Velocity by Gun Brooke

Author:Gun Brooke [Brooke, Gun]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635559842
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2022-01-01T00:47:44+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Darian slowly raised her head, allowing herself to take in the closest strut. It was a dizzying experience in two ways. It was tall. Their flickering beams from their flashlights as they moved up the slender column initially gave her vertigo. Perhaps they needed to change the batteries, because it was as if the strut was too tall for the light to reach the ship itself.

Samantha didn’t curse often, but now she stood next to Darian, her head tipped back. “Damn. This is the strangest feeling I’ve ever had.”

“How do you mean?” Darian didn’t take her eyes off the strut.

“It’s so much bigger than I ever could have pictured it, and yet another part of me thinks it’s just the right size. Like I know it.” She shook her head slowly.

“It’s your NIEC. It knows the ship.” Darian took a few steps forward, and it was as if that was the sign the rest of them needed to start moving.

“We need more light.” Claire walked over to the left of the elevator they had arrived in. “Give me a sec.” She placed her trackpad on the much-larger console, compared to the one she’d just used at the other end of the elevator shaft.

Thudding sounds echoed through the large space as one huge light after another switched on. Soon the hangar, because that’s what it was, was bathed in bright, warm light. Darian looked up again, and now she saw the full scope of the Velocity. She made sure she was transmitting to the ones in their group that weren’t present. She was so stunned at the sight of the enormous ship, she barely registered Camilla’s excited congratulations.

Six tall struts, each at least twenty-five feet tall, supported the body of the ship. From Darian’s point of view, the ship resembled an uneven, slightly bulky rectangle. All kinds of pipes, hatches, vents, and other contraptions adorned the hull, which was almost identical to the charcoal-gray bedrock in the walkway they’d just left. This was clearly made of some metallic alloy, and when Darian placed her hand on the closest strut, she could feel how dry and cold it was.

“Wow. Do that again.” Carl pointed to the center of the Velocity’s belly. “I saw something move, but then it stopped.”

Darian touched the strut again. This time, she didn’t let go, despite how cold it felt, and above them, a ramp of sorts lowered from below the ship. When it gave a resounding click, Darian carefully let go, and the ramp remained open.

“I take that as an invitation,” Samantha said. “I don’t know about you guys, but nothing’s going to keep me from going inside.”

“In for a penny,” Darian said and lengthened her stride to catch up with Samantha. Side by side they walked up the ramp. The surface felt rubbery and made Darian think it could be to keep people or goods from slipping off, as the ramp was steep. As they neared the narrow, rectangular opening, the lights went on above them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.