In the story so far. Tom escaped capture by the pirates and is hiding in the vent work of the starship, Stardiver Four. Where he must find the way to the commander center to give the command code to the ship's computer to signal a counterattack by the ship's crew and defeat the pirates, but the way to the commnd center closed without warning.
“What happened?” Tom whispered to himself. Fear was crawling through his stomach. “Maybe they know I‘m here and are trying to trap me. What now, Ollie? If I break open the vent they will get me before I could give the command code." Tom waited, hoping the air vent would open again.
Tom heard a distant humming. The metal floor and walls of the vent tunnel began to vibrate under his palms.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Cold air began to swish around him. It became stronger and like invisible hands yanked at his space suit, making the thick cloth flap like a flag. The wind became so strong it began to pull Ollie away, and Tom's hold on the smooth metal began to slip. He tried to wedge his feet against the sides of the tunnel but the walls and floor were like glass. He began to slide back the way he came. Tom groped at the cold sides of the tunnel but he was sliding too fast. They were picking up speed. Together they rolled and tumbled out of the tunnel into a larger tunnel, where they slid and rolled hundreds of yards. The whining scream of a motor grew in his ears as he was pulled along. The vibration was fierce. The tunnel twisted and turned. They slid into a larger red glowing tunnel. Tom saw that the red glow came from a huge fan at the end; its giant knife-like blades spinning into a blur as it sucked them closer.
Ollie hated the loud whirring noise. He knew when to fight, but this time, he struggled to run away. He twisted and rolled until he was able to get onto his feet and fought for his life. His paws and claws finding even the smallest grip on the metal floor. The monstrous fan was slowing bringing him toward its screaming destruction.
A chain stretched across the tunnel. A red metal sign which said, “Danger” flapped from the chain. As Ollie slid past he clamped his powerful jaws onto the sign. Tom grappled for him as he rolled past and clutched Ollie around the waist, afraid to let go and be sucked into the deadly blades of the fan.
"AAAAHH!" The scream was all around him mixing with the roar of the fan blades. "AAAAH!"
"What is that?"
"AAAAAHH." It was a girl's voice. Tom's saw Ashley sliding toward him and toward the spinning blades. "AAAAHHH!" He couldn't let go of Ollie or else he would be sucked into the fan.
"Grab the chain!" But the wind sucked the words away. Extending his leg Tom tried to block her from passing but she knocked it aside as she slid toward the fan.
Tom watched in horror as the girl slid toward her death.
Hurricane wind whipped around them. Thunderous roaring pounded their eardrums.
Ollie’s legs ached from bracing against the wind. His jaws throbbed with pain. Ollie was not a dog to give up.
Ashley was on her back, sliding toward the blades, her hands flailing against the sides. The four walls had a short lip where the fan was located, her boot heel struck it and she was momentarily held there by the pressure of the wind. She was afraid to move unless she slid the last inch into the fan blades. The wind pulled her light hair whipping it against her face.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
Looking back up the tunnel Tom saw something flying toward them striking the sides with a loud BOOM as it was flung by the wind. It was round and pale white. BOOM. It struck again.
"Look out, Girl!"
Her body began to slowly leave the wall and fall forward.
"AAAAAHHH."
As the object flew past Tom saw it was an armored helmet.
It passed Ashley and entered the red blur of the fans with a KaBOOM. The fan blades exploded and pieces of shrapnel disappeared in the vacuum beyond. The thundering noise quit as the debris locked the turbine. Ashley tumbled against the shattered remains. "Ouch. It's hot!" She twisted away and lunged toward Tom and Ollie.
Panting and heaving with exhaustion Ollie lay down.
Tom lay on his back. He had failed. Captain Price had trusted him, and he let everybody down. Now there was no chance to take back the ship. He wiped away tears with his hand.
Ashley curled up into a ball and sobbed.
Tom ached all over his hands and arms throbbed from clutching Ollie. "Hey you. Girl, Shush! You will give us away. They will come in here for us."
Ashley shuddered with sobs.
Tom crawled to her. "O.K. Girl," Its O.K. to cry, just don't cry so loud."
"I was so afraid," she sniffled.
"It's O.K. The fan stopped."
"I thought I was going to get sucked into that horrible thing and die."
"Yeah, I was scared too."
Ollie nuzzled her face and began to lick her tear streaked cheeks. She reached up with both hands and embraced him around the neck, she buried her face into his fur and sobbed some more.
"OK, Girl, that is good now. We can't stay here."
"Where can we go? Where is it safe?" Ashley's face was still buried in Ollie's fur.
"The rangers and crew are all in the common room. That is where I saw them before."
She turned her face toward him. "We have to go there. That is where my dad will be."
"O.K. Girl. The sooner we get away from this fan thing the better."
"You don't need to keep saying O.K., and stop calling me girl, my name is Ashley, OK?"
"O.K. I mean sorry."
"So, my name is Ashley."
"I know. You said that."
"Now you are supposed to tell me your name and your dog's name."
"Oh, I'm Tommy Snow and this is Ollie, uh Ollie Dog."
"Fine, let's get away from here and find the common room."
Tom led slowly back the way they came. All the vents were closed and let only a thin edges of light through the edges and cracks. Reaching out in the darkness carefully feeling his way, he began to worry. "What if I am lost? What if I can't find my way back to the common room?" He felt Ollie close to him in the dark. “Ollie, find the rangers. Find the rangers. O.K. Boy?”
Ollie went ahead. It was easy; he could find the way by scent. Ollie was proud that he was a dog. He had gifts that people did not have. He knew it. He did not understand the weakness of humans. It didn't matter to him; he loved Tom, and that was all that mattered to him. He led on.
"Uh, Girl, I mean Ashley, how come you were in the air vents?"
"I was being chased by a killer robot and the only way to escape was to jump into a vent."
"What's a killer robot?"
"It is a machine that looked like a giant robot spider and I think it had a child's brain put into it. It had huge knife blades that cut things up and grippers that ripped things and people up."
"What? You mean it would cut up and rip up people?"
"Yes, it was the scariest thing I ever saw."
"Wow, where is it now?"
"I don't know."
"Could it climb in here?"
"No. It is way too big."
They crawled without any sense of time in the dark tubes.
"Your turn, why are you and your dog in the air vents?"
"We were trying to get away from the pirates."
"You should have just given yourself up. Then you would be in the common room with the rangers."
"No, we can't give ourselves up because when the pirates tried to come to sickbay Ollie attacked one and bit him up pretty badly. They think he is a mutant attack beast and they will kill him as soon as they find him. I have to help Ollie, he is my only friend.
"Wow. I see, I think."
They kept crawling; it seemed to take forever. "Tom, are you sure this is the way to the common room?
"To tell you the truth I do not have any idea where it is but Ollie will find it. Just follow him."
They crawled a long way, turned left, and kept on crawling; after what seemed like hours, Ollie stopped at a closed vent.
“Is this it, Tom? It’s locked. We are trapped.”
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter click here or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Please see the sidebar for other chapters, I am sure you will enjoy them too.
Adron
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______________________________________________
Chapter 39
Blades of Death
Tom heard a distant humming. The metal floor and walls of the vent tunnel began to vibrate under his palms.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Cold air began to swish around him. It became stronger and like invisible hands yanked at his space suit, making the thick cloth flap like a flag. The wind became so strong it began to pull Ollie away, and Tom's hold on the smooth metal began to slip. He tried to wedge his feet against the sides of the tunnel but the walls and floor were like glass. He began to slide back the way he came. Tom groped at the cold sides of the tunnel but he was sliding too fast. They were picking up speed. Together they rolled and tumbled out of the tunnel into a larger tunnel, where they slid and rolled hundreds of yards. The whining scream of a motor grew in his ears as he was pulled along. The vibration was fierce. The tunnel twisted and turned. They slid into a larger red glowing tunnel. Tom saw that the red glow came from a huge fan at the end; its giant knife-like blades spinning into a blur as it sucked them closer.
Ollie hated the loud whirring noise. He knew when to fight, but this time, he struggled to run away. He twisted and rolled until he was able to get onto his feet and fought for his life. His paws and claws finding even the smallest grip on the metal floor. The monstrous fan was slowing bringing him toward its screaming destruction.
A chain stretched across the tunnel. A red metal sign which said, “Danger” flapped from the chain. As Ollie slid past he clamped his powerful jaws onto the sign. Tom grappled for him as he rolled past and clutched Ollie around the waist, afraid to let go and be sucked into the deadly blades of the fan.
"AAAAHH!" The scream was all around him mixing with the roar of the fan blades. "AAAAH!"
"What is that?"
"AAAAAHH." It was a girl's voice. Tom's saw Ashley sliding toward him and toward the spinning blades. "AAAAHHH!" He couldn't let go of Ollie or else he would be sucked into the fan.
"Grab the chain!" But the wind sucked the words away. Extending his leg Tom tried to block her from passing but she knocked it aside as she slid toward the fan.
Tom watched in horror as the girl slid toward her death.
Hurricane wind whipped around them. Thunderous roaring pounded their eardrums.
Ollie’s legs ached from bracing against the wind. His jaws throbbed with pain. Ollie was not a dog to give up.
Ashley was on her back, sliding toward the blades, her hands flailing against the sides. The four walls had a short lip where the fan was located, her boot heel struck it and she was momentarily held there by the pressure of the wind. She was afraid to move unless she slid the last inch into the fan blades. The wind pulled her light hair whipping it against her face.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
Looking back up the tunnel Tom saw something flying toward them striking the sides with a loud BOOM as it was flung by the wind. It was round and pale white. BOOM. It struck again.
"Look out, Girl!"
Her body began to slowly leave the wall and fall forward.
"AAAAAHHH."
As the object flew past Tom saw it was an armored helmet.
It passed Ashley and entered the red blur of the fans with a KaBOOM. The fan blades exploded and pieces of shrapnel disappeared in the vacuum beyond. The thundering noise quit as the debris locked the turbine. Ashley tumbled against the shattered remains. "Ouch. It's hot!" She twisted away and lunged toward Tom and Ollie.
Panting and heaving with exhaustion Ollie lay down.
Tom lay on his back. He had failed. Captain Price had trusted him, and he let everybody down. Now there was no chance to take back the ship. He wiped away tears with his hand.
Ashley curled up into a ball and sobbed.
Tom ached all over his hands and arms throbbed from clutching Ollie. "Hey you. Girl, Shush! You will give us away. They will come in here for us."
Ashley shuddered with sobs.
Tom crawled to her. "O.K. Girl," Its O.K. to cry, just don't cry so loud."
"I was so afraid," she sniffled.
"It's O.K. The fan stopped."
"I thought I was going to get sucked into that horrible thing and die."
"Yeah, I was scared too."
Ollie nuzzled her face and began to lick her tear streaked cheeks. She reached up with both hands and embraced him around the neck, she buried her face into his fur and sobbed some more.
"OK, Girl, that is good now. We can't stay here."
"Where can we go? Where is it safe?" Ashley's face was still buried in Ollie's fur.
"The rangers and crew are all in the common room. That is where I saw them before."
She turned her face toward him. "We have to go there. That is where my dad will be."
"O.K. Girl. The sooner we get away from this fan thing the better."
"You don't need to keep saying O.K., and stop calling me girl, my name is Ashley, OK?"
"O.K. I mean sorry."
"So, my name is Ashley."
"I know. You said that."
"Now you are supposed to tell me your name and your dog's name."
"Oh, I'm Tommy Snow and this is Ollie, uh Ollie Dog."
"Fine, let's get away from here and find the common room."
Tom led slowly back the way they came. All the vents were closed and let only a thin edges of light through the edges and cracks. Reaching out in the darkness carefully feeling his way, he began to worry. "What if I am lost? What if I can't find my way back to the common room?" He felt Ollie close to him in the dark. “Ollie, find the rangers. Find the rangers. O.K. Boy?”
Ollie went ahead. It was easy; he could find the way by scent. Ollie was proud that he was a dog. He had gifts that people did not have. He knew it. He did not understand the weakness of humans. It didn't matter to him; he loved Tom, and that was all that mattered to him. He led on.
"Uh, Girl, I mean Ashley, how come you were in the air vents?"
"I was being chased by a killer robot and the only way to escape was to jump into a vent."
"What's a killer robot?"
"It is a machine that looked like a giant robot spider and I think it had a child's brain put into it. It had huge knife blades that cut things up and grippers that ripped things and people up."
"What? You mean it would cut up and rip up people?"
"Yes, it was the scariest thing I ever saw."
"Wow, where is it now?"
"I don't know."
"Could it climb in here?"
"No. It is way too big."
They crawled without any sense of time in the dark tubes.
"Your turn, why are you and your dog in the air vents?"
"We were trying to get away from the pirates."
"You should have just given yourself up. Then you would be in the common room with the rangers."
"No, we can't give ourselves up because when the pirates tried to come to sickbay Ollie attacked one and bit him up pretty badly. They think he is a mutant attack beast and they will kill him as soon as they find him. I have to help Ollie, he is my only friend.
"Wow. I see, I think."
They kept crawling; it seemed to take forever. "Tom, are you sure this is the way to the common room?
"To tell you the truth I do not have any idea where it is but Ollie will find it. Just follow him."
They crawled a long way, turned left, and kept on crawling; after what seemed like hours, Ollie stopped at a closed vent.
“Is this it, Tom? It’s locked. We are trapped.”
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter click here or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Please see the sidebar for other chapters, I am sure you will enjoy them too.
Adron
Please use the buttons below to share this chapter with others. Thank you.
