Imminent Danger: And How to Fly Straight Into It by Michelle Proulx Read Free Book Online Page A

suddenly made a strange wheezing noise. He’s laughing, Eris realized. What does he think is so funny? Is this just a game to him?
    Grashk stopped shooting and seemed to be waiting for the raider’s next move. When the raider bowed his head toward Grashk in what appeared to be a nod of respect, the Ssrisk warrior rat-tat-tat -ed angrily. “You dare mock me?” he hissed.
    The raider responded by rushing at his opponent almost faster than the human eye could follow. Before Grashk could react, the raider had flipped up and over him, delivering a powerful blow to the back of Grashk’s skull. As the raider landed on his feet, the Ssrisk crashed to the floor.
    “Grashk!” Eris shrieked.
     

7
    T he raider seized Eris’s elbow and pulled her away from the fallen Ssrisk. Before she could even think to resist, she was whisked out of the cell block and into the corridor with Miguri hurrying along behind.
    “Let go of me!” she protested. “Damn it, let me go!” The raider ignored her pleas. When she started to struggle, he tossed her effortlessly over his shoulder. She pounded her fists against his armored back and shouted at him to release her as he ran.
    The corridor was filled with green mist, and Eris felt herself growing woozy. She saw that Miguri—who was trailing behind, trying to keep up with the raider’s long, lithe strides—did not appear to be affected by the gas. This must be that paralysis gas Miguri mentioned … Lucky for him he’s so tough. Eris tried to take shallow breaths, but it wasn’t easy while bouncing along on her kidnapper’s shoulder.
    Despite having to carry Eris, the raider had no trouble dispatching two more Ssrisk that had managed to procure oxygen masks. The rest of the crew members they passed lay slumped along the sides of the corridors.
    After traveling along several hallways and down an elevator column, they arrived at what Eris surmised was the Ssrisk ship’s docking bay, as it held several small blue ships in various states of repair. The raider ran toward a scorched hole in the hull, and Eris realized he must have blasted the opening to dock his ship.
    They raced through the hole and into a large, corrugated metal tube. At the far end of the tube was a plain, black metal door. Eris, still hanging over the raider’s shoulder, watched him punch a series of buttons on a control panel and then rip off a glove and slap his hand against a metal plate on the wall. This must be his ship , Eris thought. There was a loud beep, and the door slid open.
    They hurried into the small airlock. More buttons, through another door, and they emerged into a narrow room lined with shelving units. The raider slammed his hand against another wall panel, and the door to the airlock slid shut behind them.
    After dumping Eris on the floor, the raider sprinted out of the room. Seconds later, the engines roared to life.
    Eris groaned and sat up groggily. “Are you all right?” she asked Miguri, who sprawled on the floor beside her, panting heavily. They both grabbed at the shelves to steady themselves as the ship began to vibrate beneath them.
    “We were just abducted from our abductors by another abductor,” he replied in a disgruntled tone. “How would you classify our situation?”
    “What do you think he’s going to do with us?”
    “Nothing good, I imagine. He is a raider, after all.”
    Eris smiled wryly. “At least he’s not one of those evil Rakorsians, right?”
    The Claktill’s tail twitched in agitation. “That is the thing, you see,” he mumbled. “I am fairly certain our abductor is Rakorsian.”
    Eris crossed her arms. “Now you’re just being paranoid.” Suddenly, the ship rocked violently. “What was that?” she shrieked, jumping to her feet.
    “I believe we have detached from the Ssrisk cruiser.” Miguri pointed above her head, where there was a small porthole. Looking out, Eris could see they were floating away from the curved hull of the Ssrisk ship.
    They heard a