Pulse: When Gravity Fails (Pulse Science Fiction Series Book 1) by John Freitas Read Free Book Online Page A

pile.
    “Don’t leave me here, man, please.”
    “I’m not. Trust me.”
    The Russian sighed and nodded. “Not much choice, but you had a choice. Thank you, man.”
    “You can thank me by not shooting me when I get you loose.”
    He said, “No, no shoot. No gun. I only use it for hunting and it is back at the … house.”
    Michael picked up a pipe, but it wasn’t long enough. He tossed it and kept searching. “A forest ranger that shoots the animals. That’s new.”
    “I’m in this job … ugh, exiled. They leave me out here because of my family. It is a punishment job. You understand?”
    Michael picked up a longer pipe and climbed up under the ladder again. “So you are here alone?”
    He looked from the pipe to Michael. “Don’t kill me. You don’t have to.”
    Michael looked down at the pipe. “No. I’m not.”
    He wedged it under the metal sheet and levered it up. “Not enough. More.”
    “I’m trying.”
    “What’s your name?”
    Michael paused, but then kept levering. “Captain Michael Strove, United States Airforce.”
    “You are far from home, man.”
    “I know. I crashed. I’m in trouble.”
    “I’m Roman Nikitin. I spend my whole life in trouble. No problem. Captain Michael.”
    Michael levered up and braced his shoulder under the pipe. “Crawl out, if you can. I can’t hold it forever.”
    Roman shuffled out from under the metal and pulled his knees up to his chest as he rubbed his legs. “Oh, that hurts.”
    “Are you legs broken?”
    “I don’t think so. Where are you going?”
    Michael stood and took a step back.
    Roman rolled up to sitting. “I won’t report you. I’ll help you. I owe you. You could have left me.”
    Michael looked east. “I was over the Bering Strait. I need to get back to the coast, if I can.”
    Roman shook his head. “You mean the Sea of Okhotsk?”
    “Okhotsk?” Michael shook his head. “No, I was in international water before … I had a malfunction. I was pushed over land and crashed here. How far to the coast?”
    Roman blinked and shook his head. “You are hundreds of kilometers from the coast of Okhotsk. The Bering Strait is over more land hundreds of kilometers past that. Unless you got another plane, you aren’t getting there.”
    “I’m not on the peninsula?” Michael rubbed at his forehead.
    Roman thought and shook his head. “No. Mainland. Deep, far mainland. Taiga forest, Captain Michael.”
    Michael backed away from the debris. “Maybe you can show me to the closest prison and save me some time.”
    “My house … cabin was an old listening station. Maybe you can connect the radio and get a signal out from there that your people could pick up. Maybe.”
    Michael stared at Roman. “Why would you help me do that?”
    “I know what it is like to be in trouble and have someone help you.”
    Michael nodded.
    The sounds of helicopter blades filled the air. They turned and saw three black helicopters crossing the river and flying low toward them. They veered west toward Michael’s crash.
    “I need to go,” Michael said.
    “That’s not good for either of us,” Roman said. “Help me up. I help you hide. We need to go … east.”
    Michael helped Roman down the slope of the debris. He staggered and Michael braced him under his shoulder. They limped a couple steps, but then the tones of the choppers changed and they turned to look out over the hill.
    One of the three spun in a circle before dropping quickly. The others wavered, but then veered toward the ground.
    Michael whispered. “What’s happening?”
    A wave of falling trees crackled across the land and traveled toward the rise as the trees marked the motion by breaking and falling in time.
    Roman said, “Lay down?”
    “What?”
    “On the ground, Captain Michael. Hurry, man.”
    Michael got to his knees and lowered Roman off his shoulder to the patch of grass under them. Leaves rained down around them. The trees groaned as they strained under their own