Archaea 3: Red by Dain White Read Free Book Online

voice and shoved me in the back, nearly sending me crashing to the floor. Dancing for balance, I tried to catch the eyes of people passing by in the corridor, but everyone seemed to be looking away, or turning. I didn't dare gesture or make any move.
    “What's this about?” I asked, as we moved down another level.
    “Silence.” the other man said harshly. They said something quietly together in a Slavic language that sounded Russian, but probably wasn't, then laughed. One of the men shoved me forward again roughly. We had moved down out of the market area and were now passing store-rooms and other vacant areas, and the corridor ahead of me was almost completely empty. The quieter the corridor got, the more desperate I felt.
    We were coming up to a pressure door, and I did my customary long skip through when suddenly it slammed shut behind me with a clang that shook dust out of the ceiling. I nearly leaped out of my skin. The movement and sound was so sudden and abrupt, it caught me completely off guard.
    My heart was trip-hammering in my chest, and my mind was whirling. I had to run, but where? I took a big bounce and spun towards a side corridor ahead and to the left. I started moving as fast as I could, skipping hard. I didn't know how long the door would stay closed, but I knew one thing… I didn't want to be here when it opened!
    My poor heart almost stopped for good when I whipped around the corner, and right into Shorty. Yak was coming in fast behind her.  
    “ Gene! Where are they?” she said, looking down the corridor behind me with a small gun in her hand.
    “What... how... where…” I stammered, completely in shock.
    “Janis, Gene . Now, where are they?” she repeated, all business.
    “ They’re… uh… on the other side of that pressure door Shorty.” I finally managed to get the words out past a tongue that didn't want to behave. She clicked her tongue while her gun disappeared like a magic trick, and with a light shove, she started me back down the corridor the way they had come.
    “Gene, we're going to mo ve fast. Are you okay?” Yak asked, with a look of concern on his face.
    “Yes, I'm fine, just terrified—” I spluttered. “What’s going on?”
    “Gene, we don’t know, but we’re under orders to get you to the Archaea pronto.” Yak replied, his fingers completely encircling my upper arm as he propelled me forward.
    “Gene, Janis has your new friends boxed away in that corridor, but any minute they're going to work the manuals and lever it open.” the captain called over comms. “Follow Shorty and Yak, they should have the fastest route back to the surface lock.”
    “Thank you Dak, Jane, Yak... thank you Janis! I...” I trailed off as my eyes welled up in tears. I wasn’t one for emotions, but damn this place was dusty.
    “Gene, stay with me. Jane, lead the way please”, Yak said quietly as we hustled down the corridor.
    Shorty was moving like a machine. She would kick and kick, skipping down the corridor, and come to a stop at each corner, check the route, and was away by the time we caught up. Yak had me tight, and wasn't letting go – we were going so fast we were damn near flying.
    We hooked an escaladder going up and climbed for the sky. I climbed until my arms ached and forced myself to keep going, my heart hammering in my chest. As we worked our way back topside, the crowds gradually increased, forcing us to slow down or attract attention.
    “Janis, we're almost there, two more levels to go. How are we looking?” Shorty said into comms.
    “Jane, the two original pursuers are through the door, and were trying to use their handsets. I allowed them to connect so I could trace, then killed their connection and wiped their comms capability. I am still using their handsets to track their movements, and you are well clear.”
    “Do you know who they were contacting?”
    “Yes Jane. Captain Smith and Steven are working on our options right now, and I am standing by to