplar were back on the other side of the Shadow Ocean, ready to take off in the Sky-Blade. Keplar was readying the ship’s controls in the cockpit, while Tobin was standing in the cabin and talking on a walkie-talkie.  
    “You sure about this, O? You aren’t gonna come with us?”
    Orion was still in the Never-World, standing outside Wakefield’s repair shop.
    “Yes, I’m sure, Tobin,” the old man said into his own walkie-talkie. “You and Keplar use Scatterbolt’s homing device and find where they’ve taken his body. I have some...other things I need to attend to here in the Never-World, but I’ll catch up with you when I can.”
     “Okay,” Tobin said into his walkie-talkie, “but one more