The Joke's on You

Alexa walked briskly ahead of the others on the team. Her muscles were tense, and she spat every now and then in anger. Her fingers twitched, generating fire sparks.

"She looks like a ticking bomb. Shouldn't somebody go and talk to her?" Skylar suggested to the rest of the group.

"Let her be, kid." Blade offered, shaking his head. "I know her better than most. Alexa and I went to training together, you see? She was this popular, cheerful girl who fell in love with one of our batchmates, Dom Faust. They were like prom queen and king."

"What does that have to do with her present mood?"

"You see… Alexa and Dom were posted to Goldibad after we graduated."

"Oh? Were they teammates? Where is Dom now?"

Blade sighed. "They ran a campaign against a hybrid space pirates gang called the MANEATERS. One of their double agents betrayed them. He had them walk into a trap laid by the pirates."

Skylar raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"