5 Tales From the Edge by Randy Caba

Author:Randy Caba
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SciFi, Science Fiction, Thriller, Apocalyptic, Psychological, Mystery, Teen, Comedy
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2014-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

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The ForeDoom pod plummets deep into the star cloud. But the object still closes. “ETA, priority four. Specify coordinates.”

Screen: Data scrolls. Calculations derive.

“ETA unknown. Specified coordinates unknown. Course vector altered.”

“Off course. How long have I been out here, Earth time?”

“Elapsed Earth time is six days.”

“Distance to Earth?”

“500 light years. “

“500? How could I have traveled so far? Distance to object?”

“Object, one point five astronomical units.”

Screen: The object closes. 3 minutes to a new collision.

“It’s moving faster than light. ...Confinement composition, polyvinyl?”

“Polyvinyl compound.”

“Thermoplastic!” He figures. “I’m cold. Increase ambient temperature.”

“Ambient temperature acceptable.”

“Sensors are wrong. I’m cold. Priority one, I’m freezing. C’mon!”

He fake shivers. Numbers race across the pod screen. The pod buys it.

Screen: Displays rising temperature.

“C’mon, sensors are damaged. This thing’s an ice cube.” He struggles but still can’t move.

Screen: The object approaches. Clock 2 minutes.

“One hundred fifty degrees. Now!”

“Requested temperature is outside comfort parameters.”

“Screw parameters. Priority Three, start cooking now!”

Screen: Temperature indicators rise rapidly to one hundred fifty degrees.

Connor pours sweat as he struggles against his bonds. A finger moves. Then he manages a fist. He wriggles merciless and loosens a shoulder. An elbow.

Screen: His body temperature rises to 101 degrees. Clock 1 minute. 59 seconds. 58...

“Hotter.”

Screen: 160 degrees.

“Increasing delivery of body fluids.” Seconds pass. “Emergency temperature decrease.”

“No!”

Screen: 175 degrees. Body temperature 105 degrees.

“Emergency temperature decrease.”

“No!”

Screen: 160, 150, 140...

Connor battles against the vinyl, a knee bends, a foot moves. But then he collapses into exhaustion as the vinyl stiffens. Connor sees the object’s growing glow pulse amid the stars.

Screen: 70 degrees. 30 seconds.

“Maneuver.”

“Incapable.”

Alarms sound as the pod races toward tumbling asteroids. Connor loosens an arm. He peels away some sheath then hollers as he painfully unplugs support connections from his body.

A sharp, gold beam of light scans the pod. Then a blue glow overcomes it. The object, a sleek alien Nanospace Vessel drifts up, remnant glow fading.

“10 seconds.”

The vessel absolutely dwarfs the pod.

“Collision in 6, 5,4 ...”

Connor’s eyes clench as he braces for impact.

But the vessel and pod’s hull meet and the pod sears into it. Moments later, like discarded waste, the pod tumbles out the back.

A purple glow rapidly envelops the vessel. It slips right through a massive asteroid leaving a short-lived, resonating pool of space behind.

The asteroid overruns the pod and it explodes. The atomic force shatters the massive rock. Fragments careen into others. The sleek vessel cannonballs away from the billowing destruction.

In the vessel hold, naked Connor chokes, quaking on the space-cold freezing floor. The walls radiate amber-coals hot and a hurricane of life-saving warm air passes over him.

On the bridge, a dome displays Connor. A metallic-looking alien hand moves over it and his image zooms. The hand rolls over another dome and images of alien beings cycle. A near human form displays. The hand inserts into a depression. Its metal-like skin churns into discolored flesh. It withdraws almost human in form.

In the hold, a door dissolves open. An eerie, almost neon glow casts a shadow over Connor. He looks. The glow surrounds a humanoid being. Connor, on pure instinct and adrenaline, struggles to rise but stumbles.

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