stored there. The additional fuel added its energy to the blast, and the explosion grew into a fireball.
The detonation rocked the Artemis , and knocked Eliza back, landing hard on her bottom. She recovered and slid around the winch, gun raised. The three marines had also been thrown to the floor, and she sighted the first. She fired, and he fell back, clutching his eye. She fired again, and the man next to him took a round in the gut. She swiveled for the last marine, but he wasn’t there. She scanned the room, but he was gone.
She jumped up and ran to the bomb bay doors, ready to power slide down the line. Looking down, she saw Lucas swinging on the rope like a distant pendulum, and her heart lifted.
Lucas dangled from the end of the line, hanging a hundred feet below the Artemis . He saw a flash of movement and saw Eliza in the bomb bay, her hand up in greeting. He waved his free arm frantically. “Come on!” he yelled, but the wind stole the sound away.
The petrol tanks had given their all to create the fireball, and it tore loose within the HMS Artemis . The petrol storage room disappeared in a blinding flash. The force channeled into the main exhaust shaft, racing upward, then the shaft exploded, sending shrapnel tearing through the lower crew compartment, auxiliary control, and the aft-most hydrogen cell.
The ruptured cell began bleeding hydrogen into the ship’s upper chamber. Emergency fire suppression systems snapped on, but rather than dousing the flames in a heavy shower of water, only a weak trickle dripped out. Without water pressure, the system was impotent.
The expanding fireball surged through the ventilation shafts, spidering out throughout the ship until it found the upper chamber. The flames touched the hydrogen gas, and the fireball became a monster.
Eliza grabbed the line and looked down, the cool wind whipping her hair back. Lucas was still there, dangling above a small pond. She started to leap onto the line, when something forced her to look up.
Hot, searing air washed over her. She knew the shock wave would be right behind it. No time, and no chance. Before even deciding to, she had her blade in hand.
With one last glance at Lucas, she sliced the line and watched it fall away. She looked up to see a solid wall of furious, roiling fire sweeping toward her.
Lucas felt the sudden lurch of gravity as he fell again. The line was loose in his hands, but he grabbed it with white knuckles anyway. He fell backward, looking up at the doomed airship. In the bay doors, Eliza waved, then was engulfed in flames.
With a deafening boom, the shock wave hit Lucas next, propelling him down to earth even faster. He spun through the air, then crashed into the pond, driven down to the bottom. Above him, the HMS Artemis went nova.
The monster rampaged the length of the ship in the blink of an eye. Even twenty-five feet under water, the glare was blinding, and Lucas squeezed his eyes shut tight.
He still saw Eliza.
MADELAINE BROWNING
Tesla realized he was drifting back to consciousness.
He couldn’t see anything, then decided that was to be expected, since he hadn’t opened his eyes yet. His fingers moved, and he felt the tight-knit carpet of his room. He sensed someone else in the room with him. He smelled something pleasant. Perfume?
He willed his eyes to open, and the sudden light stabbed into his sore head. “Ohh,” he moaned and shut them again.
“Come on, you can do it,” a female voice coaxed.
His forehead scrunched, wondering if the voice understood how badly he felt.
But he looked again and saw a cute, blurry female kneeling over him. Her long blonde hair was familiar. “Savannah?” he whispered.
“Ha!” The girl laughed. “Hey, Mom, he isn’t dead after all.”
His eyes focused, and he realized the girl above him was around twelve. That would make her…
Savannah walked into sight, standing behind her daughter. “You gave us a real fright,
The detonation rocked the Artemis , and knocked Eliza back, landing hard on her bottom. She recovered and slid around the winch, gun raised. The three marines had also been thrown to the floor, and she sighted the first. She fired, and he fell back, clutching his eye. She fired again, and the man next to him took a round in the gut. She swiveled for the last marine, but he wasn’t there. She scanned the room, but he was gone.
She jumped up and ran to the bomb bay doors, ready to power slide down the line. Looking down, she saw Lucas swinging on the rope like a distant pendulum, and her heart lifted.
Lucas dangled from the end of the line, hanging a hundred feet below the Artemis . He saw a flash of movement and saw Eliza in the bomb bay, her hand up in greeting. He waved his free arm frantically. “Come on!” he yelled, but the wind stole the sound away.
The petrol tanks had given their all to create the fireball, and it tore loose within the HMS Artemis . The petrol storage room disappeared in a blinding flash. The force channeled into the main exhaust shaft, racing upward, then the shaft exploded, sending shrapnel tearing through the lower crew compartment, auxiliary control, and the aft-most hydrogen cell.
The ruptured cell began bleeding hydrogen into the ship’s upper chamber. Emergency fire suppression systems snapped on, but rather than dousing the flames in a heavy shower of water, only a weak trickle dripped out. Without water pressure, the system was impotent.
The expanding fireball surged through the ventilation shafts, spidering out throughout the ship until it found the upper chamber. The flames touched the hydrogen gas, and the fireball became a monster.
Eliza grabbed the line and looked down, the cool wind whipping her hair back. Lucas was still there, dangling above a small pond. She started to leap onto the line, when something forced her to look up.
Hot, searing air washed over her. She knew the shock wave would be right behind it. No time, and no chance. Before even deciding to, she had her blade in hand.
With one last glance at Lucas, she sliced the line and watched it fall away. She looked up to see a solid wall of furious, roiling fire sweeping toward her.
Lucas felt the sudden lurch of gravity as he fell again. The line was loose in his hands, but he grabbed it with white knuckles anyway. He fell backward, looking up at the doomed airship. In the bay doors, Eliza waved, then was engulfed in flames.
With a deafening boom, the shock wave hit Lucas next, propelling him down to earth even faster. He spun through the air, then crashed into the pond, driven down to the bottom. Above him, the HMS Artemis went nova.
The monster rampaged the length of the ship in the blink of an eye. Even twenty-five feet under water, the glare was blinding, and Lucas squeezed his eyes shut tight.
He still saw Eliza.
MADELAINE BROWNING
Tesla realized he was drifting back to consciousness.
He couldn’t see anything, then decided that was to be expected, since he hadn’t opened his eyes yet. His fingers moved, and he felt the tight-knit carpet of his room. He sensed someone else in the room with him. He smelled something pleasant. Perfume?
He willed his eyes to open, and the sudden light stabbed into his sore head. “Ohh,” he moaned and shut them again.
“Come on, you can do it,” a female voice coaxed.
His forehead scrunched, wondering if the voice understood how badly he felt.
But he looked again and saw a cute, blurry female kneeling over him. Her long blonde hair was familiar. “Savannah?” he whispered.
“Ha!” The girl laughed. “Hey, Mom, he isn’t dead after all.”
His eyes focused, and he realized the girl above him was around twelve. That would make her…
Savannah walked into sight, standing behind her daughter. “You gave us a real fright,
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