Blood Bond by Michael Green Read Free Book Online

Mark said. ‘Or, judging by how bright it is, it’s probably the international space station.’
    The significance of this occurred to several of the crew in the same instant.
    â€˜Do you think there might still be people up there — alive?’ Luke asked.
    â€˜Surely not,’ scoffed Adam.
    â€˜There could be,’ Fergus challenged, running his fingers through his hair, chopped roughly into a Mohican style.
    â€˜But it’s been three and a half years since the pandemic.’
    â€˜What if the scientists put every supply capsule they could in space, crammed with supplies, when the pandemic struck?’
    â€˜Well … maybe … but three and a half years’ worth? That’s a lot of supplies.’
    â€˜Well, even if they couldn’t stay up there the whole time, they could have stayed there until the supplies got low and then landed back on Earth,’ Penny suggested.
    â€˜They couldn’t get down without ground control,’ ridiculed Adam.
    â€˜Astronauts are a pretty resourceful bunch — remember the Apollo 13 mission? They got that spacecraft home safely.’
    â€˜More likely there’re just corpses floating round up there,’ Adam said flatly.
    A series of dull thumps sounded as a shoal of flying fish thudded against the hull and cabintop. The plight of the crew of the international space station was forgotten as everyone scrambled to secure the welcome bonanza.

7
    â€˜Table Mountain up ahead,’ Fergus called excitedly from the cockpit. The first rays of light were invading the morning sky and his hair seemed redder than usual. Excited bodies tumbled out of bunks and rushed on deck to look at the flat-topped mountain, draped with its distinctive mantle of cloud.
    Steven used his sextant to measure the angle from a section of the mountain not obscured by cloud to the shoreline and scribbled a few quick calculations on the back of the chart. ‘It’s about thirty miles,’ he said. ‘We’ll be there by lunchtime if the wind holds.’
    Unfortunately, as Steven feared, the wind died a little, and it seemed to take Archangel forever to claw her way towards shore. Adam suggested starting the engine but, mindful of the need to conserve their precious diesel, Mark refused.
    Having visited the city several times before the pandemic, Mark knew Cape Town well, but he had difficulty identifying landmarks this time. There seemed far fewer buildings than he remembered. He searched hopefully for plumes of smoke, but saw none.
    It was mid-afternoon before they closed on the harbour. Several vessels were sunk across the entrance. Steven climbed the mast and conned Archangel in as she squeezed between them. ‘It looks like a bomb site ashore, too,’ he called from the spreaders. ‘Heaven knows what’s happened here.’
    Eager hands helped secure Archangel ’s lines to the quay wall. All could now see that the buildings around the once-bustling Victoria Basin had been flattened.
    â€˜Let’s just hope we can find some food,’ Mark said to Steven as he came down the mast.
    â€˜That shouldn’t be a problem. I could see a few deer in the open spaces.’
    â€˜Any people?’ Robert asked. He paused, ‘Any women?’ Steven shook his head.
    â€˜Right,’ Mark said, glancing at his watch. ‘Where exactly did you see the deer?’
    â€˜Close to the foreshore down there.’ Steven pointed southwest in the direction of the suburb Mark knew to be Sea Point.
    â€˜OK, Adam, you’re the best shot.’ It had been Adam who, with a single shot, had killed Nigel’s son Miles during their flight from Haver. ‘Take a rifle and see what you can bag.’ Adam puffed up his chest, his self-esteem boosted by the compliment. ‘Keep well out to the west, and the rest of us will keep to the dock area and out to the east. We don’t want anyone getting shot accidentally.