Endure: Book 5 in The Trapped In The Hollow Earth Novelette Series Read online

  A thick metallic pole, stretching from floor to ceiling, stood in the middle of the dark room, flashing different colors in sequence. Heat radiated from it like a giant sun lamp. It made crackling and fizzing sounds that reminded Casey of ice cubes immersed in warm water. Jack would so love this.

  Thorn motioned over to the colorful pillar, blinking like a Christmas tree. “This device is called an antigravity drive, and it helps us run and control the ship. We can manipulate gravity and travel at the speed of light, breaking the law of physics.”

  “Did you hear that?” Mike said in her ear. “How much do you think American Airlines would pay for this stuff?”

  She slapped the back of his head, glad that the general wasn’t there to hear Mike’s feeble attempts at fame. “Just hush and listen.”

  Mike held up his arm, fingers pointing toward a crystal that cast a green aura on his skin.

  “C’mon. Let’s go.” Casey grabbed him by his shoulders and nudged him up the narrow stairs. “I sure don’t need you trying to touch the fancy colors.”

  “We’re back to the central level.” Thorn pointed to a raised, circular platform with three pilot seats facing a giant, oblong cockpit window. “This is where we’ll sit to control the craft.”

  She peered down at a lit console. Switches, instruments, and symbols filled the oval control panel, and the symbols surprised her. They weren’t strange and elaborate as she expected; rather, they were simple geometric shapes: circles, triangles, squares, and a few others. They were arranged in hundreds of different combinations, with accompanying numbers.

  Mike planted himself in the middle seat. “This must be the captain’s command chair. Look at all of this top-notch, high-tech stuff.”

  Casey shook her head as a thought occurred to her. General Ashtar had said they were 5,000 years ahead of surface humans in technology, so she wondered why the aliens would start the invasion with a race of beings who possessed sophisticated weapons and technology instead of on the surface, where people didn’t have all the fancy gadgetry and know-how to fight them. “I’ve been wondering, why didn’t the rebel Greys attack the surface of Earth first? We don’t have any technology close to this, and we could’ve been easily wiped out.”

  Thorn nodded, seemingly impressed with her insight. “Good point. You might think Earth’s surface dwellers would be the easiest target to begin with, but the Agarthians would’ve come out with full force, outnumbering the rebels in ships and manpower. The Federation could’ve been called for backup, and the Greys wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

  “So they came up with a better plan?” said Mike. “This is their Plan B?”

  Thorn nodded again. “Yes. What better military strategy than to disable your most powerful enemy first? With the Agarthians paralyzed and unable to call for help, the rebel Greys hold all the power.”

  Casey pondered. It all made perfect sense, and it was brilliant—at least for the Greys.

  Thorn’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Are you ready to get started?”

  This was going to be scarier than Driver’s Ed. A shudder ran through her as she met Thorn’s black gaze, then inclined her head in hesitant agreement.

  Mike jumped from his seat. “Who needs training? Let’s fly this baby and go save Jack.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Turn it down a notch, will ya, Skywalker? We’ll be no good to Jack if we die on the way up there. May I remind you that it took you three months to learn how to put your car in first gear?”

  “Really?” Thorn’s eyes grew wider than they were already.

  Mike playfully elbowed her. “She’s exaggerating again.”

  She laughed, and Thorn joined in, even though he didn’t seem convinced. Biting her tongue, she decided to keep silent for a change, and not point out that Mike still couldn’t effectively operate a can opener.

  “Let’s start your lessons then.” Thorn started to walk to the doorway and glanced over his shoulder. “Some of Agartha’s top soldiers are waiting for us in the Conference and Operations Center, as well as nourishment.”

  Casey’s stomach rumbled. “Dinner?”

  “Yes,” Thorn said.

  Mike shot her a sideways look. “Good, ‘cause I’ve been waiting for a big, fat juicy burger all day.”

  She tried to smile, but she had a nagging thought in the back of her mind that she might be facing her own personal last supper. Oh boy. They better have chocolate.

  Chapter 6

  The moment Casey had been fearing finally arrived. She tried to ignore the dry sensation in her mouth as she and Mike stood in front of the saucer-shaped craft, waiting for the general. The spacecraft couldn’t be flown without her—a detail that still hadn’t registered with her mind. She clutched her chest. “My heart’s still racing. I still can’t believe we outwitted the security precautions and didn’t get hurt like the other Agarthian that’d tried to rig the seats.”

  “You can’t blame General Ashtar. He had to give it a test run before he wasted all that time on us. After risking my life in that little experiment, I think I deserved a burger.”

  “I didn’t know there were so many ways to dress up vegetables.” Casey chuckled and tugged at his arm nervously. It was better to talk about their meal than to risk letting her mind roam free toward dangerous territory—a spaceship hovering thousands of feet in the air as she struggled to remember what all the signals on the dashboard were. She continued, “Can you believe these people are vegetarians? Jack would’ve been impressed with that.”

  Mike nodded, but his eyes were glazed over, telling her that he, too, was a million miles away. “Yeah. He’s such a health nut. They thought I was crazy when I asked if they could fry the potatoes.”

  She laughed. “Don’t think they actually knew what frying is.”

  “Everyone in their right mind knows what French fries are,” said Mike, “and where’s my burger?”

  “Sorry, but I’m pretty sure they don’t serve 8,000-calorie quadruple burgers dripping with greasy cheese and mayo.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, pausing for a moment before she continued, “I can’t stop thinking about Jack.”

  He let out a long breath, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Me neither.”

  “We can’t mess this up. He’s counting on us.” She desperately hoped she’d remember everything they’d been taught. “How’s your memory, Mike? ‘Cause they sure crammed a lot in there in such a short time. All that stuff’s just swimming in my head.”

  He laughed. “You’re trusting me when I barely remember what I had for breakfast? But I can try for you. And don’t worry, Thorn is doing all the driving. It’s not like we’re being left to fly the thing all by ourselves.”

  “Thank goodness for that. So are you ready to take on the intergalactic army?”

  “As ready as one can be after a few slices of tomato and raw lettuce, but we’ve got Thorn.” He winked. “And you’ve got me, including my scattered brain. That’s bound to count for something.”

  He wasn’t the only scattered one. Casey smiled as she reached up to give him a fist-bump.

  “Fist-bumps are for friends. I think we’re more than that.” He pulled her into his arms and captured her lips in a long kiss, sending tingles down her entire body. Easing away, his gaze drifted to the ship. “Okay. I can’t believe we’re making out in front of something that’s not supposed to exist.”

  She took a few steps forward, her black boots squeaking on the polished floor. All she could do was stare at the gorgeous silver craft. She still couldn’t believe she was going to pilot a ship with an alien.

  “At least we’re dressed for the part.” Smoothing out the wrinkles on her emblem, she peered down at her blue jumpsuit where three white circles overlapped on her chest. Wearing a one-piece was so 1990s, but at least the belt sat well and gave her an hourglass figure.

  “Are you okay? You keep pinching your sleeves,” said Mike. “You look great. This goes well with your, uh…” He looked her up and
down, and she felt her cheeks blush.

  “My eyes? Thank you.”

  Mike winked again. “Yeah. That too.”

  Before Casey could retort, the door opened, and the general approached. A soldier carrying an armful of backpacks followed closely behind him.

  Mike straightened and saluted.

  The general handed them each a silver laser pistol and black holster. “You’ll need stun weapons. These are very similar to the ones you used in your training.”

  Casey turned the gun in her hands and examined it from every angle. With its silver coating and indentations for tighter grip, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, but she could tell from its construction and the seriousness of the situation that it didn’t come from a Hollywood prop department. A little target practice might’ve been nice, but as usual, everyone seemed to assume Mike and she were born warriors. The only experience she had firing any kind of weapon was the shooting gallery at the fair, aiming for tiny targets glued to moving yellow ducks. Even then, she didn’t walk away with a teddy bear.

  “This is weird,” whispered Mike. “I feel bad, like I’m doing something I shouldn’t be.”

  “Playing with guns? I know what you’re talking about.” She had never touched a real gun before, stun gun or otherwise, and it sent her insides into somersaults. “I can’t believe it’s so light.” She ran her fingers across the smooth chrome. It felt cold under her hot skin, uneven where etched, raised images of stars and planets met on the handle and sides. She fastened her holster around her waist and put the weapon away, secretly hoping she’d never have to use it. She thought she should talk to the general about her fears, but he looked busy conversing with his aide on technical stuff she didn’t even get.

  Mike raised his gun in the air when a red laser beam shot from the pistol and struck the ceiling above. The loud crash echoed off the walls.

  Casey screamed and ducked for cover, dropping her own gun to the floor. “What’re you doing? Have you lost your mind?”

  “Who did that?” asked the general in a stern voice.

  “Mike!” said Casey, wide-eyed. She stayed glued to the floor, in case Mike lost control over his lead finger again. You do realize you could’ve shot something important…or me!”

  “I’m sorry. It just went off by accident.”

  “What if you put a hole in the side of this baby and we didn’t find out until we were 10,000 feet in the air?” Casey rolled her eyes. It wasn’t some wild west cowboys and Indian expo. She wished he could be serious and just stay out of trouble for one minute.

  General Ashtar snatched the weapon from his hand and then picked up Casey’s. “I believe the stun setting will be ample for your needs.” He turned a few knobs and touched several illuminated buttons. An amber light flashed on the muzzle and beeped twice. “You’ll be able to incapacitate anyone for three standard hours.”

  Someone entered, and Casey turned in time to see the commander standing in the doorway as a large piece of glass fell and struck the floor by his feet. He jumped back, crushing thousands of tiny shards under his heavy boots. “I thought I heard shooting,” he said, glaring straight at Mike.

  She opened her mouth to speak when the commander cut her off. “Be careful where you aim. You’re using brand new katayla chips, which are more powerful than anything you’ve ever seen.”

  She didn’t want to point out that she’d never seen any sort of weapon apart from an old shotgun used to shoot plastic ducks with foam pellets. “We’ll try to remember.” Casey glared at Mike as she plucked sharp pieces out of her hair.

  “I’m so sorry about that, sir,” said Mike.

  The commander dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “We’re all going to die,” he muttered under his breath.

  Mike blinked. “I didn’t know it would just go off like that.”

  “This mission’s far too dangerous for teenagers,” the commander mumbled. “They’re not properly trained or emotionally mature.”

  “Yes, I admit it’s very dangerous,” General Ashtar gave his shoulder a squeeze, as if to reassure him, “but it’s the only way to save us and the human race from extinction.”

  Casey let out a breath and shook her head. No pressure or anything.

  Mike shot the commander and the general a questioning look. “You do realize we’re standing here, right?”

  “That’s the frightening part,” the commander whispered. Casey leaned in to catch his words. “The only option we have left is to rely on mere children. We must leave the fate of our world in the hands of surface humans. We are helpless otherwise, and that is a scary thought.”

  Mike squared his shoulders. “No need to be condescending. We’re risking our lives too.”

  Casey didn’t want to point out that there’d be no lives to risk if they didn’t give the mission a try. If no one tried, the rebels would win without a fight. Either way, they might die. It was better to focus on the situation at hand, because once she entered Mike’s dangerous terrain, she might not be so keen on leaving the false sense of security she had among the Agarthians. “So how are we going to find this mothership?”

  “The enemy’s cloaking technology makes it impossible for us to locate it,” said the general.

  Thorn appeared beside her and joined in the conversation. “I’ll be able to find it with the Bladmash sensors installed in this scout ship. The mothership has to be close for this attack to be taking place.”

  General Ashtar signaled his aide. The tall man stepped forward and handed them four backpacks. “We found these in the storage area on the ship,” said the general. “They are the latest standard military-issue packs used by the Greys. They’ve been packed with everything we think you’ll need for your mission.” He signaled his aide once more, and the aide handed each of them a digital watch with a thick, black band.

  Casey looked at the square-faced timepiece. It looked futuristic, like something straight out of Star Trek. “A high-tech wristwatch?”

  “They’re communicators,” said General Ashtar.

  Mike turned the device over in his hand and grinned. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Is it like some kinda spy gadget? Can it make me invisible or build an invincible shield around me?”

  General Ashtar furrowed his brows. “This device will give you the remaining mission time.”

  “Cool,” said Mike. “Does this thing pack some twenty-first-century technology or what?”

  “Excuse me?” said the general.

  Mike ran his fingers across the big LCD screen. “Does it come with a cell, a PDA, camera, an MP3 player, or Internet connection? Oooh…can I update my Facebook status on this thing? Boy, do I have a lot to tweet about.”

  Casey let out a small giggle. “If I’m going to wear an oversized men’s watch, it better have some really cool apps.”

  The general shook his head and wrinkled his brown in confusion and continued, “It’s also equipped with a GPS chip and a map navigator that will enable you to find each other in the event that you get separated. See the circle of red lights? There’s one for each of you. When you separate, four red lights will appear in a mini-map surrounded by a directional compass on the LCD screen.”

  “So we can always find each other?” said Casey.

  “Yes. Just ensure Jack gets both a watch and a backpack when you locate him.”

  Mike rummaged through his sack. “There’s all kinds of stuff here.” He pulled out a thin, rectangular, object about the size of a Nintendo DS. “I hope you didn’t forget to pack Downhill Jams.” He looked at Thorn, whose forehead was visibly creased. “What? It’s my favorite DS skateboarding game.”

  “That is not a game. It is a navigational tool.” Thorn grabbed the device and stuffed it back. “You’ll have more time to examine these items later.”

  Mike pulled a face and mumbled, “oh, okay.”

  Holding the gadget in her hands, Casey could feel the seconds slowly trickling by. It’d be time soon. “I k
now you and the commander have your doubts, but Mike and I will give this mission everything we have.” She only hoped her best would be good enough.

  “As will I,” said Thorn.

  General Ashtar gazed down at them. “Your participation in this mission is greatly appreciated, as well as your commitment not only to your own race, but to ours as well. You are all to be commended.”

  As he finished speaking, a brief snap echoed, and the room went black, the only light shining from inside the flying saucer’s open door.

  Casey jumped and let out a yelp. What now? Are the rebels attacking? The thought made her wince, and she grabbed Mike’s hand for comfort.

  The commander’s words cut through the room. “Power outage.”

  Casey let out a breath when the door burst open below the balcony control room and another blond head popped in. “They’ve shut down our power grid.”

  “Then our timetable has changed. We must launch our mission immediately, before they block our passageway as well.” General Ashtar’s voice was firm and demanded action.

  “Yes, sir,” said Thorn.

  Casey’s hand trembled as she rubbed her face, her brain still circling around the general’s words. The time had come, literally knocking on her door. Sweat gathered on her brow and trickled down the center of her back as she hesitated, waiting for further instructions.

  “We will not fail, General.” Thorn sprinted up the ramp, the metal click-clacking under his feet. “Come on, you two. Now is the time.”

  She blinked, her feet still frozen to the ground. There was no time for goodbyes or good luck wishes. No one gave her a bouquet or a box of chocolates to sweeten her up before the mission. She hadn’t expected a parade, of course, but this was the worst goodbye she’d ever received. Hesitating, she followed Thorn and caught a glimpse of the general’s set jaw and taut face; it wasn’t the look of a confident man. He was clearly overcome with terror, intermingled with the knowledge of imminent doom. All the talk about faith in them had been nothing but a way to boost their confidence. She had the strong feeling that it was more a suicide mission than a short journey to deliver some goods.