Liberty's Kids Fan Fiction ❯ LIBERTY'S KIDS: Into the Future, and Into Space ❯ The Strange Ship ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 
 
The comet was getting closer…
 
James and Moses came back for the engine room with the big fire extinguisher, passed it to me, and I got back in the air lock.
 
I began to pray the hatch like crazy in hopes that it would jar open, but it was still tight as ever.
 
Sarah took a peek outside, and saw her poor parents lying perfectly still. “Oh my god, their not moving!” she cried.
 
“Feel that heat… the comet is getting closer.” Said Henri, “Can you increase the refrigeration anymore, Sarah?” asked Moses.
 
“It's no good… it can't go any higher.” She answered. “Please Captain, Hurry!!”
 
Finally, the hatch began to move, and gradually slid open revealing Samuel and Elizabeth still knocked out from the heat.
 
I gently picked Elizabeth up by her hips so as to be careful not to pull off her helmet, and gently dragged her inside. Then I quickly dragged in Samuel and closed the hatch.
 
Samuel shook himself awake now that it a little cooler, but Elizabeth was not only still out of it; We took her helmet and felt her forehead… she had a fever.
 
We gently carried her inside. “Is she alright?” cried Sarah.
 
“Here set her down here.” I said. “Henri, Get us out of here!”
 
“Yes, Sir!” said Henri as he pulled the ship away from the comet, and the temperature returned to normal.
 
“Elizabeth…” cried Samuel, “Elizabeth…!” She slowly opened her eyes. “Come on Darling wake up… wake up.”
 
Sarah's eyes glittered with Tears as she hugged James tight, “She'll be alright now.” I told her.
 
Still very weak, Elizabeth asked, “Was… was I… really out there?”
 
Samuel looked down at his wife tenderly and said. “You really were, Darling.” He drew her closer into his arms to comfort her.
 
Later on
 
Captain's Log: Supplemental…
 
We have just had a very frightening, yet successful time in repairing our inertial Guidance systems. Now we are all safely aboard and out of Danger.
 
As I continue to search for a lead as to where we may be, there's little anyone else can do but rest, and hope for the best.
 
End Log.
 
 
My share of the nightshift on the bridge was over for the night. trying to work on our position. So far, no luck.
 
Now Samuel was on his way up to take his share of the shift. He stopped along James and Sarah's room along the way. He pressed the buzzer. “Come in…” called Sarah.
 
Samuel opened the door, and saw James and Sarah all tucked in warmly, James was fast asleep, and Sarah was reading a book.
 
“Shakespeare?” he asked.
 
“Shakespeare.” Answered Sarah.
 
Samuel gently pecked his daughter on the cheek. “Good night, dear.”
 
“Good night, Father.”
 
 
Meanwhile, Henri was in his single cabin working on a reading in bed, when he heard a buzz at the door. “Entrée toi…” he said.
 
Moses came in, “Well, What are you still doing up?” he asked, “Shouldn't young men like you be asleep by now?”
 
Henri shook his head and said, “I've been trying to figure out our position.”
 
“If Mars is on the same velocity as us, and our bearing is no less than five degrees… Samuel should be picking up a signal by now.”
 
“Well, maybe you'd better go tell him then.” Said Moses. Henri quickly hoped out of bed, changed back into his uniform and bounded up to the bridge.
 
I was already on my way to my room after Samuel and Henri took over the bridge, and boy was I getting sleepy. “Being a Ship's Captain sure works you out.” I said to myself.
 
I just made it to the automatic door to my room, when a strange high pitched whirring sound echoed through the ship.
 
Elizabeth and Moses met me in the corridor. “Have heard anything like it?” asked Elizabeth.
 
I shook my head, “Never even knew such a sound.” I said, “Wake up James and Sarah, let's get up to the bridge.”
 
James and Sarah got out of bed and changed. Then we all headed up to the bridge to find Samuel and Henri starring puzzled at James' radar.
 
“We tried to get a fix on Mars, according to Henri's calculations.” He said, “… We picked this up instead.”
 
The Radar showed us a signal, but whatever it was, even I couldn't figure out what it was.
 
“What do you make of this, James?” I asked
 
James took his seat and tried a spectrometer reading. “It's data isn't anything readable to us.” He said, “It's not likely to be a planet, it could be an asteroid.”
 
“So then… it's not Mars?” asked Elizabeth.
 
“No, darling, It can't be.” Replied Samuel.
 
“Henri… give us a three second boost!” I said.
 
Henri hopped over to his controls and thrusted the ship forward a little faster for three seconds. “There… we should be able to see it now.” I replied.
 
We all looked out through the view port… and there in the distance was an unidentified craft. “It's a Spaceship!” said Henri.
 
It obviously wasn't one of ours, but it was indeed big enough to use STINGRAY as a lifeboat, and it was probably made of an alloy that we never heard of.
 
“Take us in closer, Henri!” I said.
 
Henri did as he was told, and the closer we got the bigger the Spaceship seemed to be.
 
It looked sort of like a ghost ship. If it was in the path of the comet, the heat could have destroyed whatever life there was aboard.
 
 
“A ship that size…” I said, “Think of the payload it must be carrying. Why, it could even have a guidance system like no other.”
 
Sarah's eyes lit up, “Which means, it could probably help us determine where we are.”
 
 
“Well, that…” added James, “… Or it also could be manned by an Alien crew.”
 
Suddenly, ship seemed to be getting closer, and closer. “It… It's moving in!” cried Samuel.
 
“No it isn't…We are… it's pulling us.” Cried Henri, as he yanked and pulled on the joysticks. “I… I can't break away… WE'RE GOING TO COLLIDE!!!”
 
“EVERYONE STRAP DOWN AT ONCE!!!” I cried out, and every got their seat belts on at once.
 
STINGRAY moved in closer, and closer, but instead crashing into the other ship, we flew right through the hull of it like ghosts.
 
Meanwhile, on Mars
 
 
Titan watched as STINGRAY gently descended to a soft landing. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Excellent… my plan is working perfectly.”
 
“Now that STINGRAY has been captured, it is only a matter of time before both the ship and the crew are mine.”