Read Online Charged - Book One by L.M. Moore - Free Book Online

rebutted.
    “Please tell me you thought of a way out of here that
doesn’t consist of me rock climbing?”
    “Relax. I covered everything. We have to walk west
five miles to where Jared can pick us up, but he can’t be here
until ten tomorrow.”
    “Walk. Walk!” I said one more time, frowning. It was
clear to me that he was completely crazy and if I could catch him,
I was going to hurt him.
    “Ten a.m. tomorrow! Let’s pretend I can walk five
miles, which I can’t! Do you realize what lives in these
canyons?”
    “Yes, yes, all full of protein, bossman.”
    He was smiling again. I was getting tired of the
smiling. I wanted to rip that smile off his face and shove it up
his…. I stopped this thought. I needed him to get out of this
place. I could hurt him after we were back on the plane. Walk. I
felt a little delirious at the thought. I should have been more
honest about the knee.
    Then I saw something.
    I limped all the way around the center satellite dish
and I saw handlebars mounted on the side, leading all the way up to
the top of the base of the center dish.
    Aaron picked up the box, walked over to the dish and
cautiously touched the bars. He started to climb up the bars and I
followed, taking twice as long as him. As we got to the top, there
was a large circular opening positioned next to the center of the
dish. I pulled myself through the hole, trying not to bang my knee
and I could see a large circle in the center of the dish.
    It didn’t look like a satellite dish; it looked more
like a giant solar panel. I expected what looked like glass under
our feet to start cracking, but it didn’t.
    Aaron was inspecting the center of the dish and
started blowing sand out of a small divot in the center of the
circle. As he did so, it revealed 13 metallic prongs.
    “You ready?” he said, about to place the small box in
the slot.
    “Wait!”
    Aaron paused and waited for me to get closer. The
indentation in the center of the dish was the exact same size as
the box. For a moment, I contemplated whether it was a good idea to
use the key at all. What would the consequences be?
    “What if it does blow up Mars?”
    Aaron shook his head. “I’m pretty sure it would be
shaped like a large rocket, not a satellite dish, if that were the
case.”
    “Funny. No, I mean what if it sends a message that in
turn makes something devastating happen?”
    “Mars isn’t that interesting anyway and I don’t think
this is actually a satellite dish. I think it’s just made to look
like one.” Then, without any more thought, he placed the key into
the 13 prongs.
    We waited, looking at the box, looking around at the
walls of the dish and then back at each other, and nothing
happened.
    “Maybe it’s broke,” I said, not having a different
explanation.
    “It’s not broke, I checked it.”
    “How exactly do you check glowing wires?” I said, in
a sarcastic tone.
    Aaron grabbed the box and wiggled it. He then turned
it ninety degrees to the right and the box came to life. Tiny
violet beams shot out of the sides for about two seconds and then
faded to nothing. The circle that surrounded the box started to
lift from one side and we had to quickly jump off of it, which sent
another jolt of pain through my knee.
    “Yes!” Aaron said, going around to the other side to
look into the hole. It was a lid to a hollow cylinder about seven
feet wide and eleven feet deep, with steel handle mounts running
down one side. Beyond that, it was empty, completely empty. There
were no buttons, no additional sockets for the strange box, no
keyholes, nothing. We just stood there staring into it.
    Now I was impressed. Not only did the box work, but
Aaron found what it unlocked.
    Aaron smiled pleased with himself again. He then
shrugged his shoulders, raised his eyes brows and motioned for me
to hop in the tube.
    “No way man. You go right ahead. I’ll be waiting for
you when the government drags your ass back up here because you
just found the