Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

The children strode down a ramp leading from the vast space ship that had crossed the multi verse and brought them to its dead centre. Around them other students strode and skipped and slithered and bounced and flew along down the ramp.

As they stepped onto the Nexus proper Adam looked to the far horizon and saw the distant towers that minutes ago the space ship had been darting and whizzing among. Those buildings were now so far away they were shrouded in a blue haze.

Turning, he looked at the space vessel that had taken them all here. Adam had not yet seen the outside of the vessel. Its walls towered over him and curved away, the upward arc of the ship's profile seeming to reach to the sky. It stood on several stubby, black struts and white mist wafted from two vast steel ducts rising from the vessel's rear. It had red and black markings all over its metal skin. Adam was enthralled.

"Close your mouth, you're catching flies," said his brother.

Brigitte too had her mouth open. "In all my life I just seen my home. It's pretty and I love it. But now this! I can't describe it only, for me this is almost as good as Christmas Day. Almost."

Adam was in two minds whether or not to tell his brother about his vision. He did not know whether Jake would take it seriously or laugh at him. He decided to keep quiet. Everything was happening too fast for Adam to process. His emotions were up and down. He experienced a mixture of fear, terror and elation and upset. Adam realised he was perspiring freely and even trembling.

"Are you alright brother of mine?" enquired Jake.

"I...no..yes...," Adam mumbled something.

"Ah you're just excited. I remember my first day. Shock of my young life. And I didn't have a big brother to look out for me. You are so lucky."

Jake put his arm around Adam and hugged him.

"There's more to it than that," said Brigitte.

"Uh?" said Jake.

"It's alright," said Adam. He didn't want Brigitte blabbing to Jake. He regretted letting the girl into his confidences. "I'm okay. You're right. I'm excited."

Brigitte raised her eyebrows at Adam. Jake indicated the buildings in the distance.

"Our destination."

Adam gazed at the distant structures. "Do we walk there?"

"You could," said Jake. "Or you could use a hover buggy."

A flat, stream lined vehicle sped up to them and swerved and swung around to present its side to the children. This was a hover buggy, a vehicle that moved across the steel concourse through magnetic levitation. The doors opened.

"Hop in," said an android who sat at the controls. He grinned at them with gold teeth.

The children scrambled into the buggy and the doors closed. Harnesses swept across the children.

Jake thrust a fist forward. "Punch it!"

"No!" said Brigitte.

Too late, the android had grabbed a huge metal lever and pushed it all the way from the bottom of the control panel to the top. The buggy rocketed forward.

"This is fun," said Jake.

Adam agreed. Looking through the windscreen he saw the plain sweep past and the buildings in the distance rapidly advance. This was yet another cool roller coaster ride. Brigitte on the other hand snatched up a sick bag from under her seat, opened it and buried her face in it.