Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper

Author:Doug J. Cooper [Cooper, Doug J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-12-13T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Jack left Cheryl to return to the ship. It was a distressing decision, but his sense of duty required that he verify the status of the last two crew members and help them escape if they were still alive. In preparation for his return, he doubled his firepower. He always carried a weapon on his right wrist, and he attached a matching weapon under his ghost suit to his left wrist. Both were primed and ready to fire.

The inattentive behavior of the guards made it easy for him to regain entry onto the Alliance. This time he headed straight for the operations bay. He found Leven, the security officer, lying in the doorway leading into operations. It took but a moment to confirm the man was dead.

He stepped inside the facility and saw Cait crumpled near the now-mangled crystal housing. Rushing to her side, his heart jumped when her vital-signs reading indicated she was alive. Unlike Cheryl, though, she was barely clinging to life. In a replay of events, he infused her with an ampule, wrapped her in the ghost cape, and carried her back to the hideout.

Jack sat and watched Cheryl and Cait as they lay next to each other in the alley. He tried to think of something more he could do to speed their recovery. They both had the peaceful look of someone asleep, so he imagined they weren’t in pain. He hoped they would recover soon, because the longer they were out, the more challenging it would be for the three of them to survive.

He considered possible next steps. It seemed clear that the Alliance no longer had value to their planning. The command bridge had suffered such complete destruction that the ship couldn’t be used as an escape vehicle. And the presence of guards served as evidence that the Kardish were paying attention to the ship. At some point, Cheryl and Cait would be missed. So while the Alliance stood as a symbol of home, their survival required that they abandon it as a refuge and get far away.

He stood up and looked in all directions to see what he could learn of their surroundings. Unfortunately, from the confines of the alley, his view was greatly restricted, upward being his only clear line of sight. Overhead, he could see the curvature of the Kardish vessel from side to side as the hull wall traveled up, over, and down in a graceful arc.

Remembering his visit to the DSA imaging center, he recalled that the vessel had a bulbous head at the bow that tapered off to a narrow tail in the stern. He studied the hull overhead. From his current vantage point, this front-to-back taper was less obvious but still noticeable. They could use this taper like a compass to orient themselves toward the bow or stern of the vessel when they were on the move.

He knew that if he were to develop viable options, he would need to leave the alley and explore their surroundings.

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