Precipice: The Beginning Read Online Free PDF

like that.”
    Annie took a moment to watch her son play on the floor, seeing the similarities in his face to Travis’. They both had the same nose and cheekbones. The eyes were hers, but the smile was pure Travis. Every smile made her want to cry, seeing her husband in those stretched lips. Annie couldn’t control the emotion; it overwhelmed her. She turned her back to her son and wept softly, kicking herself for being so weak. It was her goal to keep sadness from their lives. To go on as if this was just a transitional phase and that daddy would be home someday. She knew better of course, but Logie didn’t need to accept that. Not at the tender age of three. He deserved to play with his daddy’s smile and his new toys. Annie wiped the tears and took a slow, calming breath. She turned around and gripped the counter, shaking the lingering depression from her head.
    “Okay Pook, let’s get going,” Annie said as she glanced up at the clock above the stove. “Come on. We don’t want to be late and miss daddy’s call.”
    Annie took Logan’s hands and pulled him to his feet, helping him carry an armload of this and that out to the car. She tossed the toys beside his car seat in their station wagon and buckled him in. He made the process difficult as he leaned over to grab his toys and of course his blue blanket with the satin trim. You could never leave the house without blankey. God have mercy on your soul if you wandered away without it. Travis had purchased the blanket two months before Logan was born. Since his birth it had never left his side. Once Logie was securely fastened with his mound of toys and stuffed animals nearly engulfing him, Annie came around the front of the car and got behind the wheel.
    For the next three and a half hours they passed the time singing children’s songs, playing road trip games like I Spy or the alphabet game. Logan got bored easily and put his attention to the comfort blankey offered between his cheek and the padded headrest of the booster seat. Within ten seconds he was sleeping with his mouth slightly agape. Annie looked up into the rearview repeatedly to steal a glimpse of his precious face.
    This was a long trek, but it wasn’t as simple as picking up a phone when it came to calling another planet. The only communication link between the Martian facility and Earth was through TransWorld Inc., the company that built the place. Thankfully the main building was just north of Salem, VA. Better than having to hop on a plane and fly to California or Florida just for a twenty minute conversation with her husband. The company was building the off-world facilities under government contracts and thus was under fire with the public. They saw TransWorld Inc. as an extension of the military being sent to Mars to eventually test weapons of mass destruction or engineer new viruses, perfecting them before they unleashed them back home. Travis had told her what was really going down. There was nothing remotely exciting happening off-world, no doomsday devices or giant laser cannons being constructed with Earth in the crosshairs. But it was the connection with the military that had offered Travis and his unit an alternative to a death sentence. Annie closed her eyes a brief moment to mentally block out the headache. Thinking of her husband being locked away for something that wasn’t his fault made her stomach sour. Sometimes life could be so unfair.
    Annie exited off highway 220 just north of Salem and headed down a dirt road that looked too rural for a high tech facility with billion-dollar government funding, but it was there. Anyone within a hundred miles could tell you where they were located after witnessing the last launch of the gargantuan supply ship just over three months ago, looking like a metallic version of Noah’s ark. The road narrowed, lined with tall trees to keep the massive structure relatively hidden. Annie slowed to a crawl as she approached the gate, rolling down her