Tachyon Web by Christopher Pike Read Free Book Online

hold?” Eric asked.
    “Interesting question,” Sammy murmured.
    All eyes turned to Strem. Perspiration had stained the contours of his thick muscles through his shirt, but his foul-up deprived him of the image of strength. He leaned against the covered windows, then jumped back upright, having apparently singed his shoulder blades. So much for the hull temperature dropping.
    “As I was saying,” Strem went on, “what we have accomplished will be remembered. We’re the first civilians to get outside the web. We’re––”
    “Spare us the historical perspective,” Eric interrupted, moving toward the draft, plopping down on the floor against a wall that was doubling as a frying pan. The fumes were practically gone. He began to believe his eyes might once again work normally.
    “Eric, you’re bleeding,” Jeanie said, also having been drawn in the direction of the cool air. She stood above him, pointing to the back of his head.
    “Don’t worry, nobody’s been hurt,” he said sarcastically. “Strem, you can start explaining now.”
    “It was Sammy’s idea.” He smiled. “That’s a joke.” No one laughed. Strem sighed. “Actually, it was Sammy’s brother who first brought up the possibility. All of you know Lien Balan does technical work for people in high places. He heard about the nova, or I should say, the impending nova. Earth’s astronomers have known for months this star was going to explode – almost to the day of when it was going to happen. Anyway, one evening Lien let Sammy and me in on the discovery. The information was not strictly classified. The Patrol probably hadn’t figured the nova as a military threat. On the other hand, Lien didn’t want us telling others about it. He was talking way above me, and maybe even above Sammy, but we both got the clear impression that the energy put out by the nova would disrupt The Tachyon Web in this sector.”
    “Did Lien suggest you try to jump out?” Eric asked.
    “Not exactly,” Strem admitted. “For him, it was more of an interesting theoretical possibility.”
    “You took us on this insane ride all on the basis of an interesting theoretical possibility?” Eric said.
    Strem spoke quickly. “Lien was confident of his calculations. Wasn’t he, Sammy?”
    Sammy had his scraggy face tucked inside an opened panel beneath his console. Not less than seven indicators were blinking red alert. “Lien’s always confident of his calculations,” he mumbled.
    “Is Lien that guy I met at your house that I thought was an android?” Cleo asked Sammy.
    “That was my brother.”
    “Does Uncle Dan know about this?” Eric asked.
    Strem chuckled. “Are you crazy?”
    “You’re the last one who should be allowed to ask that,” Eric said.
    “My uncle would risk anything for a buck, but he wouldn’t lay out a cent to satisfy even his curiosity. Sammy and I figured we could get out here, look around for a day or two, and still make the delivery in time.”
    “Looks as if the delivery is going to be late,” Eric muttered.
    “I know what you’re thinking.” Strem began.
    “You don’t!” Eric shot back. “How could you when you obviously didn’t know what you were thinking when you planned this disaster? The Preeze Cap is melting as we talk. Sure, we might be able to get far enough out to where we won’t be turned to ash when our force field quits on us, but then what? We can’t make a jump. We’re in the middle of nowhere. How long will our supplies last? Two weeks? A month, at the most? Admit it, Strem, you blew it. For all of us.”
    For the first time since he’d known him, Strem had no ready answer. He glanced at Jeanie, for whom the truth was slowly sinking in, then at the floor. Cleo went to stand beside Sammy, who broke from his repair job to share the gloom with them. Minutes went by without words. Suddenly, Jeanie turned and left, reappearing a moment later with a first aid kit. She began to dab at Eric’s bump with a sterilized