The Man with the Missing Jaw by Geoff Palmer

Author:Geoff Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult, sci-fi, adventure, thriller, science fiction, New Zealand, action, aliens, Tim Townsend
Amazon: B01M7W619E
Publisher: Geoff Palmer
Published: 2016-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

26 : Red for Danger

The sound of the radiation alert faded as Alkemy and Ludokrus raced down a stationary travelator to what had once been a bustling administration floor. They passed the seats where they’d waited for their uncle the last time they visited, and the entrance to the canteen where he’d take them. The place had once been full of life and movement. Now it was eerily silent.

A curved glass partition ran along one side, overlooking an interior garden three floors below. Untended, it looked as abandoned as the offices and workshops around it. Some of the larger plants had browning leaves, and weeds sprouted in the spaces in between.

They stopped at the despatch desk. Ludokrus grabbed the handset and punched in the number Albert had given him.

‘Macet Upholstery Services,’ an automated voice replied. ‘Please state your business.’

‘I would like to have a sofa re-covered, please,’ he said, speaking carefully.

‘What is the current colour of this item?’

‘The fabric is called “Red for Danger”.’

‘And your desired shade?’

‘”Calming Blue”.’

There was a faint click. A second automated voice, slightly different from the first, took over. ‘What size is this item?’

‘Two-seater.’

‘When would you like this item returned?’

‘Three weeks.’

‘Thank you,’ the voice said. ‘That fabric is ... currently in stock. Transport tag ... despatched. Please confirm receipt.’

A yellow card dropped into the bottom of the comms unit.

‘Tag received.’

‘Thank you for your business.’

The unit clicked off. Ludokrus put down the handset and picked up the card.

‘Just in time.’ Alkemy pointed to the interior garden. Down below, a dozen guard-bots sprinted through the foliage, sealing off the last of the building’s exits.

* * *

Wilis acted quickly when he saw his prisoners racing away in the opposite direction. Before even summoning a decontamination crew to deal with the radiation leak, he sent out a general alert to all guard-bots in the vicinity. No one was to leave the Science Council building without his express permission.

Silly kids. What were they thinking? They’d probably run off in the hope of finding someone to help them. Well, they were out of luck. He and his clone brothers had cleared the place out. Two panicked kids wouldn’t get far.

Not like the aliens on Selene Station. They could be anywhere. And how had Welis got himself wedged in an alley? That was embarassing, but Welis had never been the brightest of the brothers.

An alert flashed in his heads-up display saying the English language module had been downloaded again. He read the location, then read it again.

Basic Food, Concordance Plaza?

The fools had followed them down!

There was one way to atone for Welis’s stupidity: to catch the aliens himself.

He made a snap decision. With the Science Council building sealed, catching the Eltherian kids was only a matter of time, so he summoned a dozen of the Military Council’s latest war-bots, set a rendezvous point at the entrance to Basic Plaza, and sprinted away to join them.

Time to bag some aliens!

* * *

Behind the despatch counter, Alkemy and Ludokrus dived through a hatch in the back wall hung with wide strips of black plastic.

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