Impact by Rob Boffard Read Free Book Online Page A

balled up.
    Prakesh forces himself to his feet, his own limbs aching with the effort, and gets in front of Carver. “Not a good idea,” he says.
    Carver bumps up against him, tries to push past, but Prakesh moves with him. Mikhail is up, too, reaching past Prakesh, his hands on Carver’s chest.
    â€œAaron, not now,” Prakesh says, somehow managing to push the words past his frozen lips. Okwembu’s payback can come later. If they’re going to survive this, they’re going to need every pair of hands they can get.
    Carver roars in anger. He tries to push past again, but Mikhail grabs his shoulders, not letting him. Okwembu watches, her face impassive.
    After a moment, Carver turns to Prakesh, his face incredulous. “Are you kidding me?” he says. “After what she did to Riley? We should drown her in the fucking lake.”
    â€œThat’s enough,” Mikhail says. He tries to make the words forceful, but they come out slurred together.
    Carver sags, then points a trembling finger at Mikhail. “Your plan sucked,” he says. “How many people did you lose? How many of your Earthers actually made it down? If you can call this making it.” He gestures to the lake, where isolated puddles of fuel are still burning.
    â€œThey knew what their chances were,” Mikhail says. “But don’t you see? We
did
make it. We’re back home. We can make a new life here.” His tone is pleading, as if he’s trying to convince himself along with them.
    â€œWe
were
home,” Carver says.
    â€œOuter Earth is gone,” Okwembu says calmly. She glances at Prakesh. “Resin saw to that.”
    Carver stands stock still, then tries to make a rush for Okwembu again. It takes all the strength Prakesh has to stop him, but somehow he and Mikhail manage it. Carver rocks on his heels, breathing hard through his nose.
    â€œActually, you know what?” he says. “I’m done.”
    He stalks off, muttering, heading down the shore. He’s shivering, clutching himself, nearly falling twice in the space of ten yards, but he keeps going.
    Before Prakesh knows what’s he’s doing, he’s following. By the time he reaches Carver, he’s feeling a little better.
    â€œWait,” he says. Carver ignores him, only stopping when Prakesh slips around him and puts both hands on his shoulders. Aaron’s face is shrouded in shadow, but his shoulders are trembling, hitching up and down, vibrating under Prakesh’s hands.
    â€œThink about this for a sec,” Prakesh starts, and then Carver punches him.
    He’s completely unprepared for it. Carver’s strength has been sapped by the cold, but he still knows how to throw a punch. His fist takes Prakesh in the side of the head, and for a moment that side of his vision is gone, nothing but black. When it comes back, he’s lying on the ground, and explosions are going off in his head.
    Carver is yelling at him. “Where were you? She pulled Riley out of the pod, and
you were asleep
! You just passed out!”
    Prakesh tries to speak, can’t. It’s not just that he can’t find the words–it’s as if the thoughts going through his head are too big to comprehend. One of his teeth is loose, jiggling in its socket.
    â€œI’m going to find her,” says Carver, staring out across the lake. “You can come with me, or not. I don’t care.”
    Prakesh knows Carver has feelings for Riley. It was hard to miss, locked in that medical bay. He wanted to bring it up, wanted to confront him, but he could never quite figure out how. Carver danced around the subject, too, radiating undirected anger. His usual upbeat, sarcastic personality had drained away. They settled for oblique remarks, snapping at each other, circling but never attacking.
    And Riley’s absence is like a physical pain, deep in his gut. But it’s not just her. It’s everyone on Outer