Sassy parkour runner Scarlett Banks, is mysteriously exiled from Mars. Arriving she collides with Dante Tyrell the Earth's resident gorgeous bad boy. A man so impenitent he doesn't hesitate to share his public dislike for Martians. Scarlett gives...
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This is a taster for the next book of Gravity ( which reached #10 with only 16,700 reads)
Chapter 1: refugee
Dante and I were in the crowd moving quickly towards the elevators. The spaceport was packed, there were only two ships left sanctioned for refugees going back to Mars. Kentro had booked Us both on BoatyMcBoatFace. I looked around at the crowd behind me. Bentham had really struck this time. Things had been getting slowly worse for off-worlders like me and their sympathizers like Dante. First mandatory registration and now due to popular demand we were being' sent packing back to the shit hole that spawned us'. All non-earth born were being send 'home' and these two ships were the last one with safe passage.
I held Dante's firm hand, In the other, I carried and small flightcase with my collage by Casey Young. Kentro had my other stuff. I looked at Dante he had a small flight bag for the 9 months to Mars.
"You're leaving a lot behind for me" I said looking at his bag. Dante looked down on me and smiled. He pulled me closer.
"All I want and all I need for this and every other life is here in my arms," said Dante.
"How do you know to say just the right thing all the time?" I said. It might be the pre-hibernation meds but I was almost in tears at that.
"Kentro carries cue cards for me" said Dante looking away at the guard robots hanging near the edge of the entrances.
The lift opened and the queue crowded in. A robot counted people going. It used face recognition to match them to the flight manifest. Desperate to go everyone pushed against the sides. I was worried if I wouldn't make it we didn't have much time left.
I got into the elevator, but there wasn't anyone space left. Dante looked at me.
"I'm sorry," said the gateway bot."The ship is full and no more hibernation pods are available. I will prioritize you on the sister ship 'Seriously-Your-Running-another-competition-to-name-a-ship-again-after-last-time?."
"Please," I said "we are together. We are getting married."
The gateway bot was firm" if you want to stay together you could both move to the next ship"
"No it's fine," said Dante to the gateway bot. He turned to me "You take this one. Don't worry I'll get the next one" he said and the elevator door began to close.
I noticed that there was no room for Kentro in the elevator.
"Kentro go with Dante. Do whatever he says, I'll see you on Mars" I said.
Dante smiled trying to look more confident than he actually was as the elevator doors closed.
"I love you," I said.
"You have me forever, pyjamas" said Dante.
The doors shut.
"You're supposed to say 'I know'" I said.
"You're the one getting frozen," said a muffled voice from the outside.
My fingers touched the edges of the door where his fingers had been. That would be the last I saw of him before mars.
You don't normally remember anything from the last hour or two before you drop into hyper sleep. It was normal to be frozen into your pod at the spaceport. Then loaded onto the ship like a stack of popsicles. I don't remember going to sleep but I did remember waking up.
***
I woke up this wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was laying in hibernation pod when I came to ahead an oxygen mask over my face. I looked around the walls seem to be made out of light grey rock.
"Are you alright miss?" said Kentro into my earings.
I looked around this wasn't normally what happened when you woke up. Where was the crash team? I pulled the oxygen mask off my face.
"Where am I? Are we on Mars? Where is Dante? " I said.
"Madam I only have an hours worth of oxygen in this tank. The air here is not breathable. I have only woken you to make you aware of the situation and obtain your permission for some action. We cannot waste too much time on long explanations".
I nodded.
"To answer your question you are currently in an airtight cave on the surface of the moon. If I may explain to madam. I accompanied Mr Tyrell as instructed. You may remember he was unable to join you on your ship and was bumped to the next ship. That ship was not accepting any additional weight for robots. I therefore, took upon myself to be FedExed to you.
Unfortunately just after your ship initiated its transfer firing it was either attacked or possibly sabotaged. Many pods were ejected in the explosion including your own. When I discovered your predicament I began hunting for you. I have just spent the last 12 months tracking your Pods movements"
12 months I thought. I should be on Mars by now. What happened?
Kentro continued with the info dump.
"Your pod and some others ended up being on an orbital path towards the moon. Your pod landed two months ago and it has taken me that time to get the moon, find Madam's survival pod. Unfortunately, political situation on Earth has moved on somewhat and that which experienced when you were frozen. The Earth has attacked the Lunar colonies. They now exist under earth governorship. This caused Mars, and Venus to declare war on earth. If Madam was to be rescued by local forces she would be arrested and interred as a foreign national. Under that situation I could not guarantee madam's safety"
Crap Han Solo was right. You drop out of circulation for few of months and everything falls apart.
"Currently madam is in a disused mining tunnel which has enough integrity to maintain atmospheric pressure. Unfortunately, there is not any oxygen, beyond this small resuscitation pack. I will soon be forced to reinitiate hyper-sleep. However you should know that the short distance away is a deep space vehicle which I could both pirate and then fly to Mars. Madam could then be rescued from Martian orbit. Unfortunately, this would be a criminal act and my program does not permit me to perform illegal acts if madam's life is not imminently under threat. I can for fill your orders if you take responsibility for breaking the law. If madam would order me to steal the ship and I could put her back into hyper-sleep until we reach mars. Alternatively, if we do not steal the ship it would be necessary to surrender you to authorities. You have fifty minutes of air left. What is madam's wishes on the matter?"
I looked him and pulled the mask off.
"Seriously? Steal The fucking ship!" I said.
"Certainly madam I will reinitiate hyper-sleep." said Kentro.
He began to twiddle knobs on the hyper-sleep machine.
"Hang on what happened to Dante?" I said.
"I'm afraid Madam, it is with regret I tell you , his ship also disintegrated. There was not enough time for any escape pods to be released" said Kentro.
"Dead?! Shi......" I said disappearing into frozen turkey land.
