Read Online Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) by Kathryn Anderson - Free Book Online Page B

performance by staying with the ship this time”
                  “You’re supposed to set the freezers from the escape shuttle” he snapped.
                  “Yes, Luke, true,” she conceded “but if there’s nitrelic acid in the atmosphere that could affect the sensors taking the message from the shuttle computer to the freezing module.   I can set them manually from here.  That’s yours, mine and everyone else’s future down there, remember”
                  He shrugged “I hope you can run” he said and pecking her cheek ran out of the room.  Austen turned back to the computer.
                  “Navigation” she snapped, another explosion rocked the ship, and she steadied herself, praying she would be in time.  Once in navigation she punched in co-ordinates which would take the ship into an empty part of the solar system.
                  “Right, Mindbank” she announced “I am now switching control over to you” she pushed two red buttons and one green button on her console.
                  “Control accepted, Captain”
                  “Take her to best possible speed exactly four minutes from when I start the freezers”
                  “Understood Captain”
                  Austen stood up and patted the console “Bye Mindbank and thanks”
                  “Freeze the ship Captain and get out of here” it replied, a note almost of impatience creeping into its voice.
                  Austen nodded, walked over to the right hand corner of the room and unfastening her boiler suit she removed two slim tags from a chain round her neck.  She inserted them into a blue stand alone console and a light began to flash.  Another tremor shook the ship.
                  She had begun the sequence to freeze the hauler, to put it into suspended animation, to de-activate it and shut all systems down.  The top of the console slid away revealing three levers.  With a trembling hand she pulled the first and a female computer voice said “You have begun the sequence leading to the freezing of the ship - are you the person authorised to do this?”
                  “Affirmative” confirmed Austen.
                  “Name and rank”
                  “Austen, Alodie, Captain”
                  “Voice accepted, palm print please” she placed her hand on a flashing globe.  “Please open your eyes wide for a retinal scan” it continued.  A bright light flashed in Austen’s eyes momentarily blinding her, “palm and retinal prints correspond to those of Captain Alodie Austen, the controls are now freed, proceed”
                  Austen pulled the second lever, the ship began to vibrate, another crash shook the floor, the voice cut in “Freezer one in operation”
                  Austen pulled the third lever, the vibration grew stronger “Freezers now on, you have five seconds to abort the freezing from now - mark”
                  “No thanks” replied Austen and headed for the door.  There she turned and looked at the centre of operations - her first command and a fine mess she had made of it.  The communicator buzzed and Luke’s anxious voice cut into her thoughts.
                  “Alodie, I’m in the escape shuttle, where the hell are you?”
                  “On my way Lieutenant Commander, start the engines” she ran up the corridor and jumped onto the descent platform, not daring the turbo lift.  The temperature was dropping rapidly and the platform stopped two metres from the floor.  She jumped and struck out across the bridge.  By the time she got to the escape corridor the temperature was minus twenty and falling rapidly.  The rubber doors creaked with the ice forming on them and she had difficulty getting through, she