Sara initiated the tail, causing it to snake out towards the diamond flower which was shooting a fine powder of some sort out through a central tube. The flower stem snapped off easily, and was rolled tightly into the tail of the sub as the engines began coming back online.
'Full power available,' Sara said, but she was drowned out by a sound like the deep tolling of a cathedral bell.
'Get up out of there, Sara,' ordered Miller.
The engine was at top speed in under two seconds, but it was still too slow. The archway had broken a single blue braid away from the main structure and swung it upwards with terrifying speed and accuracy. It plucked the sub out of the sky like catching a troublesome insect and sank back down into place once more. As the braid rejoined its archway, tendrils grew out and enveloped the Sting Ray. Then as the sub was held in place, still more creatures swarmed slowly through the gaps in the cocoon.
Pia was overwhelmed by it all; the beautiful trip down towards the seabed, the abundance of alien life, and the violence of the protective maneuver. It was all connected, from the tiniest spaghetti near the surface to the emerald seedlayers. A planet sized Gaia creature had grown on Ceres, and the sub was caught like a fly in its web.
Then she had an insane idea. She quickly drove a connection into Zee's systems and concentrated as she searched frantically for a way to enact her plan. Zee got the message loud and clear, for within a few seconds he had patched a reversal into the sub's audio microphone and switched it on.
'STOP,' Pia yelled into the void. 'PLEASE STOP!'
Immediately there came an echoing response, this time higher pitched and sustained for several seconds of varied tones. The crew watched in awe as the swarm of tiny creatures halted in obedience to the command. Everyone held their breath as motion across the entire visible seafloor came to halt in unison.
Zee let out a nervous laugh. 'Well, Pia, I think you have their attention. Now what?'
'Exactly,' she gasped, 'now what?'
With a planet sized alien beneath them and a Commander whose planet sized ego might get them killed, the crew of Cerex continue their adventures in Book 4 of the Mission Cerex saga.
Upcoming Books
Continue the adventure in Rebel Uprising, Book Four in the Mission Cerex series!
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About The Author
David Colello is a parenting ninja and science fiction fanatic, helping people raise readers in a world that's stranger than fiction. Following his time at Boston University earning degrees in English and Philosophy, he owned a personal training studio, worked in freelance copywriting, became a stay home father to two wonderful boys, and now publishes science fiction for a world where wonder is in short supply.
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Mission Cerex Boxset Page 12
