Read Online Human After All by Connie Bailey - Free Book Online Page A

I have faith in your self-interest to get us down in the same condition.”
    “Useless clown,” Jaymes seethed as they dropped out of the towering cumulus into clear sky. He managed to wrestle the vehicle into a shallower trajectory over the unfamiliar landscape. “Where are we?”
    “This is Greenrange. You’ve never seen the Grange before?”
    Jaymes wrenched back on the throttle. “If I have, I don’t remember.”
    “Kind of takes your breath away, doesn’t it? All that green?”
    “So much ground without anything on it.” Despite Jaymes’s preoccupation with finessing the controls, the sweep of the undeveloped landscape demanded comment.
    “Except for the grass and the trees, of course, and a little farther on you come to the collectives. Nothing but farms for klix and klix.” Drue twisted in his harness to look at Jaymes. “You seem to have calmed down a little.”
    “Seem is a good word for it. I’m not at all sure I can land without crashing, but death is no longer quite as imminent as it was a few seconds ago.”
    “I almost like you right now,” Drue said. “The ground looks soft by all that water there.”
    “That’s a lake, and even softer than the ground.” Jaymes pointed the Veetle toward the large body of water.
    “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
    “Of course it is. We’re not really flying now. We’re in a guided fall. That Teesee drone took out our vertical stabes when it latched onto us.”
    “You waited until now to tell me that?” Drue’s voice rose in pitch. “We’re going to die!”
    “I almost like you right now,” Jaymes said. “And I don’t think we’re going to die. I can skip this ship across the water until it loses forward velocity. That should greatly lessen the damage when we finally stop.”
    “Can’t you do that on the land?”
    “Are you insane? Hold on. Here we go.”
    The Veetle struck the surface at a nearly flat angle, bounced, skimmed several small waves, and made contact again. Jaymes and Drue were jerked about, but their harnesses kept them safe from injury as they skidded across the lake almost to the other side. One of the stubby winglets dug in and flipped the craft, bringing it to an abrupt halt. Jaymes stabbed a finger at the emergency screen, and the compressed air cylinders in the canopy discharged. The clear lustralume bubble blew away, and water rushed into the cockpit. Unbuckling his rig, Jaymes pushed off his seat and headed for air. Drue’s head broke the surface nearly simultaneously. Kicking strongly, Jaymes struck off for shore, turning after a short distance to see how the Exotic was doing, but Drue was nowhere in sight.
    “Murd,” Jaymes cursed, treading water, hoping Drue would reappear. After several long moments, the T-bred cursed again and swam back to where bubbles rose from the wrecked craft. Already starting to shiver in the heat-stealing cold of the water, Jaymes dove. Below him, he could dimly see the paler tone of Drue’s skin as the Exotic sank deeper. Propelling himself downward, Jaymes caught hold of Drue’s wrist and towed him in. When they reached the shallows, Drue twisted free and waded in under his own power.
    “You can’t swim,” Jaymes panted as he dragged himself from the water.
    “You’re joking.” Drue flopped onto his back and gasped for breath.
    Exhausted and chilled to the bone, Jaymes clamped his jaw and refrained from telling the Zot exactly how maddening he was. Instead, he concentrated on getting himself moving so he wouldn’t freeze to death. “We’re alive,” he said. “But we’re still in trouble. It’s getting colder as it gets darker, and we’re soaked.”
    Drue got to his knees and levered himself to his feet. He turned in a slow circle, surveying the land in the failing light. “We need to go that way.” He pointed.
    Jaymes rose slowly. “How far?”
    “I don’t know in klix, but you can see lights coming on in that direction.”
    “We’ll never make