The Phoenix Project by Kris Powers Read Free Book Online Page B

heavily armed warships and thousands more fighters
that will take care of this threat if it happens. Keep in mind that it will
take hours, even days for this debris to hit our atmosphere.”
         “How much longer will the
evacuation take?” the same reporter asked.
         “We are expecting to finish
the evacuation a full two hours before the weapon arrives.”
         “What of this weapon? Is it an
attack? Where did it come from?”
         “We cannot be sure of anything
so early on. What we do know is that the origin of the weapon is over ten
thousand light years away. Our most advanced ship would take nearly eleven
years to cross that distance. At this time we do not believe that this was a
deliberate attack.”
         “There are rumours suggesting
that this may tip the scales in the Coalition’s favour. Is there any truth to
that?” the first reporter asked.
         “I will not speculate on that
matter. I’m sorry, that’s all the time I have.”
         The reporters shouted after
Maria as she left the glass dais atop the small platform. She left them to harass
a civilian who got up from his chair on the stage and crossed to the podium.
The monotone of the small, bald man receded into the distance while she walked
down a bright corridor to her ship.
         After hearing of Elliot’s
promotion and his move to the Phoenix Project Maria was relegated to take
control of the massive evacuation. Horizon had been put on indefinite hold while
the brass reassessed their position.
         She had stopped at the main
port in Colorado
to see the progress of the evacuation before continuing on to New York.
Tens of thousands of people in a state of mass hysteria were crowded in and
around the large interplanetary space port. Every entryway was clogged with
panicked people trying to board the next ship, and more were arriving every
minute. Ships filled past capacity took on more people and lifted off into the
sky towards other countries and even to other planets within the Colonized
Sphere.
         Outside of the port, ground
cars streamed in long lines all the way past the city limits. The only life off
the major highways was the Allied military, going from house to house, and
building to building, ensuring that no one was left behind.
         Maria returned to her shuttle
for the trip back to her fleet. The view from her small window changed from the
tarmac to the blue of the sky. New York quickly shrank to a
large assembly of toothpicks standing on end. The entire outline of the United States
came into view. Maria couldn’t help but think of how vastly changed that vista
might be in just a few short hours.

 
 
 
         Nadine felt her gorge rise at the
news. She had spent her entire life learning how to combat Defensives, trick
them, confuse them, and even kill them if necessary. But to try and seduce one?
         Nadine found herself vomiting in
the latrine. She grabbed a cool, blue towel from the nearby rack in the
reflective obsidian tiled bathroom and wiped her mouth. Her close—cropped black
hair shone with sweat from her exertions.
         Slowly, she came out of her
thoughts and went back into the living area of her quarters. Nadine collapsed
onto a burgundy sofa in the dim room. She slid her hands between her legs to
warm them and then wrenched them back suddenly at the thought of an alien
presence exiting from that area in nine months.
         Her task force had handed off
the tracking of the beam to a flotilla of science ships. Her battle group had headed
for Earth to aid in the evacuation of the Coalition’s people on the Moon, but
that was not her destination. She would take a shuttle bound for Earth.
         The Council of Twelve required
her presence.
         She stared into empty space
for what felt like hours in the dim light until she heard a beep. She sat up
and activated the small grey earpiece attached to her lobe.
         “Yes?”