COLLIDESCOPE Chapters 1-4 FREE SAMPLE

Chapter 3

"Extent system, conduct preliminary checks on lab."

Burne sat up in her chair, and looked at the widescreen computer screen before her in the control room of Extent testing lab, the largest testing lab at Reane Designs.

'Lab Thermal Imaging Check, In Progress,' appeared on the computer screen in response to her voice command.

Burne glanced to her side. Hadley sat next to her in the control room at a second workstation with another computer widescreen mirroring the processes on her screen. Beyond Hadley at a third workstation with a computer screen showing the same as the first two sat Oni Tayade, a Reane designer like Burne.

Oni gave Burne a quick smile. "Fingers crossed, eh?" she said enthusiastically.

Burne gave her a cautious smile. "Ninth time's the charm," she muttered, turning back to the screen before her.

'Thermal Imaging Check Complete, Number Of Persons In Extent Lab: 0,' appeared on all the computer screens. The text disappeared and was replaced with 'Test Elements And Environment Check, In Progress.'

Bright lights in the lab switched on and the lab system hummed to life. Burne looked up from her screen and slid her swivel chair sideways, clearing her view. Before her was the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling clear glass observation window, looking out onto the expansive lab.

In the massive, brightly-illuminated lab was a wide, extensive circuit track; on the track stood five new, gleaming Kagen cars: two four-door coupes, two saloons and an SUV. In the cars were animatronic car test dummies, seated and belted in the driver and passenger seats of all the cars.

Above the track of cars, from the high ceiling, hung several large, spinning, alloy spheres, filled with water. The spheres thrummed steadily and smoothly with activity as the water in them was spun and transformed into giant orbs of artificial snow — avalanche orbs — replicating the avalanche orbs of the avalanche storms which had plagued the country sporadically in a number of the winters of preceding years.

The spheres spun on and quickly created the mighty ice orbs. Burne crossed her legs, propped an arm up on her lap, rested her chin in the palm of her hand and stared intently at the lab setup activity, her eyebrows furrowed. Her fingers tapped tensely against her lips as she glanced from her screen to the lab, waiting for the checks to complete.

"You're as tense as taut wire," muttered Hadley from his station, his eyes on a tablet on his lap as he typed on it.

Immediately, Burne changed her position, lowering her arm and uncrossing her legs. She glanced at Hadley as she sat back slowly in her chair; he was still looking at the tablet he was typing on but a small smile tugged at his mouth.

Burne stretched back and gently ruffled the tapered cut of her curls at the back of her neck. Then she quickly smoothed them down and pulled at the neck of her cream sweater to straighten it, just as a new message simultaneously appeared on the computer screens — 'Test Elements And Environment: Ready.' In the lab, on the wall directly across from the control room, a status light flashed green once, as secondary indication that the lab was test-ready.

Burne patted her chest gently; her heart had once more started to beat rapidly. She drew in a breath. She pulled at her sweater neck again, glanced at Hadley and Oni and they nodded at her.

She slid her chair back to her computer and pressed a panel on her screen, opening the test control centre.

"Activate vocalisation of test course of action," she instructed the lab system. A panel on the computer screen turned green at her voice command.