Steele High: Generation Ship Destiny, Book One by Phil Huddleston

Author:Phil Huddleston [Huddleston, Phil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

Distance from Earth (km): 483,974,653

Standing at the intersection of the corridors, Steele sent the tip of his rifle barrel out into the space around the left passageway.

A flurry of gunshots erupted, and he hastily drew the rifle barrel back.

Well. We’ve got them right where they want us.

“That’s more than two rifles,” he sent to Summer. “That’s at least three. Chen’s got some help down there.”

“Roger that,” she replied.

“We’ve got Deborah,” yelled a heavily accented voice from down the left tunnel. “Get the hell out of here, or we shoot her!”

I know Chen’s voice. So that has to be Ping.

Looking at him from the other side of the tunnel entrance, Summer spoke softly. “It’s a bluff. Ten to one they’ve already killed her.”

The thought sent chills down his back. His logical mind knew it was probably true. Deborah had been missing for twenty-four hours now, with no proof of life. And they wouldn’t have waited so long without a negotiation if she were still alive. They would have put her up in a video to show she was alive.

But his emotional mind couldn’t accept the thought.

She’s not dead. Not Deborah. No one was so full of life as her. She would find a way to survive.

She’s not dead.

“Get the hell out of here, or we shoot Deborah!” another voice yelled.

That was a voice Steele recognized.

Chen.

“KLONIE,” Steele transmitted. “Do you have eyes on these guys?”

“Negative. There are no cameras down there.”

He turned, scanned the area behind him, looking for any avenue of advantage. On the wall behind him, on his side of the tunnel, he saw a ladder leading upward.

“Summer. Any idea where that ladder goes?” he whispered across the corridor.

Summer looked at it. “Not a clue,” she replied.

“I’m going up to check it out.”

“Roger. I’ll hold here and keep them occupied.”

Moving to the ladder, Steele looked up. At the top of the ladder was some kind of manhole cover. He slung his rifle over his back and began climbing.

Behind him, he heard a flurry of shots as Summer poked her rifle around the corner and gave a couple of three-shot bursts back toward the enemy.

At the top, Steele gingerly pushed the manhole cover aside and waited. With no reaction, he carefully pushed it fully aside and laid it down. Poking his head above eye level, he looked around.

Bright and shiny silver piping ran down a long, narrow pipe conduit, leading in both directions, to the left and to the right. Thick electrical cables accompanied the piping. Steele didn’t see any sign of Chen or Ping.

Measuring the space with his eyes, he decided it might be large enough for him to maneuver. Pushing his rifle into the space ahead of him, he climbed in.

With only a couple of inches of space on each side of him and above, it was just large enough for his body. It was tedious, but by pushing his rifle ahead of him, he was able to move forward slowly, a dozen inches at a time.

“I’m working my way forward to see what’s up ahead,” he transmitted to Summer.

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