Second Chance by Nathan Hystad

Author:Nathan Hystad [Hystad, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Audible
Publisher: Woodbridge Press
Published: 2022-03-29T04:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

“A River Checkpoint?” I asked plainly. The room was powering up, the lights getting brighter, the computers all turning on to full system ready.

“Yes, the ship itself makes the transition. The technology can be extended to a fleet around it, or the warship can travel alone,” she told me.

“And you recall this out of the blue?” I took a chance and walked closer to her.

Krissa laughed lightly. “I didn’t know, Colton. Something happened. I waited for you too long. My mind… it’s not right.” She scratched at her temple. “But seeing this”—she indicated the command station—“brought it all to the forefront.”

“If this vessel belongs to you, what the hell is a Cepra?” Gordon challenged.

“They are our warriors,” she responded.

“Great.” Gordon’s head tilted. “We’re receiving a message from Alex!”

I grabbed my helmet, shoving it in place. “…Where are you? There’s too many. We’re…cordoned…rear shaft…” And he was gone.

The sound of gunfire filled the speakers, and Desmond paced the room. “We have to help them.”

“No. It’s time to go home,” Krissa told me.

“Alex. Indie. Come in. What is your location?” I asked, but the speaker remained silent.

Leruf tapped a device clamped on his left arm. “They’re here.” He showed me the map, but we couldn’t tell how to reach that position from here. We’d have to backtrack so we didn’t get lost on the giant Dread.

“Krissa, we help them first. Stop the Cepra, if that’s who they’re fleeing from, and then we can decide the next course of action,” I told her, but she wasn’t pleased. It was evident from her posture.

“If the Plev’er cut the power, we won’t be able to use the Checkpoint,” she explained.

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Krissa crossed her arms. “I’m not.”

“Then you’ll have to hope I don’t get killed in the process.” I snapped my visor closed and ran the way we’d originated from, not giving her a chance to retort. Desmond was with me, Gordon dashing behind. Finally, I heard Leruf bounding through the corridor, moving swiftly. My legs pounded against the white floor as I pushed myself, leaving my human friends in the dust. All I could think about was the other members of Team Alpha being attacked. Indie was in trouble. We might have lost our connection, but I owed her this bit of loyalty.

I recognized the fork in the halls, and chased after Alex’s path, checking my map to see if I was still on the proper trail.

It only took a few minutes running at this breakneck pace to arrive at the doorway. It was pitch black, but my night vision helped see the keypad on the side of the entrance. It was broken, with loose wires, and I tested the door, sliding it open manually. More damaged cords flashed and popped inside the next room. It looked like chaos had erupted here, with holes the size of basketballs in the furniture. A detached limb lay on the ground, twitching at random. It came from a Cepra.

I checked the map again, and they were located only about twenty yards from here, but there was no secondary door.

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