by Boris Licina
Two pick-up trucks rushed after the Cherokee at about a mile away. Rachel drove as fast as she could, to about 118 miles per hour. The pick-ups lagged behind and the distance between them got larger. The Cherokee was newer and faster, both other trucks belonged to another past time. Still, it was not right to have pursuers. Amanda turned her camera at them and zoomed in on the license plates. They were from Alabama, at least the vehicles. Those people could have come down from Alaska or some other state and stolen the cars. Neither Rachel, nor Amanda had any particular wish to find out more. Especially since they showed no signs of being peaceful, like long reflector beams or all four indicators. Some waving. Nothing.
The way from Pine Hills would take them straight through Orlando, to a smaller road towards the Martin Andersen Beachline Expy, leading to their destination. That road would certainly not be a problem, but Rachel and Amanda were afraid of coming upon some barricades in Orlando, or tossed up cars that would stop them. In order to prepare even for that script, Amanda was holding the container with the vaccine on her lap and the backpack under the seat. Bags and all other things would have to be abandoned in such a case! They would rush to the city and hide. After that, a new car and off to Kennedy!
"Call Morris", Rachel gave Amanda the mobile device, "put him on speaker."
She was focused on driving. At 118 miles per hour, that was necessary. The Cherokee was a fine ride, but one twitch and they would be dead.
"Hey", Morris answered, "are you coming?"
"Yes", Rachel said, "and we have company!"
"Oh, fuck", cursing from the other side of the line.
"Yes", Rachel sighed.
"OK, tell me", Morris had to get all the information.
"Ten miles after Gainesville they went past us in the opposite direction. We thought they would just go on their way, but they turned around after a mile and started to follow us! No signals with lights, hands, indicators. Alabama license plates. The pick-ups are older and slower than us. I think that to Kennedy, if I manage to hold at 118 miles, we would …"
"… 118 miles! Drive carefully …", Morris was a bit worried.
"… don't worry, the road is empty. Well, we should be about a mile and a half from Kennedy. I'm only afraid we would hit an obstacle in the way and have to hide in Orlando. Then we won't make it …"
"We'll wait", Morris said, "but the trouble is if they are armed. You have to lose them, because if they reach the runway, it's a party."
"I know, don't you have any guns?", Rachel asked.
"No, after the trouble in Jacksonville I was thinking to go find some, but somehow hoped we won't need it. And guns at Rene 9 is not a good idea. I did not want to tempt anyone", Morris explained.
"I understand", Rachel knew that Morris was a scientist rather than a soldier, "that's smart. But, now we need a solution. What do you suggest?"
"Try to run and lose them. I'll put some barricades on the way to Kennedy, several trucks. There would be enough space to walk through, but not drive through. I'll wait on the other side with a car, so we'll rush out. If you continue at this speed, you'll be there in half an hour!"
"Deal!"
Morris ran to Jessica who was filling up the Falcon with fuel and told her briefly:
"Rachel has company, two pick-ups! Prepare the Falcon as soon as possible!"
Jessica showed him a thumbs up and gestured the twenty minutes she would require. The trucks were far away and he needed to run!
"Follow me!", he shouted at Josh so they both rushed leaving Oliver with spread out hands, wondering what was happening.
As they were running, Morris explained everything to Josh.
"You bring the trucks, I'll take the car!", he shouted while they ran, "we build a barricade on the road, Rachel has company. Put them on a bridge over water, so that they have no room to pass through!"
It took them almost fifteen minutes to run that mile eighty to the truck parking. It was one of the largest parking lots on Kennedy, otherwise intended for personal vehicles. It would have made a difference if the trucks were there. Josh entered the trucks, one by one, and directed them to the narrowest part of the road, with water on both sides. The trucks would be organized so that the passage would be possible only on foot. And there was a mile and a half to the Falcon, therefore they bought themselves half an hour that would take people from the pick-ups to reach the runway.
On the parking lot Morris found one unlocked car, found the keys over the driver's seat, picked up Josh and drove towards the future barricade before the trucks. As soon as he had parked, his mobile device rang!
"Turn the engine on, we have company!", Lika was shouting.
"What?!"
"The patrol ship we saw in Jacksonville's following us! We tried to lose them on the Indian River North forks, but only for a short time! They are closing in on us and don't look friendly! We are at twenty eight knots and the engine's threatening to explode!"
"OK", Morris was calm, "where are you exactly and how much time do you need to reach the Falcon?"
"We've passed Mosquito Lagoon, soon Titusville would be on our right hand side! I think we have some ten to twelve miles left!", Lika shouted over the sound of the engine roaring in the background.
"Roger that! The water will lead you almost to the runway, that is, the Falcon. Run towards the Falcon's front door! There'll be someone waiting to help you with Benjamin! Hit the pedal and let's hope the patrol ship will slow down for the shallow part!"
Morris turned towards Josh who stood beside the car with the engine running behind the barricades made of trucks:
"Lika and her team also have company! A patrol ship! Run to the canal closest to the runway and wait for them. Help them and Benjamin to embark, I'll call Jessica to turn on the Falcon's engines.
Josh ran as fast as he could, his Eli was in danger! Morris passed around the trucks, looked at the road to see Rachel and called Jessica.
"Turn the engines on, Lika has company, too. A patrol ship from Jacksonville. I don't want to know who's on it!"
"And Rachel?"
"I'm afraid we'd have to leave her behind if she's late", Morris sighed deeply. "We can't and shouldn't risk it. If the patrol ship fires its weapons, we'll never see Rene 9 again!"
◆◆◆
Eli was driving the boat at full speed towards the overpass connecting Titusville with a large plot of land with the runway where the Falcon waited. She was unable to estimate whether the patrol ship would be able to pass under, and hoped it would not. Antares 7 hit the water hard and sprayed it several meters to the side. This was the fastest she ever traveled! Eli went under the overpass. Lika and Benjamin, holding her chair to steady themselves, were turned towards the patrol ship chasing them. A little after they had passed under that bridge, a large explosion was heard! The patrol ship destroyed the overpass to go through! Chunks of concrete flew into the air and several rocks even fell onto their boat. Benjamin and Lika bent down when the explosion shook the bay.
"Now we're sure their intentions are not good!", Benjamin shouted.
Eli turned towards the shore, knowing they might be the next to blow up. At least, that happened in the games. She wondered if the bandits from the patrol boat realized where they were headed or they had no idea that the Falcon was waiting for them on the runway?
◆◆◆
The Cherokee was rushing over the Indian River towards the NASA Causeway. They had just passed the police museum and almost stopped there. Rachel knew they had many weapons on display, as well as stored weapons. It was a chance to stop, get armed and get rid of the people from the pick-ups! That was not her favorite option, but she would not have hesitated if the times had been different. So, they rushed on at the constant speed of 118 miles per hour! The pick-ups were far behind them and almost not visible. There was still a chance to lose them and escape forever! They were passing by the Kennedy Space Visitor Complex that looked sadly empty, even at their speed. Annually, over two million visitors would
come there! One of them helped spread the two-day Snow Flu across America, allowing the virus to mutate into a better and faster version of itself. It took down Kennedy in an instant, some people never made it home! There was an explosion on the bay, Rachel and Amanda looked at each other and cursed!
"If it's the Falcon …", Rachel said shaking her head.
◆◆◆
As soon as Morris heard the explosion, he jumped on the top of his car to see better. The patrol ship blew up the over pass! Antares 7 was rushing towards the Falcon, keeping close to the shore. He jumped back down and climbed onto the cabin of one truck. The Cherokee was speeding on the Kennedy Pkwy towards him. He sighed with relief. To leave Rachel would be one of the most difficult decisions ever. Suddenly, there was another explosion! The patrol ship was shooting at Antares 7! He jumped back on the ground, passed between the trucks and waited for the Cherokee to arrive!
Rachel braked and stopped at the trucks and rushed outside.
"Go! Go! Go! There's another trouble from the west", he told them taking one bag from Rachel and nodding at Amanda as a greeting.
They jumped into his car and Morris headed back! The car quickly reached the sixty two miles per hour speed! As they were rushing towards the Falcon, he saw Antares docking next to the runway. Josh and Lika took Benjamin and ran towards the Falcon, Eli ran in front of them. Oliver stood beside the Falcon and waved his hands for them to rush. Several meters behind them there was another explosion! Antares was blown up in thousand pieces and they felt hot air on their backs! They appeared on the runway at the same time as Morris and were all running towards the Falcon, only some eighty meters away. Oliver stood at the front stairs, showing them where to go, when another explosion sounded closer to the runway. The patrol ship was adjusting their aim towards the Falcon. The runners circled the wings to avoid the engines and went up the stairs to the front entrance. As they jumped into the Falcon, the ship shook. The last explosion was so close that Jessica hit the engines hard! Morris pressed the large red button on the stairs so that they detached. He closed the hatch and threw himself into the quarantine seat! Through the foil he could see Jessica holding a thumb up and releasing the breaks. The Falcon hurried down the runway while the explosions banged behind! The runway was disappearing behind the space ship under heavy artillery from the patrol ship. In a few seconds, though, the Falcon was airborne, leaving Earth way behind!
53.
Morning joggers ran down the promenade on Rene 9, each at their own tempo. There were more of them with each day. Running, they realized, was excellent for clearing anyone's head. After four miles, the focus was only on the next step. As the miles went, so it became even harder, but also more meditative. If watched from a bench on Rene 9, it seemed that most of these joggers did it to keep fit. But, the real truth was that most of them did not come to terms with their new home. Cody was among them. It was not that difficult for him, but it would take him some time to accept Rene 9 "forever". While he was just an employee, he knew he could take any flight and fly down to Earth. Now, that option simply was no more. When he thought about it, it was a little scary. Still, not so much with Ava by his side. If things continued to be this idyllic, home would be where she was anyway.
Ava was sitting in her office, finishing the work schedule for the next six months. When Cody went running in the morning, she would go to the office. She had enough energy for the next century, that was how she felt, and there was no need to spend time in bed. In the morning shift with her was also Rose Verdolac. She was now Ava's right hand, simply an extraordinary person. Smart, organized, capable and an operative to wish for. Rose Verdolac work capabilities were unbelievable. Ava felt she could give her any task and everything would be done any time. It was great to have such people close to her. Rose took over the integration of the ten new passengers and their families to Rene 9. It was not difficult, because all of them were scientists with experience in isolation. Still, they felt better with someone assisting them. All of the newcomers passed the quarantine and nobody had any symptoms of the Snow Flu. They liked the idea to accept Rene 9 as their new home and were full of ideas to make it an even better place to live. To bring them up, was a great idea.
Rachel, Amanda and Morris came to breakfast among the first. After the quarantine that determined all other teams were healthy, the girls enjoyed the hotel. It was an incredible feat and more than a hotel, they concluded with Morris who showed them the rest of Rene 9. In several days they saw the whole station, learned its detailed history and the technical side of the hotel functioning. Amanda was very excited. Only when they left the quarantine, did she realize she was in space. Until then, as if she had not thought about it at all. Then, the adrenaline hit her hard. Not only because of the hotel, but also the idea that they would participate in forming Rene 9's TV station! She would get help from Lika she had met on the Falcon and her husband Ben, an exceptional journalist. She even remembered some of his articles! She was already putting a program together. "You're already putting a program together", Rachel told her smiling, but Amanda just nodded happily and contentedly. Morris laughed, had his breakfast quickly and left them to enjoy the morning. Jessica was waiting for him. They were to take the shuttle to decide where the solar sails should be installed.
54.
Eli and Oli were lying in bed turned towards the window and the stars. They had talked the night through and still did not have enough. First they told each other all the smallest details of their trip to Earth for the hundredth time. They would remember a forgotten detail, a sign on a building, a neon post. Then, they remembered Diego Lula and John Archer's deaths, and talked for a long time about the man that Oliver had hit with the car. He was having hard time with that event, but talking about it helped him. They had left the station as kids, but returned as grown ups. Anybody would, after all they had been through. Nevertheless, they were happy. They survived and were back in each other's arms. There were no more hidden emotions, everything was clear.
"I doubt we would ever have such an adventure again", Eli said and held Oli's hand tighter.
"On Earth that's hardly possible", Oliver agreed.
"According to your dad's projections, Earth would really not be habitable in the next few years. The worst case scenario, with several natural catastrophes to speed up the disintegration of factories and power plants, the air would simply be too polluted. But, that's the worst. Maybe everything turns out fine and Earth becomes our old new home."
"I'm glad you're an optimist", she laughed and kissed him on the cheek.
Oli smiled and continued.
"You know, perhaps there are no more adventures on Earth for us, but space …"
"Well, it's not like we're going anywhere, we'd still be whizzing around Earth", Eli said. "I don't know what kind of adventures may be waiting for us in the hotel."
"Well, actually, with the solar sails this would no longer be a hotel, but a space craft", he explained, "and if we activate the sails, we could set off towards Mars, Venus, the new galaxies! We could become a generation ship!"
"Yeah? What's that?"
"A ship traveling through space for thousands of years, with generations of people living on it!"
"Rene 9, the generation ship! I like the idea …", she smiled happily.
Oliver held her tight and, after a long sleepless night, they finally fell asleep together.
END OF BOOK ONE
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