"The Eagle has landed." - Neil Armstrong
* * *
Alice soon met back up with Ezra.
As the two ran for the gate entrance, Alice turned to him,"We have less than thirty minutes before that rocket launches."
Ezra frowned,"The bomb must be synced to the countdown. It will look just like an external tank explosion, an accident. Sykes wants to stop the mission before it starts!"
He let out a shaky breath,"On the bright side, I think I know where my dad got his favorite baseball cap from." After Alice gave him a puzzled glance, Ezra sighed,"Long story. Tell you later."
The two hid behind a vehicle as they approached the gate.
"How are we getting in? The guards will never let us through," Alice inquired, hunkering down beside Ezra.
Ezra smirked, holding up his pocket-sized ray gun,"I think we can let ourselves in."
Alice gave him a concerned look,"You've tested the Imp out, right?"
"Not exactly," Ezra smiled anxiously,"but what better time to try it out?" He aimed, and after taking in a deep breath, pulled the trigger.
A crackling orb of azure energy shot from the Imp, zipping through the air like a runaway plasma ball. A bright flash of light enveloped the two guards as the gun's forceful kickback sent Ezra flying backwards.
"Ezra!" Alice exclaimed, running to his side. She found him a few feet away, sprawled out in a daze. "Are you okay?" She asked urgently.
"Okay?" Ezra laughed as Alice helped him up,"That was awesome!"
Alice rolled her eyes playfully,"I hate you."
The two ran to the entrance, and passed the stupefied guards, who still twitched with energy. After slipped through the gate, they made a break for the launch pad.
* * *
Carter hated heights. And bombs.
He paced along the metallic tunnel protruding from the launch tower, unable to keep his eyes off the ticking time bomb affixed to the hull of the rocket. The only thing between the bomb and a tank full of volatile fuel was a few inches of metal.
Resembling the framework of a skyscraper, the launch tower was an open metal structure. Gaping doorways on either side of the tunnel led to maintenance ladders, and revealed a thirty story drop that made his head spin.
The breeze whistled eerily through the crisscrossing steel beams as Carter patrolled the tunnel. He began to channel his focus on the bomb, trying desperately to not think about how far he was off the ground.
A sudden ding from the elevator make him jump, and he turned quickly, hand already on his impetus. The elevator doors slid open to reveal Ezra, carrying a toolbox like a teenage handyman.
The boy grinned,"Did you try turning it on and off again?"
Carter let out a sigh,"I thought you were Sykes."
YOU ARE READING
Time After Time
Khoa học viễn tưởngA time machine has been stolen. When Colonel Jane Vega is mysteriously transferred from the line of duty to South Dakota, the last thing she expected was adventure. She comes to find she has been assigned to lead a group of idiosyncratic individual...
