Isoline kissed Brack as they walked from the elevator. He followed her over to the
shuttle and saw Ana sitting there. Her blonde hair shone. Colours caked her face.
She did not look like a woman built for action. He reminded him of Olivia, and
that made him uneasy.
"Have you been on many missions like this, Ana?" he asked.
"Are you sure a crew of four is the right choice?" Isoline said before Ana could
answer.
Elizabeth leaned out of the shuttle.
"Rather too many than too few."
Isoline pulled Brack close and the conversation seemed to fade. He did not feel
aware of Elizabeth or Ana's presence as he stared into Isoline's eyes. As far as he
was aware, the shuttle ride took place in gentle silence.
~*~
"Entering Blue 2's atmosphere. I've got the co-ordinates but he's got surface to air
turrets" Roka called through to them.
"Play it safe. He's not expecting us. Let's keep it that way," Elizabeth said.
"Play it safe? That doesn't sound like Elizabeth Ranger," Brack said.
He laughed. Elizabeth did not.
The shuttle skittered across the gravel. They stepped out onto the planet's surface,
the rocky ground a hostile grey. Almost black. Slabs of slate climbed around them
in a dark valley of impregnable peaks and shadowy caverns.
"The co-ordinates are on the bracelet, but I'm not sure you'll need them," Roka
said, closing the doors.
Uhkira's stone laboratory, lined with an array of huge steel cannons, sat at the
end of a valley. Light glinted from the metal impressively.
Brack picked up one of the smaller stones at his feet and lobbed it through the
air, along the road to Uhkira.
"What are you doing?" Ana asked.
"You'll see."
The rock landed without ceremony.
"What?"
A blast of fire rose and the ground split open, showering dirt and rock.
"Mines. We'll have to be careful."
Brack toggled the buttons on his bracelet. Several tiny drones uncoiled themselves.
A swarm of metallic butterflies creaked as they scanned the dark road ahead.
Their tails shone red, casting a crimson hue. Five vertical lines erupted from the
ground stop sign poles.
"That's where the mines are," he said.
"Remember when this thing was just a torch?" Elizabeth said.
They teetered around the mines, watchful eyes steady on the red. The silence was
tense.
YOU ARE READING
Black Hole Heartbeat
Science FictionBlack Hole Heartbeat is Star Wars if the stormtroopers didn't miss all the time. Like Cowboy Bebop meets Butch and Sundance, or Guardians of the Galaxy in the style of Pulp Fiction. Self confessed thief of ill repute, Elizabeth Ranger, runs head fi...
