Breeding Ground Part 4

"Quiet," Peac.o.c.k rumbled out, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "The noise is distracting."

An asteroid chunk the size of a small airplane struck the Methuselah, causing all but Peac.o.c.k-who was harnessed into his chair-to fall to the ground. The lights flickered on and off and a sickening vacuum sound hiccupped in Work Pod 1 as the sensory doors sealed it off from the rest of the s.p.a.cecraft.

"Elinor!" Vlad shouted, dragging himself up to his feet. "I need to get to Elinor!"

"It's too late!" John shouted back, tackling him. He wrestled Vlad to the floor, pinning him down. The big Russian fought back with everything he had in him, the loss of his wife making his eyes go wild and his voice guttural.

"Hold him down!" Alex yelled out to John. And don't let him look up.

Because if he looked up, she thought in horror, he'd be able to see the cameras that were visually relaying to Work Pod 1 what was happening to the rest of the Methuselah. Alex clamped a hand over her mouth while she watched a small hole in Work Pod 2 cause the entire chamber to explode...Elinor included.

Her heart thumping madly, Alex gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up to her feet. "Detach us from the main part of the craft!" she called out to Peac.o.c.k who was sweating in rivulets. She harnessed herself into the console chair next to him. "Do it-now! The others are dead. There is no time-do it!"

She could hear Vlad sobbing from behind her. Closing her eyes briefly, she took a calming breath. "Do it," she murmured. "Now."

Peac.o.c.k nodded as he steered with one hand and reached for the correct b.u.t.ton with the other. "You two harnessed, John?" he bellowed.

"Yeah!" John shouted back. "Do it, Peac.o.c.k!"

A blink of an eye later, Work Pod 1 detached from what was left of the Methuselah and continued its rocky journey through the asteroid belt. The visual monitors aboard what was now Methuselah II showed the abandoned craft exploding before they scrambled and went black. Loud horns blazed throughout the work pod, the lights continuously blinking on and off.

Alex's gaze flew to the official Earth date and time monitor. What the...?

3999 A.D.

4982 A.D.

And counting.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on?" she whispered, her eyes widening.

6821 A.D.

7039 A.D.

"John!" she shouted. "I need you over here as soon as possible!"

9975 A.D.

10,102 A.D.

She felt like she was going to be ill.

13,000 A.D.

"Please let this be wrong," Alex whispered. "Please let this be malfunctioning."

She c.o.c.ked her head to look back at Vlad and John. Vlad was harnessed to John and John, teeth gritting and muscles bulging, was holding onto the reins of a workstation with his life. She could easily see how much strain his muscles were enduring for the skintight, black bodysuit he wore outlined that fact. Still, she knew the doctor well enough to realize they'd both be okay. Thank G.o.d.

"Vlad, get control of yourself and help John get you both up here. Now," Alex concluded shakily enough to warrant everyone's attention.

She was always stoic and in control. That she appeared to be just the opposite was apparently enough to get Vlad thinking rationally again. He pulled himself off of John and grabbed a hold of a strap dangling from a workstation.

Alex's head swiveled back around to view the date and time monitor.

30,010 A.D.

"What's going on?" Peac.o.c.k quietly asked. He didn't glance away from the window viewing area. She could see the muscle in his jaw tensing as he maneuvered them through a shower of asteroid chunks.

Alex used the back of her hand to swipe at the perspiration running down her brow. "Check the date and time monitor when you can afford to look at it," she murmured.

47,979 A.D.

"The date and time monitor? Why?"

56,809 A.D.

"Just do it," she whispered.

Peac.o.c.k did. Alex could tell he wanted to do a double take, but he couldn't risk glancing away from the viewing area again. "s.h.i.+t," he swore. "What the f.u.c.k is going on?"

"I don't know," she said as calmly as possible. "I really don't know."

700,888 A.D.

"What the h.e.l.l has got you looking like that, Alex?" John called out, his teeth grinding together. He groaned as he pulled himself into the seat on the other side of her and strapped himself in.

A quick glance to the side confirmed that Vlad was still dazed, but okay. He'd managed to strap himself into the chair on the other side of Peac.o.c.k.

"Alex?" Dr. Nielson prodded again when she didn't respond. His gaze flew to where hers seemed to be glued. "What is-holy s.h.i.+t! What the h.e.l.l is going on?" he bellowed.

1,007,806 A.D.

"I don't know," Alex said unblinkingly. "I was hoping you would."

John fiddled with the computer console attached to the monitor. He cursed under his breath. "It's not malfunctioning," he rasped out. "The system looks to be online and working properly."

She nodded, but said nothing. Sweat gathered between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, trickled down the sides of her face.

3,000,999 A.D.

"Earth-or at least I think it's Earth-is within our sights," Peac.o.c.k announced.

They were approaching far too quickly. It had to be a phenomenon of the asteroids they'd encountered.

"Everyone prepare for an emergency landing," Alex concluded as the console she was working at confirmed Peac.o.c.k's supposition. She took a deep breath as a groaning sound pummeled Methuselah II. It sounded as if the work pod was being grated against two asteroids. It sounded as if they were about to be smashed to bits.

"Everyone hold on!" Peac.o.c.k shouted. "The entry is going to be rough!"