Jax and Anya's spaceship docked automatically at the repair station. They entered the station and were greeted by a service robot. The robot invited them into a waiting room and then left, locking the door behind him. Jax and Anya realized they were trapped.
Trapped in a closed room, Jax and Anya's hearts pounded. Anya fretted, but Jax tried to calm her.
"Don't worry," he said. "We'll find a way out of here."
Anya smiled wryly. "Right," she said. "'Don't worry, be happy.' I can't do that. We're in danger of being discovered."
Jax turned to Anya and smiled. "I'm prepared," he said. He held up a tube of toothpaste.
"Toothpaste?" Anya asked, puzzled.
"Watch this," Jax said.
He squeezed the toothpaste onto the door, forming a circle around the doorknob.
Anya watched in amazement as the toothpaste started to smoke and melt the door. Within a few minutes, a round hole appeared in the door.
"Wow," Anya said. "How did you know that would work?"
"I read about it somewhere," Jax said. "I thought it might be worth a try."
Jax kicked the door and it burst open. They were free!
Anya threw her arms around Jax and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without you."
Jax smiled and hugged her back. "We're a team," he said. "We always have each other's backs."
Jax took out a small, round, shiny ball from his pocket. Anya's eyes widened.
"What's that now?" she asked.
"EMP grenade," Jax said. "For the robots."
Anya hesitated. "Are you sure we should do this?" she asked. "Robots have rights too."
"Not evil robots that work for Space Corp," Jax said. "They're trying to stop us from escaping."
Anya nodded reluctantly.
Jax threw the grenade into the control room. There was a flash of light and a loud bang. Two robots fell to the floor, sparking and twitching.
"Let's go!" Jax said.
Jax and Anya searched all the rooms in the repair station, but they didn't find any other robots. They had effectively taken over the station. They immediately started searching the VR sets and other equipment for anything that could be useful to continue their mission.
Jax and Anya breathed a sigh of relief as they realized they were finally safe. They found two chairs and sat down, placing the VR headsets on their heads. Before they did, they shared one last kiss for good luck.
They entered the VR game and were amazed by how realistic everything looked. They immediately started searching for a console, knowing that their special VR headsets would spawn them inside a simulation of Space Corp headquarters.
They quickly found a virtual console and Anya began hacking, while Jax kept watch for any approaching NPCs. No one had noticed them yet.
Jax's curiosity got the better of him. He exited the room and started exploring the surroundings. He soon discovered many rooms filled with children, being taught by Space Corp NPCs in a manner similar to a flight school. Some children were walking by, talking and going outside, but they completely ignored Jax and everyone else.
Jax returned to Anya and told her what he had discovered. Anya's brow furrowed with worry. "Did you see Toby among the children?" she asked.
Jax shook his head. "No," he said. "Toby's not here. He's not in the VR simulation either. I checked his VR ID."
Anya's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" she exclaimed. "But how is that possible?"
Jax hesitated for a moment. He knew that he had to tell Anya the truth, but he was afraid of how she would react.
"Anya," he said, "there's something I need to tell you."
Anya looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" she asked.
"I know Toby's VR ID," Jax said. "I was friends with him a long time ago."
Anya's eyes widened in surprise. "You were friends with Toby?" she asked. "But I thought you said you didn't know him."
Jax sighed. "I lied," he said. "I'm sorry."
Anya shook her head. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would you lie to me about something like that?"
"Because I didn't want you to know that Toby was the one who came up with this whole plan," Jax said. "I didn't want you to think that he was involved in something like this."
Anya was stunned. "Toby?" she repeated. "But he's just a kid."
"He's not just a kid," Jax said. "He's a very smart kid. And he's very brave."
Anya shook her head again. "I don't believe it," she said. "My son could never be involved in something like this."
"He is," Jax said. "And I'm proud of him."
Anya looked at Jax for a long moment, her eyes filled with emotion. She didn't know what to say. She had never seen her son in that light before.
"I need to think about this," she said finally. "I need to understand why Toby did this."
Jax nodded. "I understand," he said. "But please don't be angry with him. He was only trying to do what was right."
Anya turned and walked away, leaving Jax standing alone in the room. He knew that he had done the right thing by telling Anya the truth, but he also knew that it would take time for her to come to terms with it.
Jax ran after Anya and gently pulled her back into the room. He was afraid that they would be discovered if they started arguing.
"Please come back," he said. "Remember, we're in VR and vulnerable. We need to hack into the system and exit."
Anya nodded reluctantly. "Fine," she said. "But let's talk about this on the station. I'm not finished with you."
Anya and Jax exited VR finally, and Anya was furious. She started punching Jax, who hugged her tightly. She began to cry, and Jax whispered in her ear, "Let's call Toby."
They tried calling Toby, but he didn't respond. Next, they called Mark, who answered immediately.
"Mark," Anya said, "do you know anything about Toby? He's not responding to our calls."
"I'm afraid I do," Mark said. "He's been kidnapped by Space Corp."
Anya's heart sank. "What?" she asked. "But why?"
"I don't know," Mark said. "But they must have found out about his plan."
"But what can we do?" Anya asked. "We need to find him."
"I'll try to find out more," Mark said. "But in the meantime, you and Jax need to stay safe."
"We will," Anya said. "Thank you, Mark."
Anya and Jax hung up the phone, and Anya looked at Jax. "Toby's been kidnapped," she said.
Jax nodded. "I heard," he said. "We need to find him."
"But how?" Anya asked. "We don't know where he is."
"We'll figure it out," Jax said. "But first, we need to get out of here."
Anya knew that Jax was right. They couldn't stay at the repair station for much longer. Space Corp would be looking for them.
Jax and Anya quickly started refueling the spaceship. They knew that they couldn't stay at the repair station for much longer. Space Corp would be looking for them.
Once the spaceship was refueled, they gathered their things and left. They didn't know where they were going, but they knew that they had to find Toby.
They had all the tools they needed and access to the repair station computer. They could work from the spaceship on the way home.
As they flew through space, Jax and Anya started planning their next move. They knew that they needed to find out where Toby was being held, and then they needed to rescue him.
But it wouldn't be easy. Space Corp was powerful and ruthless. They would stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
Jax and Anya looked at each other. They knew that they were in for a fight, but they were determined to save Toby.
"We'll find him," Jax said.
"No matter what," Anya said.
They continued flying through space, their hearts filled with hope.
To be continued ... will Anya and Jax find a way to rescue Toby?