Search for the Phoenix: Phoenix Series Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

crews’ gear. Satisfied that everything he needed was still aboard the ship, he went back to the lab and grabbed the cases containing his suit.
    When he reached the basement, he set the cases next to the trapdoor, entered the combination, and grabbed the handle. He hesitated, dreading opening the hatch, knowing what was down there, but it had to be done. Pulling open the hatch, he climbed down a few rungs. He grabbed his suit case and carried it down. Coming back up, he grabbed the helmet case and pulled it down as well. Climbing the ladder for the last time, he pulled the hatch closed and descended again. As he picked up his cases, he said, “Okay, rats, here I come.”
     
    * * * *
     
    The trapdoor to the utility conduit flew open. Melvin Preston leaned on his broom and watched as a case rose from below and came to rest next to the opening. A moment later, a smaller case floated up through the hole and slid to a stop nearby. A man climbed quickly into the basement and closed the trapdoor with apparent urgency. “Hello, Mr. Peters,” Melvin said.
    Nolan jumped over the hatch with a gasp and spun around. He leaned forward, hands braced on his knees. “You scared the hell out of me, Mel!”
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Peters. I didn’t mean to. I’m just doing some cleaning up down here. That’s a nasty cut you have there.”
    “I had a little accident,” Nolan replied.
    “You been doing some shopping?” Melvin asked.
    Nolan looked puzzled momentarily as he looked at his cases. “Yes… some shopping. Only… it looked like rain, so I decided to… you know, run the conduits… like I did when I was a kid.”
    Melvin shook his head. “No rain today, Mr. Peters.”
    “Well… it looked a bit like rain, so I didn’t want to take any chances. These are expensive cases, and I didn’t want them to get wet,” Nolan said.
    Melvin looked at the scratched, dented, and blood-smudged cases. He nodded. “Yes, I can see where you wouldn’t want rain to touch those,” he said with a broad smile.
    Nolan looked at the cases as though he were seeing them for the first time. “Yes, well… I need to be going. It’s been nice chatting with you, Mel.” Nolan glanced past the custodian to the elevator—it was on the seventh floor. Unwilling to wait, he grabbed the cases and hurried toward the stairs. “Thank you for the wonderful job you do to keep the building clean,” he said as he reached the first step.
    “Just doing my job,” Mel said with a chuckle. He went back to sweeping as Nolan plodded unsteadily up the steps.
    Nolan emerged from the stairwell at the first floor and staggered to the elevator. Pressing the call button, he stared at the display, wondering why it was still at the seventh floor. Jennifer, the building manager, came out of her office. “The elevator is broken, Mr. Peters. I’m sorry; you’ll have to take the stairs.” As Nolan turned in her direction, she exclaimed, “Oh, Mr. Peters! What happened?” Everyone in the lobby turned to look at him.
    Without answering, he lugged the cases across the lobby and stepped back into the stairwell.
    It was fifteen minutes later when Jennifer came sprinting up the steps and stopped at the fifth-floor landing. Nolan was sitting down, leaning against the wall, covered in sweat and gasping. “Would you like me to help you?” she asked.
    Nolan pushed himself to his feet and picked up the cases. “No, thank you. I can manage.”
    “Don’t be silly,” she said as she took the cases from him and then sprang lightly up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Nolan tried to keep up… for about three steps. “I’ll leave them by your door,” he heard her call from the next landing.
    “Fine. You… do that,” he said between gasps. He could hear her light footfalls winding up through the building, showing no sign of slowing down.
    He stepped out of the stairwell on the eighth floor feeling as though he might pass out. His head was throbbing unmercifully, and