Novum: Revelation: (Book 4) by Joseph Rhea Read Free Book Online

rest.
    “You probably don’t want to know the details,” he replied. “I don’t think you would be able to sleep tonight.”
    “I don’t see how any of us are going to sleep tonight,” Jessie said. “Unless we find a way to tie ourselves to this tree.” Jake looked up at her and saw that she was crouching on a branch right next to Jane.
    “Are you okay, Jane?” he asked. She just nodded her head. He wondered for a moment why she was the only one not talking but then remembered where she grew up. Maybe these dog-creatures reminded her of the huge cats that probably stalked her every night in her dome.
    “I’m just glad those things can’t climb,” AJ said. As she said that, everyone looked down. The growling and hissing had vanished, and the only sound they heard was the crackling fire.
    “Well, I think we just learned the real reason for the fences,” Raines said, breaking the silence. “We were wrong to assume the entire torus would be just as safe as the section we came from.”
    “Thank goodness Captain had us camp next to this tree,” Jessie said.
    As his crew nodded in agreement, he said, “Don’t thank me. I shouldn’t have brought you all out here with me. I…I thought it would be an easy trip.”
    “You didn’t bring us anywhere,” AJ was quick to say. “We’re all adults, and since we’re no longer officially a crew, we didn’t have to come along.”
    The words “no longer a crew” stung a bit, but he knew she was correct; without his ship, they were all just people . “I know, but—”
    “No buts, Jake,” AJ said. “We all agreed—”
    “Speaking of butts, yours is in my face, Jessie,” a voice said.
    “Hey!” Jessie screamed as she turned around, nearly losing her grip on a branch.
    Jake reached out a hand to steady her. “Calm down, Jessie. That was Dr. Wood.”
    “No, it wasn’t,” Wood said from somewhere behind him.
    Jake looked at the dark space behind Jessie. “Then who’s there?”
    Ash’s face appeared out of the shadows. “It’s me, Captain. Sorry for startling you all.”
    Vee gasped then grabbed Jessie and tried to pull her away from the newcomer. “Who are you?” she yelled.
    Jessie reached out and touched the man’s face. “Is it really you, Ash?”
    “It’s really me, little sister,” he said.
    Jake leaned in close to try to get a better look, wishing he still had one of the spears. “I watched you die,” he said. “How can you be here?”
    Ash shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m right here. How could I be dead?”
    “That’s what we would like to know,” AJ said, positioning herself closer to the man. “How did you get here?”
    He shook his head. “If you mean how did I get to this place, I don’t remember.”
    “What exactly do you remember?”
    He looked at Jessie. “I remember hearing your voice in my headset while I was working outside on the ship. You were telling everyone that I was farting, or something like that. Then I woke up in a room here.” He looked at Raines. “So you tell me what happened. You were there.”
    “There was a malfunction,” Raines said. “You were…stabbed in the back by a spike from the hull. It went all the way through your body.”
    He touched his chest. “Well, I guess that explains it. I have a weird patch of what looks like new skin on my chest that doesn’t grow hair.”
    Dr. Wood spoke up. “Your description sounds like some sort of dermal repair, but who would have performed the surgery? Certainly not one of the villagers.”
    “It had to have been the Isopods,” Raines said. “We saw one take you away. It must have brought you here and repaired you somehow.”
    “How could one of those big things do a delicate surgery like that?” Vee asked.
    Raines shook his head. “Perhaps there is another version, something we haven’t seen yet.”
    Jessie finally gave in and hugged Ash. “I thought I lost you, big brother.” She sobbed. “I can’t believe