Read Online Vessel by Andrew J. Morgan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Andrew J. Morgan
Tags: Science-Fiction, SciFi
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ever seen before. When you're out there, you feel like you could reach out and touch the hand of god.'
Sally raised her eyebrows.
'You believe in god?'
'Yes ma — yes, Sally, yes I do.'
'Why?'
'When you've seen space with your own eyes — then you'll know why.'
Chapter 7
The fug of cigarette smoke hanging in the air made the dimly lit bar seem even darker. Aleks regarded his companion through stinging eyes, his untouched drink still sitting where the barmaid left it.
'What are we doing here, Lev? My shift starts in four hours and I've not had any sleep from my last double. I've got a launch to do.'
'I'm sorry to bring you out here at this time of night, but I needed to talk to you away from the ears of Star City.'
'Is this about Bales?'
Lev, his face old and tired under the lank shadows, gave the empty bar a cautious glance. He leaned in a little closer to Aleks, handing him a business card, which Aleks took and slipped into his pocket. Lev spoke in an urgent whisper: 'A journalist, Sean Jacob, called me and asked for some information.'
Aleks frowned. This didn't sound good. 'Information? On what?'
'On everything. On Bales, on Sally, on … the mission.' He cast another anxious glance over his shoulder. 'He was particularly interested in Gardner.'
'Gardner?' Aleks said. 'The American astronaut?'
'Yeah.'
'Why?'
'He didn't say. But he was very keen to iterate that any information I get on Gardner would be of great value to him.'
Aleks felt uncomfortable, both physically and morally. He knew the walls had ears even a hundred miles out from Star City. 'You're not going to do it, are you?
Lev looked distant for a second, before a sudden flash of mischief danced across his shadowy eyes.
'I've got to do something. I can't let Bales get away with what he's doing to us.'
'To you , Lev,' Aleks said, 'what he's doing to you . And what you intend on doing back is tantamount to treason.'
'Treason? Treason? ' Lev hissed, his voice raising a register as temper fought control. 'Getting that interfering American off Russian soil is the complete opposite of treason!'
The flash flickered and died, and he leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his gnarled, working man's hands. When they retreated back to his lap, the expression they left was one of dismay.
'I'm sorry,' he said . 'You’re a good friend to me, as good as any I've had, and I know that you're saying what you're saying because you want to protect me.'
But … Aleks thought.
'But this i s something I've got to do, Aleks. There's something not right with this picture, I can feel it' — he thumped his chest with a balled fist — ' in here. Jacob knows it too. I need you to help me.'
Aleks sighed. He knew in his heart and in his mind that his friend had beaten his sensibilities. They may have been craggy, emotionless relics on the outside, but deep within both of them beat an unbreakable friendship. It was a friendship that would get the better of him.
'Alright,' he said.
Colour washed into Lev's face as though Aleks had released a vital artery with that one word.
'Thank you,' he said. 'T hank you.'
Aleks said nothing, taking a sip of his drink instead.
Chapter 8
Getting the suit on felt like a lifetime ago.
'T minus sixty seconds and counting ,' Aleks' voice came over Sally's radio headset. 'How are you both feeling?'
'G ood. I'm good,' Gardner said. Pinned down by the harnesses and with the added restriction of her suit, Sally couldn't turn to see him even though he was sat right next to her.
'Fisher?'
'I'm fine,' she said, her own voice sounding distant and thin.
'Good. Launch sequencing start .'
Gardner: 'Timeline is good.'
'We have internal separation of the first tower.'
A shudder breached the tiny cylinder; Sally drew a sharp intake of breath. They were blind to the outside world, suspended fifty metres in the air and about to be forced into orbit at over ten thousand miles per hour.
'Umbilical tower separation in
Sally raised her eyebrows.
'You believe in god?'
'Yes ma — yes, Sally, yes I do.'
'Why?'
'When you've seen space with your own eyes — then you'll know why.'
Chapter 7
The fug of cigarette smoke hanging in the air made the dimly lit bar seem even darker. Aleks regarded his companion through stinging eyes, his untouched drink still sitting where the barmaid left it.
'What are we doing here, Lev? My shift starts in four hours and I've not had any sleep from my last double. I've got a launch to do.'
'I'm sorry to bring you out here at this time of night, but I needed to talk to you away from the ears of Star City.'
'Is this about Bales?'
Lev, his face old and tired under the lank shadows, gave the empty bar a cautious glance. He leaned in a little closer to Aleks, handing him a business card, which Aleks took and slipped into his pocket. Lev spoke in an urgent whisper: 'A journalist, Sean Jacob, called me and asked for some information.'
Aleks frowned. This didn't sound good. 'Information? On what?'
'On everything. On Bales, on Sally, on … the mission.' He cast another anxious glance over his shoulder. 'He was particularly interested in Gardner.'
'Gardner?' Aleks said. 'The American astronaut?'
'Yeah.'
'Why?'
'He didn't say. But he was very keen to iterate that any information I get on Gardner would be of great value to him.'
Aleks felt uncomfortable, both physically and morally. He knew the walls had ears even a hundred miles out from Star City. 'You're not going to do it, are you?
Lev looked distant for a second, before a sudden flash of mischief danced across his shadowy eyes.
'I've got to do something. I can't let Bales get away with what he's doing to us.'
'To you , Lev,' Aleks said, 'what he's doing to you . And what you intend on doing back is tantamount to treason.'
'Treason? Treason? ' Lev hissed, his voice raising a register as temper fought control. 'Getting that interfering American off Russian soil is the complete opposite of treason!'
The flash flickered and died, and he leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his gnarled, working man's hands. When they retreated back to his lap, the expression they left was one of dismay.
'I'm sorry,' he said . 'You’re a good friend to me, as good as any I've had, and I know that you're saying what you're saying because you want to protect me.'
But … Aleks thought.
'But this i s something I've got to do, Aleks. There's something not right with this picture, I can feel it' — he thumped his chest with a balled fist — ' in here. Jacob knows it too. I need you to help me.'
Aleks sighed. He knew in his heart and in his mind that his friend had beaten his sensibilities. They may have been craggy, emotionless relics on the outside, but deep within both of them beat an unbreakable friendship. It was a friendship that would get the better of him.
'Alright,' he said.
Colour washed into Lev's face as though Aleks had released a vital artery with that one word.
'Thank you,' he said. 'T hank you.'
Aleks said nothing, taking a sip of his drink instead.
Chapter 8
Getting the suit on felt like a lifetime ago.
'T minus sixty seconds and counting ,' Aleks' voice came over Sally's radio headset. 'How are you both feeling?'
'G ood. I'm good,' Gardner said. Pinned down by the harnesses and with the added restriction of her suit, Sally couldn't turn to see him even though he was sat right next to her.
'Fisher?'
'I'm fine,' she said, her own voice sounding distant and thin.
'Good. Launch sequencing start .'
Gardner: 'Timeline is good.'
'We have internal separation of the first tower.'
A shudder breached the tiny cylinder; Sally drew a sharp intake of breath. They were blind to the outside world, suspended fifty metres in the air and about to be forced into orbit at over ten thousand miles per hour.
'Umbilical tower separation in
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