Special Notes: All chapter covers for any story written by me is stock from pixabay. Cody, Chapter 5 Cody's fingers, dusted with grease and grime, danced nimbly over the intricate diagram spread across the workbench. The control room was his castle, a cocoon of cluttered engineering manuals and scattered tools that told stories of countless repairs. Above him, the mining ship's excavator hummed faintly, freshly reattached and ready for action. He squinted at the schematic, tracing the path of circuits and relays that snaked through the paper labyrinth like metallic vines. His father had shut down the laser turret long ago, its purpose deemed too dangerous for peaceful researchers like them. But Cody knew better; danger didn't come from weapons but from those who wielded them. And right now, he felt the prickling sense of unseen eyes coveting his latest find—a rock shimmering with untold secrets. "Is it lunchtime yet?" The voice was clear as day, slicing through the silence like a laser beam itself. Cody jolted upright, a tiny screwdriver slipping from his grasp. He scanned the room, his heart thumping hard against his ribs. It couldn't be his parents—they were still planet-side on a research expedition. "Who's there?" he whispered, half-expecting one of his toy dragons to answer back. But Firebelly and Fang remained motionless, guardians perched in their assigned spots—silent sentinels made of plastic and paint, not flesh and blood. "Must be my stomach talking," he muttered, trying to laugh off the shiver crawling up his spine. He rubbed his empty belly, a reminder of the many meals he'd skipped while lost in the throes of creation and discovery. Perhaps it was time to take a break, refuel, and then tackle the turret's stubborn circuitry with renewed energy. "Okay, stomach," he said with a determined nod, "let's get this turret working first. Then lunch." Cody picked up the screwdriver, his young mind already spinning with the possibilities of what he could achieve, what marvels he could unlock with just his wits and willpower. Cody’s shoulders hunched as he squinted at the toy dragon by the door. Whiskers wasn’t supposed to be there, sitting like a tiny sentinel, its painted eyes wide and watchful. Cody tilted his head, puzzled. Whiskers always kept his spot on the microwave, where the hum of the machine could lull him into daydreams about food. "Did you walk here all by yourself?" he quipped, trying to make sense of it, but the dragon, of course, stayed quiet. The room was just books, tools, and an odd sense of being not quite alone. "Mom? Dad?" His voice came out small against the vastness of the ship. He padded over to the door, his rubber-soled shoes whisper-quiet on the metal floor. Peeking down the hall revealed shadows and nothing more; no sign of his parents' return from their latest mission to the planets below in search of alien fauna. His voice echoed through the quiet corridor, a mixture of hope and uncertainty coloring his tone. "Hello?" he called out again, raising his volume in an attempt to break the stillness around him. His footsteps sounded against the polished floor as he made his way down the length of the hallway, the walls seeming to absorb his words before they could reach any other ears. He scampered to the cargo bay, where the cold space greeted him with emptiness. The shuttle was still gone, its usual spot a gaping hole in his expectations. A ping of worry zipped through him – they should have been back by now. "Computer," Cody said, his voice steady despite the flutter in his chest, "life-sign check on the ship, please." The A.I.'s reply was immediate, a crisp voice cutting through the silence. "There are thirty-four life-signs on board." Cody blinked. Thirty-four? His mind spun, numbers and possibilities tangling together. There was only one when he last checked–himself. His thoughts tumbled like asteroids caught in a planet's gravity, each more alarming than the last. Cody's heart thundered against his chest, its rapid beat urging him to flee from the danger lurking on board the spaceship. He moved slowly and silently along the metal corridors, his breaths coming in tense gasps that echoed off the cold walls. The scent of stale air and fear filled his nostrils. It was impossible for Damien to be on board, yet there were thirty-three unaccounted life-signs, making it clear that he had somehow infiltrated the supposedly safe environment. How had he managed such a feat? Cody's mind raced with frantic thoughts as he continued his cautious journey through the ship, wary of any sign of Damien's presence. Thoughts of sabotage and stolen claims spurred him onward. Cody darted into his excavator, the #1 emblazoned on its side was a beacon of hope. He hurled himself through the door, slammed it shut with a resounding clang, and twisted the lock with trembling fingers. As he turned to sink into the pilot's chair and strategize his next move, Cody couldn't help but freeze in shock. His two beloved companions, Whiskers and Fireball, perched on his desk with their glossy plastic eyes glittering in the dim light. "That's impossible," Cody's voice cracked as he scanned the room, his gaze flicking between the dragons and the sealed doorway. "I distinctly remember leaving you two in the workroom." The dragons looked different—sharper somehow, as if they'd traded their toyish sheen for something more... alive. Cody stepped closer, his curiosity overshadowing fear for just a moment. His foot caught on an errant tool, and he fell backward with a thud. "Space hallucinations! I've gone insane." The words tumbled out in a whisper, meant for no one but the ghosts he hoped weren't there. Firebelly seemed to consider him, then tilted his head. "It is time we meet," the dragon declared, its voice nothing like Cody expected—deep and resonant, yet warm like a comforting blanket. A flicker of movement snatched Cody's attention upward. All along the shelves, the dragons stirred to life. Wings fluttered, sending tiny eddies of air swirling through the room, while a few of the bolder ones puffed out small clouds of fire that dissipated harmlessly in the spaceship's atmosphere. As the first dragon took flight, its tiny wings spanned out, humming with the effort of flight. The others quickly followed suit, their synchronized beating filling the space with a steady whooshing sound. They circled above Cody, each one a different color, reflecting off their shimmering scales in dazzling patterns. He lay there on the ground, his body trembling with both fear and awe at the magnificent creatures before him. But as he watched them glide effortlessly through the air, his fear melted away into wonder and amazement, his heart now pounding with excitement rather than terror. His childhood guardians, once frozen in molded plastic, now soared free, defying every law of physics and reality he thought he knew. "I've gone crazy," Cody murmured, his voice barely audible over the soft thrum of the excavator's idle systems. Firebelly unfolded his crimson wings with a graceful flourish and descended from the desk, alighting on Cody's chest with an unexpected lightness. "We will not harm you," the dragon assured in a soothing tone that somehow eased Cody's racing heart. "We have been with you since you were born. I was the first dragon your mother placed in your small hand." His eyes glimmered with something like fondness. "Your mother had to take me away because you immediately tried to put me in your mouth." Cody blinked up at Firebelly as he still sprawled across the floor. "You're alive, I see you breathing," he said, his words laced with disbelief as his gaze honed in on the gentle rise and fall of the dragon's chest. With a slight hunch that suggested camaraderie, Firebelly offered a semblance of a smile. "Put on your spacesuit, we need to meet." "Can we wait until after lunch?" Whiskers interjected from beside the door, his question tinged with a hopeful note. Firebelly shot Whiskers a glance that clearly communicated annoyance, then with a flap of his wings, took to the air once more, adding to the stir of stale air in the excavator cabin. Cody watched, a mix of awe and confusion playing across his features. The dragons of his childhood, once static and silent, now breathed and beckoned, pulling him into a reality far beyond the confines of reality. “Where are we going?” Cody asked. “I’m not allowed to go outside, mom will have a fit.” Firebelly flew lazy circles around him. “Take the sled, you’ll be inside the cabin, therefore you never actually went outside.” Cody hesitated for only a moment, the loop-hole seemed perfectly reasonable. He pushed himself to his feet and went to the locker he kept his spacesuit. As he donned the suit, his fingers fumbling with the gloves, the reality that his toy dragons were living creatures swirled in his mind like a vortex of unanswered questions. The next task was to load the mining sled. He wasn't sure how far he would have to travel, but his dad's warning about being prepared for any situation echoed in his mind. Even a simple repair on the ship required extra oxygen tanks because you never knew what could happen. It was important to always be prepared for anything and everything. "I’m ready,” announced Cody, climbing into the cabin of the sled. "Open the door," replied Firebelly. "How will you breathe?" Cody called after them, his voice tinged with concern. "We will be fine," came Firebelly's reply, serene amidst the silent ballet of dragons weaving orbits around the slid inside the cargo bay. The airlock hissed open, revealing the infinite expanse of space, dotted with stars that seemed to twinkle with shared secrets. Cody braced himself against the threshold as one by one, the dragons leapt into the vacuum, their bodies defying all logic as they soared away from the ship. Cody pushed the thruster forward, following the little dragons out of the ship. The experience was akin to diving into a surreal dream; the dragons dipped and spiraled, their flames painting strokes of light against the darkness—a fiery dance among the cold stars. Their scales glistened, reflecting the distant suns, as they led him across the asteroid's barren surface toward an unseen destination. He tilted the visor of his helmet upwards, taking a deep breath and savoring the cool, recycled air from the sled's oxygen generator. He had heard that some people were afraid to venture outside, with the vast emptiness of space surrounding them, but he didn't mind it at all. Unlike other boys who lived on planets and went camping in nature, Cody's idea of camping was exploring space in his sled. This was his home, and he felt at ease in its embrace. The jagged edge of a cliff loomed ahead, casting sharp shadows over the rocky terrain. Cody followed the dragons' flight, the sled kicking up dust as he maneuvered around obstacles. There, nestled between two spires of rock, a cavern mouth beckoned, its entrance shrouded in mystery. "Here?" Cody whispered, more to himself than to his guides. Hesitation prickled at Cody's skin, but the allure of discovery propelled him forward. He switched on the sled’s lamp as he maneuvered into the cave, revealing walls that gradually closed in around him as he descended deeper into the asteroid's belly. Even before the cavern opened up before him, Cody could see the glow. It was a soft luminescence, an otherworldly light that drew him onward until he found himself at the precipice of a vast chamber. Shadows danced along the walls as if alive, whispering tales of ancient wonders and cosmic marvels. He brought the sled to a stop, and resealed his helmet before stepping out into the cavern. Whiskers flew past him. “You won’t need your helmet, we have prepared for your visit.” Cody cautiously lifted his visor. The air was sweet, and earthy, like in his parent’s hydroponic gardens inside the ship. Without the tinted visor, the cavern truly came to life, a world alive with color and light. Glowing rocks peppered the expanse like jewels scattered across velvet, each hue pulsating softly, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the stark asteroid walls. "Wow," he mouthed, the word lost in the silence of his suit. The dragons descended, their wings illuminated by the light, shimmering and dazzling as they gracefully landed on the rocks. Against the dull backdrop of stone and space, their presence was a burst of brilliant colors. In the middle of it all, Firebelly alighted upon a modest rock, surrounded by his radiant companions. With the poise of a king taking his seat, he turned to face Cody. "Greetings, human child," he spoke in a soft yet distinct voice that echoed in Cody's ears. "We have borrowed these dragon forms so that we can speak with you, though I must admit, the sense of freedom and independence these forms provide is quite enjoyable." "Who are you?" Cody asked with awe in his voice. Firebelly unfurled his wings, causing the cavern walls to erupt in a dazzling array of colors, like the dawn breaking on a new day. "We are the Ara," he declared, his voice echoing in the cavern as if thousands of others were repeating his words. Cody stood transfixed, shielding his eyes from the blinding light surrounding him. Biology and his parents' search for extraterrestrial life were of little interest to him, but he couldn't help picking up some knowledge along the way. He once asked his father if rocks could be alive, and although it was a silly question, his father had said it was possible but highly unlikely. Yet here they were, living rocks. "You're aliens!" Cody exclaimed in shock. "My parents have spent their whole lives searching for intelligent life, and all this time, you've been right under us!"