Third Transmission Read Online Free PDF Page B

pointed the Parrot at the lid of the tank and squeezed the trigger.
    Clink.
No good. He took aim again. Fired.
    The g-force crushed his chest as he whooshed forwards. The runway rushed past, speed blurring it into a kaleidoscope of greys. He struggled to keep his foot balanced on the hook – the pressure was driving the tip through the sole of the diving boot. His other boot clattered against the runway, sending explosions of sparks into the distance behind him.
    Specks of rain flew at the visor of his helmet, bursting against the glass. Pungent fumes started to leak in through the holes. Six tried to keep his head down.
    The bow of the ship thundered towards him. The helicopter was flying too high – he was going to have to jump.
    He zipped towards the end of the runway at a speed the human body was never supposed to withstand. A fleck of acid burned through the suit and snapped onto his bicep, and he gasped as it seared his skin. Looking down, he could see that the toes of the diving boots had already been eaten away, and the rain was fast dissolving the shoes inside.
    He was nearly at the end. One-two-three
jump
…
    There was a
clang
as the hook slammed into the end of the runway behind him, but he was already in the air. Sudden silence. The ocean swept by below him. The suit was weightless. He stretched out his arms ahead of him, reaching for the landing skis of the helicopter.His arm stung as the acid punctured his skin. Another drop penetrated the suit and landed on his back, and he bit his lip to stifle a scream. If the acid stayed there long, it could dig right through the muscle and rupture his lung.
    Don’t think about it! he told himself. Get to the chopper. Where’s the chopper?
    He could hear the blades as they shattered the air. He looked around wildly. His visor was bubbling. He could see a vague outline of something – what was it? The helicopter, a cloud –
    Thud
. His chest smacked into the landing ski, and all the breath exploded out of him. He scrabbled desperately at the metal, cooked gloves struggling for purchase, slipping back, and then he was plunging back into the void towards the ocean –
    A hand grabbed his forearm and dragged him back up. He felt his knees bounce across the floor of the helicopter and then someone ripped his helmet off his head.
    â€˜Get the seawater!’ someone shouted.
    A face floated into view. It was Kyntak.
    â€˜Get it off me!’ Six yelled. ‘There’s rain on my back, and my arm – get this suit off me!’
    A knife ripped through the heavy folds of the diving suit, and then it was torn off and thrown out the cargo door. Six was rolled over, and a jar of seawater was poured onto his back. He screamed as it trickled into the open wound.
    â€˜Just another day on the job, huh?’ Kyntak shouted.
    His laugh sounded forced. Looking over, Six saw that the skin on Kyntak’s hand was rotting away. He must have been the one who grabbed Six’s arm, and now there was acid on his fingers.
    The cold seawater was like the tip of a sword buried in Six’s back.
    â€˜You’re going into shock,’ Kyntak yelled. ‘We’re going to knock you out.’
    A needle thudded into Six’s neck, and his muscles relaxed as the anaesthetic seeped through his circulatory system.
    â€˜Did you get the SARS?’ someone shouted.
    â€˜No,’ Six tried to say. Then the world went dark.

ANALYSIS
    Six woke suddenly. He gasped. Choked. His torso shuddered upwards.
    â€˜Easy, Six,’ Ace of Diamonds said. She put her hands on his shoulders, holding him down. ‘Deep breaths. You’re safe.’
    â€˜Where am I?’ he coughed. The bright lights hurt his eyes. Something hard and cold was underneath him. His heart rate gradually slowed.
    â€˜You’re back at the Deck,’ she said. ‘In the basement. You’ve been out for two hours. How do you feel?’
    Six grimaced. He was sore all