Cosmic Collisions (Novel)

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen:

Cosmo was still being helped by the Whale-dragons, who had been nothing but lovely to him. So far they had seen a ship which they had assumed was one of The Intergalactic Federation's, but were gravely mistaken. Suddenly a rush of even more small glowing jellyfish glided past and fixed themselves to the Space Pod's handles.

The largest of the Whale-dragons who led the pool, stirred away from the Space Pod using their powerful wings. Cosmo and the other dragons followed suit and sensed that another Space Pod was coming up due to their electrical senses. Sure enough, soon another Space Pod floated into view and this time there were no jellyfish wrapped around the handles. Cosmo had a feeling about this one. It appeared to be longer and more rectangular than all the others roaming through space.

"This is it," Cosmo said, in wailing dragon-tongue.

"We know. We are going to split up. You, me and Draco, will go on one side and the other three will go on the other side and have a look," when the Whale-dragon had finished talking they all spread out and they all noticed that the circular windows had all been covered up by black curtains and seemed dark. Due to the dragons' amazing sense of hearing and Cosmo's excellent eyesight they managed to hear a girl shouting Isla's name.

"We need to get in there somehow. She could be hurt or something!" Cosmo wailed, panic setting in.

"Don't worry we'll find a way," they replied, looking at him with soft sorrow in their eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye the Raven-dragon saw a woman peeking through the curtains and suddenly he had an idea. Without warning the others he started howling and wailing, the noise almost too much to bear.

As he expected a trap door gradually opened and, realising what he was up to, the two Whale-dragons flapped their great wings as propelled themselves head first into the Space Pod, knocking Mrs. Thomas over in one fellow swoop. The others heard the commotion and soon followed Cosmo in. Of course, the Whale-dragons were far too huge for the Space Pod and knocked everything and everyone over.

Back in her cell, Isla heard and commotion, but she still couldn't move from the poison coursing through her. She tried to move her eyes at least a bit so she could see something, anything. She heard Estelle still screaming her name sounding more and more panicked. Isla desperately tried to move, but she just couldn't. Suddenly, Mrs. Thomas and a taller figure that she couldn't quite make out, rushed into the room followed by a Raven-dragon. Isla heard shouting then and the smashing of glass.

"Dragons are attacking us!" screeched Mrs. Thomas, "This is the best time to escape!"

"How dare you poison her! Are you insane? We all trusted you! We. trusted. You," Estelle shouted accusingly.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I needed to try it out first, didn't I?"

"What? Like one of your 'experiments'?"

Mrs. Thomas didn't answer as she unlocked the padlocks and the other captives ran out, hitting out at the Intergalactic Federation Officers. Some of the captives were busy getting themselves and helping others to get into the space suits that Mrs. Thomas had stolen from the others.

Later Isla learned that she had poisoned most of the officers; Isla tried to get up, to run, to do anything to get out of there, her whole body aching. Isla saw the figure next to Mrs. Thomas half running, half limping towards her and as he started speaking a gasp let her lips and tears poured down her cheeks. When she saw his ginger hair and pale blue eyes looking at her as he crouched down to pick her up from the cold floor, she knew it was Finley. She couldn't wait to ask questions swirling around in her mind. As Finley lifted her off the ground, feeling began slowly returning in her legs, but her vision still blurred in and out of focus. Even though they were right in the middle of all the chaos and heard smashing glass where the Whale-dragons had tried to get through into the different rooms, Isla only focused on the young man helping her; she could hear and see that he, too, was in pain. Gradually they came to where the Space Suits lay in a heap on the ground as everyone ran over them in panic, each going in different directions. Isla tried to stand on her own two feet and hissed in pain, which, she reminded herself, was a good thing, but it meant that the poison was wearing off.