Kuro 2: The Dragons of Yin

Chapter 0.2: Light Runner

The sensor to his left turned green, indicating that the Goddess Essence had spent long enough in an agitated state and was ready to be used as propulsion. Ryn put out his cigar and threw the butt out the door. Smoking was not allowed in the skies.

He shifted the gear down and commenced take off. The agitators hummed, a droning sound that increased in intensity until it was almost unbearable. As the energy was unleashed, the Kite was propelled forward at great speed, moving at a blistering pace on its predetermined Mag-Rail. The Mag-Rail curved upward for several hundred feet into the air.

Ryn braced himself for the g-forces as the Kite shifted vertically, following the Mag-Rail upward. The speed continued to increase, the Goddess Essence propelling the Kite forward, up the Mag-Rail track pointed straight up now, toward the black sky.

Within seconds, the Kite had cleared the Mag-Rail track and was in the sky. Ryn checked the gauges. The temperature was cold. It was winter and a bitter chill had begun to set into most of Kuro. There were strong gusts of wind this evening. He dialed back the propulsion.

Ryn cut the motors and shifted into the low intensity propulsion unit. The Kite did what it was designed to do and glided effortlessly in the air.

Right around this time was when the loneliness kicked in. Surrounded by darkness with no one to talk to except maybe the few times he would radio out to homebase to report in weather conditions or coordinates.

He put his feet up on the console and instinctively reached out for a cigar. Drat. He won’t be able to smoke for another week or so. He got up and moved to the aft so he could find food and a good book to sink into. The Kite was on a pre-programmed course and apart from some fine tuning, he would be able to get some leisure time, perhaps a few hours of sleep.

He looked out the window. The Boundary of Light was coming up. He could it see down the water below. A outline of light that spread across the ocean, surrounding Taiyou in a protective circle, a legacy left by a vanished Goddess. Once he crossed the Boundary of Light, he would be in the Great Darkness, aided only by the Kite’s electronic gadgetry.

“Everything ok up there Tiger?” A voice on the intercom.

Ryn ran all the way back to the console, a frozen burger in hand. “Hey Boss. Yeah. Awful chilly though. They need to make better insulation for these Kites. Maybe mention that the next time they talk ‘bout upgrades.”

“Yeah, that won’t be for a while Ryn. Do your best to stay warm up there.”

“You know what? I’ve been wondering about these missions.”

“Yeah? What about?”

“Well, I reckon I’ve made thirty-seven of these over the last year or so.”

“Sure.”

“And I reckon, 350,000 GEUs is an awful lot.”

“What’re you gettin’ at Ryn?”

“That’s 12 billion GEUs in a year, and I’m one runner.”

“Really?”

“I reckon, between all of us here, we’ve shipped quite a bit to Yin.”

“I’ll bet we have.”

Ryn scratched his head. “Something doesn’t add up. On the news the other day, they mentioned the maximum output of our reactors, and there’s no way that’s true. We’ve shipped more than that...”  

Silence on the other end.

“Ryn, have you shared your insights with anyone?”

“Not really, boss. It’s not like I ever have any time to socialize with the rest y’ know.”

“I know. How’s the kid these days?”

“Rebellious as always. He doesn’t think he has a father anymore.”

“That’s normal at his age. Aidan will get over it Ryn. Let’s get on with business shall we?”

“You bet chief. Reporting coordinates in, latitude 41.12546 longitude 87.512345, altitude 37,000 feet, temperature -10. All’s well so far, visibility’s terrific. I can see a whole lotta black.”

“Good to see you have your sense of humor intact at least Ryn.”

Ryn smiled. “Over and out boss.”

Hope you guys enjoyed the update!

A VERY IMPORTANT AND EARNEST PLEA...

I'm sort of at a crossroads here with this book on Wattpad.

Kuro's first book was a resounding success, but that success hasn't translated into much on Amazon at all. So I may be re-thinking this whole thing, but I haven't decided yet.

In any case, tomorrow is yet another chance for all of you to grab Kuro's first book for free on Amazon! If you've only discovered this book right now and want to find out what the fuss is all about, go check it out tomorrow on the link on the right and below!

I've made some tweaks as to how I'm marketing this book and I'm hoping it will make a difference.

Remember this very important thing: Kuro WILL NEVER MAKE IT WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!

It was you, the fans all along, who made Kuro special all this time. It was never anything without you, and it is STILL NOTHING WITHOUT YOU. In other words, without the you behind it, that's you guys, pushing it along on Amazon and Goodreads, Kuro WILL FLOUNDER AND FAIL. Which means, I really need you guys to rally behind it strong! Please, please, please do what you can to spread Kuro around, and I don't mean spread it on Wattpad, because that won't do a thing to help in Amazon. I need your help to re-create the magic BEYOND Wattpad. Share it on Facebook, Share it on Twitter, spread it to as many people as you know! We made Kuro something special on Wattpad, let's make it special to the rest of the world!

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Fight for Anime-inspired books! Fight with your words, your hearts and your actions. Thank you very much to all of Kuro's fans for your support!

SPREAD THIS LINK AROUND TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU KNOW:

http://amzn.to/1CSHM4c

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