“Of course not,” Leo sputtered. “It’s just, you kept talking. And we don’t have time to debate. We had to know.”

In truth, as he pressed the button, Leo had actually been thinking of his father. And what Crayt had said about hope and good intentions. Leo needed this to work. Not just because of the Djarik and their plans. He needed his father to be right. About Crayt and coming to find him, but also about Leo. He needed to believe that his father’s hope in him wasn’t unfounded. Do this for me, Leo.

Boo dropped the four arms he’d been using to shield his face. “Well? Did it work? Is it . . . neutered?”

“Hungover,” Baz corrected.

“Inert,” Kat corrected.

“Let us see.” Crayt gently pried Leo’s hands from the device, then released the attachment and hooked the core back up to the tester. The machine quickly scanned the contents of the container with its gray hunk of ventasium at its center.

Leo stared at the red number flashing on the screen. Zero point zero zero. Nothing. No power at all. Just another rock.

Crayt turned and looked at Leo. “You were right,” he said.

Leo’s entire body slumped in relief.

“You’re telling me that little thing can keep a whole planet from blowing up?” Boo asked, pointing at the device Crayt had built.

The Aykari shook his head. “This will not,” he admitted. “This was just a test. But the reaction is exponential in nature. A larger device, if activated near a substantial enough quantity of four eight six, should precipitate a chain reaction similar to the one the Djarik intend to trigger, which will instead apply its neutralizing effect to all of the element in the area, and hopefully to the entire planet.”

“That’s a big red wire,” Kat said.

“Black,” Baz said. “And how large a quantity are we looking at here? How much V is necessary to trigger the kind of reaction you’re talking about?”

“More than a single core, certainly,” the Aykari admitted. “If it were me, I would target the largest store a planet has to offer and I would get as close to it as possible before activating the countermeasure. But then, if I were the Djarik testing their weapon, I would probably do the same.”

“The bigger the bomb, the bigger the boom,” Skits said.

“But if we do this right,” Leo pressed, “then the planet’s unblowupable.”

“Provided you activate the device in time, yes. Really it is a matter of who gets there first. It is an all-or-nothing proposition.”

Baz raked his fingers through his hair and let out a long, slow breath. “I think I need a drink,” he muttered. “Or six.”

“And how long before you can build a full-size prototype?” Kat asked. “Something that we could actually use?”

“Now that I know what’s required, not long. I believe I have all the parts I need, or at least I can make do with what’s available. I could use some assistance this time around, however.” The Aykari’s eyes fell directly on Leo.