Read Online Divided (#1 Divided Destiny) by Taitrina Falcon - Free Book Online
Authors: Taitrina Falcon
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but no one had picked up. He was getting worried, which was a distraction he didn’t need right now. They all had family. They all had people they cared about.
If they were going to be deployed to an alien world, he wasn’t going to have phone reception. He had promised himself he wouldn’t keep trying; the phone networks were overwhelmed as it was, and he knew better than to add to it. However, he had to try once more. It might be the last chance he would ever have to speak to them.
From the sounds of things, they hadn’t been able to forge a link between here and wherever the probe had gone. It could have just been vaporized and not transported. If it had sent the probe somewhere, there was no guarantee that wherever it had gone had an atmosphere capable of supporting human life.
Spacesuits were pretty rare things. Even if they had been offered, Leo wouldn’t have accepted; they were too unwieldy. If they jumped into trouble, it would be a massive hindrance. Maneuverability and being able to carry more gear trumped assurance that they could breathe on the other side. This trip was a massive gamble. It was most likely a suicide mission, but they were out of options.
Conventional means just weren’t going to cut it; they were seriously outgunned. True, they had taken out some of the suited aliens on the ground, but it was early days, and the aliens had many advantages. He had no doubt that the aliens would adapt to their strategy, and then they would be back to square one again.
Leo hit his father’s cellphone number on his contacts list. Mercifully, it began to ring. And ring. And ring. His heart sank; they weren’t going to pick up this time, either. Then he heard the click that said the call had been answered.
“Dad, oh thank god,” Leo said quickly. “Are you alright? What’s happening? How’s Mom? Why haven’t you been picking up?” Leo let loose his barrage of questions, all his fear and concern bubbling over.
He felt a faint stirring of anger. He knew it was likely not their fault; in fact, if he knew his mom and dad, they had been trying to call him. It was probably down to the phone network, but he had been so worried. Now that they had finally answered, he was mad that they hadn’t picked up sooner. It was irrational and uncalled for, but he couldn’t help it.
“Who is this?” asked a young, tentative voice on the other end of the line.
“Staff Sergeant Leon Frasier. What are you doing with my dad’s phone?” Leo demanded, a sick feeling coiling in his gut. The beginnings of anger evaporated as he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Sir…sir, I’m sorry…I…we’re not supposed to do this. Given everything, normal procedure for informing next of kin has been…look, I’m really sorry. I’m just an assistant, but the phone kept ringing, and…I’m sorry,” the boy babbled.
Leo banged the back of his head against the hangar wall and closed his eyes. He had known it; he just hadn’t wanted to accept it. He hadn’t wanted to believe that it could be true.
“You work at the morgue?” Leo asked brokenly. He swallowed hard when the boy confirmed it. “What happened?”
“I don’t have all the details,” the coroner’s assistant started hesitantly. “A fight broke out at the grocery store over the canned supplies. It turned into a shootout. There were several casualties. I’m sorry, I don’t know any more.”
“That’s okay,” Leo managed.
He could hear his own voice in his ears; it sounded calm, eerily calm, like all his emotions were dead, suspended by the shock. It was a shock. He had known his parents wouldn’t live forever, that he would bury them one day, but he hadn’t expected it to be today. They had been so strong; they had always had an air of invulnerability. They had been his heroes, and now they were gone.
“I’m deploying, so I’ll be unreachable. Do whatever you need to; I’ll take care of things when I get back,” Leo told him. He didn’t wait
If they were going to be deployed to an alien world, he wasn’t going to have phone reception. He had promised himself he wouldn’t keep trying; the phone networks were overwhelmed as it was, and he knew better than to add to it. However, he had to try once more. It might be the last chance he would ever have to speak to them.
From the sounds of things, they hadn’t been able to forge a link between here and wherever the probe had gone. It could have just been vaporized and not transported. If it had sent the probe somewhere, there was no guarantee that wherever it had gone had an atmosphere capable of supporting human life.
Spacesuits were pretty rare things. Even if they had been offered, Leo wouldn’t have accepted; they were too unwieldy. If they jumped into trouble, it would be a massive hindrance. Maneuverability and being able to carry more gear trumped assurance that they could breathe on the other side. This trip was a massive gamble. It was most likely a suicide mission, but they were out of options.
Conventional means just weren’t going to cut it; they were seriously outgunned. True, they had taken out some of the suited aliens on the ground, but it was early days, and the aliens had many advantages. He had no doubt that the aliens would adapt to their strategy, and then they would be back to square one again.
Leo hit his father’s cellphone number on his contacts list. Mercifully, it began to ring. And ring. And ring. His heart sank; they weren’t going to pick up this time, either. Then he heard the click that said the call had been answered.
“Dad, oh thank god,” Leo said quickly. “Are you alright? What’s happening? How’s Mom? Why haven’t you been picking up?” Leo let loose his barrage of questions, all his fear and concern bubbling over.
He felt a faint stirring of anger. He knew it was likely not their fault; in fact, if he knew his mom and dad, they had been trying to call him. It was probably down to the phone network, but he had been so worried. Now that they had finally answered, he was mad that they hadn’t picked up sooner. It was irrational and uncalled for, but he couldn’t help it.
“Who is this?” asked a young, tentative voice on the other end of the line.
“Staff Sergeant Leon Frasier. What are you doing with my dad’s phone?” Leo demanded, a sick feeling coiling in his gut. The beginnings of anger evaporated as he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Sir…sir, I’m sorry…I…we’re not supposed to do this. Given everything, normal procedure for informing next of kin has been…look, I’m really sorry. I’m just an assistant, but the phone kept ringing, and…I’m sorry,” the boy babbled.
Leo banged the back of his head against the hangar wall and closed his eyes. He had known it; he just hadn’t wanted to accept it. He hadn’t wanted to believe that it could be true.
“You work at the morgue?” Leo asked brokenly. He swallowed hard when the boy confirmed it. “What happened?”
“I don’t have all the details,” the coroner’s assistant started hesitantly. “A fight broke out at the grocery store over the canned supplies. It turned into a shootout. There were several casualties. I’m sorry, I don’t know any more.”
“That’s okay,” Leo managed.
He could hear his own voice in his ears; it sounded calm, eerily calm, like all his emotions were dead, suspended by the shock. It was a shock. He had known his parents wouldn’t live forever, that he would bury them one day, but he hadn’t expected it to be today. They had been so strong; they had always had an air of invulnerability. They had been his heroes, and now they were gone.
“I’m deploying, so I’ll be unreachable. Do whatever you need to; I’ll take care of things when I get back,” Leo told him. He didn’t wait
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