This month’s second update is some more from our science fiction horror serial, All the little lost boys and girls. Alexei and his crew have a way in to DROP 47, but that won’t do them much good if they don’t know what to expect once they arrive or, perhaps more relevant, can survive for longer than a minute once they do.
Below is a snippet from the chapter, when Alexei tries to convince a recalcitrant Aleksandra to assist beyond cryptic comments. For the full chapter, check out the link above and enjoy!
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Ever since Gemini Pax, Security had been working on contingencies should they encounter Harpies. Since Caleuche, they’d been expanding those plans to include Aleksandra and her ‘family’. He hadn’t even had to make it an order, and Alexei was glad for his people’s foresight. “And you’re sure we have to go into the Mists.”
The girl nodded. “That’s where it is. That’s where it has to be.”
“We’ve talked about this before.”
“You still don’t believe me. You don’t think it’s that deep.”
“Everything I know says that’s impossible.”
“Everything you know isn’t everything,” the girl pointed out. “Everything you know didn’t tell you about Gemini Pax. It didn’t tell you about Sanguine Atoll. It didn’t tell you about me. And it hasn’t told you about…” she trailed off. “DROP 47 is there because that is as close as it can get.”
“Get to what?”
Aleksandra smiled knowingly, a strange expression on a child so young. “The shadow. The shadow they want.”
“We need more than that,” Alexei pointed out. “Word games aren’t going to be enough.”
“Kaila says you have more,” the gene-bred child commented. “She says you know a place that can get you in to the Mists.” She glanced from the intelligence officer to the captain and lowered her voice into a faux whisper. “I think she was trying to get me to talk about what happens after that point.”
The Diamond didn’t deny it. “I was.”
“You don’t need me for that. You can find out where the station is from them. Then you’ll know I’ve been telling the truth.”
“It’s not just a matter of that,” Alexei told her. “We need more information. If we try to go to… that place, we’ll be destroyed. We can’t just waltz into Imperial territory, so I don’t know what you expect us to do.” An epiphany struck him and he leaned forward. “You’ve said I made you a promise, and I did. But it goes both ways, Aleksandra. I promised that if you can get us to DROP 47, I’ll do everything I can to help you. If you won’t hold up your end, then I can’t keep mine.”
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