Atherton #3: The Dark Planet (No. 3) by Patrick Carman

Author:Patrick Carman [Carman, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science fiction, General, Action & Adventure - General, Children's Books, Children's & young adult fiction & true stories, YA), Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Children: Grades 4-6, Young Adult Fiction, Science fiction (Children's, Adventure and adventurers, Orphans, Life on other planets, Adventure fiction, Social classes, Science Fiction; Fantasy; Magic, Atherton (Imaginary place), Space colonies
ISBN: 9780316166744
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Published: 2009-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17L-I-F-T-B-5

Red Eye waited in silence for two hours, wondering why he'd

bothered to come in the first place. Two hours! The barracks

would soon be shutting down for the night. He was hungry,

thirsty, and tired of staring out the window into the gathering

darkness of the forsaken wood. And they kept the lights so

bright in Station Seven he had to keep his goggles on. Now the

goggles itched his eyes and his head and he desperately

wanted to take them off. Why had he requested a meeting with

Commander Judix? If only he'd called instead.

"What can I do for you?" asked Commander Judix. She had

rolled silently into the room and Red Eye leaped back in fright,

touching the window. His hand was greasy and it left a smear.

"Don't touch the glass," snapped Commander Judix. "You know

how I hate that."

She watched in disgust as Red Eye tried hopelessly to remove

the smudge on the glass and only made it worse with his dirty

sleeve.

"Leave it, you imbecile!" said Commander Judix, rolling toward

Red Eye without a thought of slowing down so he could move

out of the way. "I hope you run the Silo with a little more care."

Smudged glass wasn't the only thing Commander Judix hated.

She loathed having to deal with Red Eye or his snarly younger

brother in person. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time

she'd actually seen either one of them up close.

Red Eye embodied every thing she hated about the Dark

Planet. The sick eyes set deep in their sockets, those revolting

goggles, and skin so unnaturally pale. At least Red Eye didn't

have that cackling laugh. How she hated it when Socket would

screech in his unbearable way.

"The new recruit, Commander, he'll be ready with the other

one," said Red Eye, so nervous he could hardly spit the words

out. But he had so wanted to play the hero just this once, and to

do it in person. He had even allowed himself to imagine there

might be a reward.

"How old is he?" Commander Judix stared aimlessly at the

forsaken wood through the giant window pane.

"4311," said Red Eye. It was the second time he'd said the

number and he couldn't for the life of him imagine why he'd

come up with the random digits to begin with. Why hadn't he

chosen something closer to 4200?

"That's a little older than Grammel likes them. Is he edgy like

you? Does he cackle?"

"No, ma'am, there's none of that with this one. He's not in the

least bit nervous. He's an odd one, healthier than we've seen in

a long time. But he's been trouble-free and hardly says a word."

"You could learn a thing or two from someone like that,"

Commander Judix said.

Red Eye thought of how Edgar was getting the beating of his

life in the machine room, and this made him feel a little better in

the presence of the commander's cruelty.

Commander Judix had already heard how healthy this new

recruit was once before, and something told her it was a

meaningful piece of information. But her heart and her mind

were so bitter and determined, she couldn't quite get at it.

"Does he have a name?" asked Commander Judix, thinking it

might jog something in her memory.

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