Embarkment 2577 by Maria Hammarblad

Author:Maria Hammarblad [Hammarblad, Maria]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781453685105
Publisher: Maria Hammarblad
Published: 2010-12-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

I didn’t think Kevin Nolan would really try to kidnap me, but I was still happy to see the Kentucky disappear. What kind of fate might Enoch face when he returned to Earth? Hopefully, he would be locked up for a very long time.

We crawled towards a space station that could make the necessary repairs on our pet black hole. Adam said getting there would take at least eight weeks, maybe longer, and I settled down to wait. The calm was a welcome change.

I wasn’t even surprised when Adam came home in the middle of the day, swept me off my feet, and carried me to his study. “What are you doing?”

He shrugged and put me down on the big desk. I kept my arms wrapped around his neck. Whatever he might want would have to wait until after he kissed me properly.

One thing led to another, and I tugged at his shirt. It flew through the room. He kissed my neck, only pausing to pull my blouse over my head.

When I wanted my clothes later, I was surprised to find my panties hanging over a lamp…

Adam glanced into my eyes and smiled when he buttoned the shirt. “As remarkable as that was, it’s not why I came home.”

I lifted my eyebrows and feigned surprise. “No? Really?”

He tucked the shirt in, returning to his well-ordered self. “Really. Look here…”

An image of a blue and green planet appeared in the middle of the room. It looked a little like prehistoric Earth, with one humongous continent surrounded by water. “The people here invented a new technique making it possible to get close to black holes without experiencing problems with time dilution.”

The what and the what?,Blah blah blah, event horizon, blah blah, gravity well, blah blah…

“It could help the people replacing our Tokamak field.”

“Cut to the chase. How long will you be gone?”

He sat on the edge of the desk and reached for my hand. “I have the right to bring you, if you want to come. And to answer your question, at least six weeks. Probably longer.”

“Six weeks?”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I must.”

He put his hands on my hips and inched me closer. “When are we leaving?”

Smiling a little and stealing kisses, he murmured, “I hoped you’d say that… In the morning… I should be going back…”

His hands didn’t seem to share the sentiment; they held on to me. Had I finally managed to corrupt his sense of duty? Maybe my decision to get dressed had been a bit hasty…

*****

“Shuttle Alpha One, you’re clear for takeoff.”

The little ship moved forward, hovering just inches above the floor, and left through a force field almost impossible to see. We were in space, and Adam steered right into the darkness. I gazed back through the window, keeping the Bell in sight for as long as I could. She was big, beautiful, and lit up.

“We’re clear. See you in a few weeks.”

“Affirmative. Good luck, Alpha One.”

I barely listened to the greetings.

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