and looked her mother in the eye. “Despite you, I’m going to get Rafael back. I’m going to get Mitch and the Terrans to safety. Now open the damn door or I’ll blast it.”
Sabine sighed but complied and punched in the proper access code. The locking mechanism thumped and Mitch swung the hatch open. Lara hauled her mother and Kade inside, then pointed her gun at the helmsman.
“Leave. Now.”
The startled man put up his hands. “What’s going on? Prime Minister?”
“Evacuate, Captain.” Sabine motioned to the door. “I can take care of this situation.”
The officer hesitated for a few seconds but then nodded and left, leering at Lara and Mitch as he went. Lara marched over to the command center and toggled through the interface.
Equipment lined the oval room, and sunlight streamed from the large porthole directly ahead. Numerous monitors showed evacuating staff. One displayed the pod’s docking clamps still intact. Another showed Rossa and the Terrans approaching the end of a hallway. Mitch checked in with Rossa again.
Rossa sounded winded. “Two more hatchways and we’ll have a clear path to the tarmac.”
Sabine dropped into the helmsman’s chair, Kade at her side. “You can put the gun away, Commodore. I’m not going anywhere now.”
Mitch shook his head and looked over Lara’s shoulder. She powered through menus, trying to stay ahead of security locking down the corridors. The klaxon alert changed and the lighting blinked to red. A voice announced “Lockdown complete.”
“Damn it!” Lara pushed away from the station and pulled out her commlink. “Rossa. Please tell me you’re clear.”
“Negative. One more hatchway between us and the tarmac. It’s locked down, Captain. We’re trapped.”
Mitch caught Lara’s gaze. “Can she use a wrist-sync to access the other side of the hatch?”
Lara shook her head and held up a braceleted wrist. “We only have these two. The rest are aboard the Gryphon. There might be a few on the Calypso, but I can’t divert Chandra from the shuttle. Not when he’ll have to take off in a few minutes.”
Mitch leaned over Lara’s console. “There has to be a manual override for the docking clamps.” Again he sensed motion in his peripheral vision, and a cold sweat blanketed him. He darted a glance at Sabine and Kade, but neither had moved. Mitch checked the wrist-sync’s settings.
Lara toggled through blueprints on another monitor. “Here.” She pointed and reset the access to her fingerprint. “I’ll go. It’s two levels down, but I can take the external stairs.”
She flicked his hand over, wrist-sync interface-up. “You okay?”
Her brow furrowed and Mitch resisted the urge to smooth it out with his thumb. “I’m fine. I can go—”
“No way. You look a lot better now than before, but I have no idea how long that will last. Keep an eye on these two for me?”
Mitch leaned in close and nuzzled her ear. “You have ten minutes to meet me at the shuttle. If you’re not back by then, I’m coming after you.”
Lara smiled. “I’ll count on that.” She pushed to her feet with a long look at her mother.
Sabine stared out the window but spoke up when Lara reached the door. “You’ll regret this.”
“Maybe I will, Mother, but it’s better than doing nothing.” Lara caught his eye once more and creaked open the hatch.
As the door snapped closed, Mitch noticed a man in the corridor, facing the pilot’s station.
Rafe.
His old friend glared at him through the hatch’s portal. Mitch’s skin crawled and his breath hitched. Over the sound of the klaxon blaring, thousands of voices whispered. He stumbled against the monitor behind him.
Rafe walked through the closed door. “What the Hellas are you doing?”
Lara sprinted down the corridor until she found the hull access port. The door yanked open on a creak, and salty wind buffeted her, stealing her breath.
“Stop!”
Twenty feet away three burly members of the prime
Sabine sighed but complied and punched in the proper access code. The locking mechanism thumped and Mitch swung the hatch open. Lara hauled her mother and Kade inside, then pointed her gun at the helmsman.
“Leave. Now.”
The startled man put up his hands. “What’s going on? Prime Minister?”
“Evacuate, Captain.” Sabine motioned to the door. “I can take care of this situation.”
The officer hesitated for a few seconds but then nodded and left, leering at Lara and Mitch as he went. Lara marched over to the command center and toggled through the interface.
Equipment lined the oval room, and sunlight streamed from the large porthole directly ahead. Numerous monitors showed evacuating staff. One displayed the pod’s docking clamps still intact. Another showed Rossa and the Terrans approaching the end of a hallway. Mitch checked in with Rossa again.
Rossa sounded winded. “Two more hatchways and we’ll have a clear path to the tarmac.”
Sabine dropped into the helmsman’s chair, Kade at her side. “You can put the gun away, Commodore. I’m not going anywhere now.”
Mitch shook his head and looked over Lara’s shoulder. She powered through menus, trying to stay ahead of security locking down the corridors. The klaxon alert changed and the lighting blinked to red. A voice announced “Lockdown complete.”
“Damn it!” Lara pushed away from the station and pulled out her commlink. “Rossa. Please tell me you’re clear.”
“Negative. One more hatchway between us and the tarmac. It’s locked down, Captain. We’re trapped.”
Mitch caught Lara’s gaze. “Can she use a wrist-sync to access the other side of the hatch?”
Lara shook her head and held up a braceleted wrist. “We only have these two. The rest are aboard the Gryphon. There might be a few on the Calypso, but I can’t divert Chandra from the shuttle. Not when he’ll have to take off in a few minutes.”
Mitch leaned over Lara’s console. “There has to be a manual override for the docking clamps.” Again he sensed motion in his peripheral vision, and a cold sweat blanketed him. He darted a glance at Sabine and Kade, but neither had moved. Mitch checked the wrist-sync’s settings.
Lara toggled through blueprints on another monitor. “Here.” She pointed and reset the access to her fingerprint. “I’ll go. It’s two levels down, but I can take the external stairs.”
She flicked his hand over, wrist-sync interface-up. “You okay?”
Her brow furrowed and Mitch resisted the urge to smooth it out with his thumb. “I’m fine. I can go—”
“No way. You look a lot better now than before, but I have no idea how long that will last. Keep an eye on these two for me?”
Mitch leaned in close and nuzzled her ear. “You have ten minutes to meet me at the shuttle. If you’re not back by then, I’m coming after you.”
Lara smiled. “I’ll count on that.” She pushed to her feet with a long look at her mother.
Sabine stared out the window but spoke up when Lara reached the door. “You’ll regret this.”
“Maybe I will, Mother, but it’s better than doing nothing.” Lara caught his eye once more and creaked open the hatch.
As the door snapped closed, Mitch noticed a man in the corridor, facing the pilot’s station.
Rafe.
His old friend glared at him through the hatch’s portal. Mitch’s skin crawled and his breath hitched. Over the sound of the klaxon blaring, thousands of voices whispered. He stumbled against the monitor behind him.
Rafe walked through the closed door. “What the Hellas are you doing?”
Lara sprinted down the corridor until she found the hull access port. The door yanked open on a creak, and salty wind buffeted her, stealing her breath.
“Stop!”
Twenty feet away three burly members of the prime
Similar Books
