Surviving The Theseus Read Online Free PDF

towards the gate patrol guard tower, a three-storey building
with a control level, kitchen and leisure level, and a bunk level.
It had a dock on the right side of it, with one ship, similar to
the SPARS ships, but smaller. A tunnel to the left of the building
was used as a service tunnel, connecting to the gate and running
all the way through for any service that needed to be done. There
were two more docks, empty, on the other two sides of the
building.
    As hard as the runner tried, the SPARS had no
problem catching up and re-capturing it with the magnetic towing
beams. The runner tried to bump and smash them, but with everyone
on the ball, including Paula, they captured the runner just below
the guard tower. Immediately, they came about and towed the runner
toward the gate. The gate hummed to life.
    Like rippling water, the space between the
massive, red structure that formed the arch rippled inward, caused
by the vibrations from inside the gate. Just seconds before, stars
were clearly visible through the gate, but now it became a ripple
of darkness. All five ships disappeared through the gate as they
splashed through the blackness.
     
     

Chapter 13
     
    Regina watched a tennis ball-sized, brown
blob fly at where her head used to be, out of thin air, and thump
against the back wall of the stairwell. It stuck for a second and
then fell with a thud onto the carpet.
    She watched the brown blob flatten. It looked
like a muddy puddle of water, and then it did something
uncharacteristic of a puddle of water. It moved, towards her.
Regina backed down the stairs, not taking her eyes from the
blob.
    She raised her gun and fired six shots
in quick succession, but not at the blob. She hoped to hit whatever
she couldn’t see, but felt was there. All six shots went into the
wall, leaving six large holes clustered together. Surely somebody somewhere developed stealth tech
by now , she thought. It wouldn’t surprise her. And don’t call me Surely . She smiled.
It seemed crazy to smile in such a situation. Her father always
responded to her with “And don’t call me Surely” whenever she used
the word, since she could remember, back before he muttered to
himself and before the fits of anger.
    The blob spread out more and more, making its
way towards her, oozing down the stairs.
    Regina turned, jumped down the stairs four at
a time, no problem with her long legs, and then halfway down, she
grabbed the railing and hurled herself over to the next flight
down.
    She ran down two full levels, before taking
an exit onto the Casino, Restaurant, and Shops level of the ship,
the level she had been on the night before. She ran toward the
front of the ship and zigzagged down hallways, taking a right,
running forward, right, and so on. She ran past several signs
advertising different kinds of food from various planets, and then
past bars and lounges offering drink specials. Finally, after
zigzagging to the right side of the ship, and passing places like
Planet Osiris’s Monster Lobster, The Ocean Blues, and Lover’s
Palace, she found it.
    Regina took an exit. A sign picturing a tube
with wavy lines running through the middle of it was affixed to the
wall beside the doorway.
    She walked into a small alcove with a large,
clear tube that had a diameter of six feet. A sign beside the
entrance to the tube read: Access restricted. Pyramid Staff Only!
In case of emergency, under supervision by Pyramid staff.
    Regina debated taking the elevator, which
would be very quick, run by magnetic technology like the tube in
front of her. Something could be waiting in the elevators. It would
be a perfect opportunity for an attack, especially for desperate
people wanting a quick way out.
    She looked down at the tube button and saw
that only a fingerprint identification was needed. Normally, only
the Pyramid staff would be able to gain entry, but her title of
SOAD gave her privileged access to areas most people did not have.
She had even been through security so