Agartha’s Castaway
Book 9
In
The Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series
By
Chrissy Peebles
Copyright © 2012 by Chrissy Peebles
Edited by: Autumn J. Conley, [email protected]
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For:
Faith and Matthew. I love you.
To:
My Father God in heaven.
To:
Jayde Scott. Thank you for reading this entire manuscript from start to finish. You’re the best critting partner ever! Your advice, ideas, and suggestions were nothing short of amazing. I couldn’t have done it without you!
To:
My brilliant editor, Autumn J. Conley.
Chapter 1
How did Commander Tio discover we are in the Deep Sleep Lab? Did Thorn, Jack, and Mike manage to get to the ship without being stopped? Casey shook her head against the hundreds of thoughts and questions racing through her mind as she arched her back and kicked, struggling to free her arms from the soldier’s grasp.
“Stop it,” he hissed.
“Let me go,” she shouted furiously. “I swear, once I’m done with you—”
“You’re not going anywhere except into deep sleep,” Tio interrupted. He turned to face his squad. “Line the Agarthians against the wall, single file. Shoot anyone who refuses to cooperate.”
If they gave in, they’d be lost, because the commander would kill them regardless. “Don’t listen to him!” Casey shouted. “Together, we have to fight back with everything we have!”
A rush of murmurs echoed through the group, then faded into silence.
Tio’s menacing gaze focused back on Casey. “For some reason, they’re not listening to you.”
The people were like sheep being led to the slaughter. Casey couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t fight. She was sure if they stood together, they’d stand a chance.
The commander’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Didn’t you think waking up all these people would set off an alarm? I immediately forced the doors open and sent in my troops.”
She ignored his harsh tone. Opening the deep sleep pods all at once without thinking there would be consequences was a mistake she wished she hadn’t made. Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because she never would have left her parents behind.
Tio grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back. “You’re nothing but a kid playing soldier, and your silly little game will cost you your life.”
She winced as a jolt of pain shot through her scalp. Maybe I am a kid playing soldier, but I certainly didn’t ask for any of this. Fate had bestowed this wonderful honor upon her, and now it would ultimately lead to her death. Frowning, she rolled her eyes. Thanks a lot, Fate.
Tio bent forward, whispering in her ear, “You might not be the dark-haired Agarthian I was seeking, but there are plenty of experiments I can’t wait to try out on you.”
She stared at him, infusing a message into her gaze that soon he’d be defeated. The soldier’s grip felt like iron around her upper arms, squeezing her muscles until they burned—and not in a good way, like when she worked out to her Celebrity Fit video at home.
“Stop struggling,” said the soldier. “You’re just making it harder on yourself.”
Or on him. Maybe he’s having trouble pinning me to the spot? Granted, it was a long shot and probably based on pure wishful thinking, but being annoying was better than doing nothing. “I am?” Casey grinned and twisted, pushing her weight down like she’d learned in karate class. The sensei had said that move would get her out of any trouble, and now she could put it to the test. “You’ll pay for all of this, Tio, you sick jerk.”
Hands grabbed Casey’s shoulders from behind and shoved her down to her knees. Pain shot up through her legs. “Show respect to our leader!” the soldier said.
She peered around in mock confusion as much as her straining neck would allow. “Leader? What leader? Oh, him?” She nodded toward a frowning Commander Tio. “He isn’t my leader.”
“You didn’t dare.” Tio’s face turned into a cold mask, his eyes blazing with fury. Whatever Thorn had said about his hatred for humans was no exaggeration. “I feel so bad for your mother,” Tio continued, pointing. “The poor thing looks so upset, and the bad things haven’t even started happening to her yet. She’ll never make it past the first experiment like you.”
Casey turned, and her blood turned to ice. Her mom’s sobs echoed across the room. At the same moment, her father collapsed on the floor, with a grinning soldier standing behind him. She opened her mouth to call his name, her legs kicking in a frenzy as she stumbled to her feet.
“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere,” said the commander. “Did you really think you could sneak aboard my ship, steal my prisoners, foil my plans, and destroy my property?”
“Is that wrong?” she snapped.
The scream caught in her throat when a boot hit her in the pit of her stomach, making her fall backward, only to land with a thud on the floor. She swallowed down the pain.
Tio laughed as he scanned the room, his eyes lingering on her parents for a second too long. “Maybe I should shoot them where they are.”
“What’s wrong with you? Leave them alone.” Her voice sounded low and coarse, unrecognizable. She thought she tasted blood on her tongue, but it couldn’t be unless she had bitten it. “My parents didn’t do anything to you, you jerk!”
Tio narrowed his gaze. “I don’t like you, human—not one little bit.”
She lifted her head off the hard floor and forced herself up on her elbows, a smile playing on her lips. “Kind of figured that when you put me in a glass cage to be tossed into space.”
“You’re strong and feisty,” he said. “You might just live past the second experiment I have planned.”
“You’re insane.” Heart pounding, she scrambled up and lurched at the commander like a crazy woman. She spat on him as soldiers caught her midair and forced her back. “Hope you enjoy a sample of my DNA.”
Tio met her gaze and laughed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. You’ll
definitely make it past the first three experiments.”
“Monster!”
“Put her with the others,” Tio ordered.
Two soldiers grabbed her by each arm. “No way!” she shouted as she squirmed and kicked with every ounce of her strength.
In spite of her efforts, they dragged her over to the end of the line.
“Just shoot me and get it over with,” she yelled, raising her glance to catch a glimpse of her parents, regretting it instantly.
Her mom stood frozen to the spot, with her face pale and her eyes filled with unshed tears. For a brief second, Casey thought she saw her mom’s mouth contort, whispering her name, and then the expression changed to panic as her eyes started to dart around. She’d never seen her parents so scared in her entire life, and that frightened her more than any of Commander Tio’s nasty threats.
“For this I’m going to—”
“You’ll do nothing, little girl!” a soldier said with a sneer.
With a groan, Casey kicked again, but it was a feeble attempt. She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. Giving up wasn’t part of her personality, but her parents had been through enough already. Watching their only child be shot would be devastating. Besides, Casey wasn’t a quitter. There was enough time to come up with an escape plan, or so she hoped.
The soldiers released their grip, hesitating for a moment before they walked further up the line. Casey struggled to her feet and rubbed her aching arms where their iron grip had stopped her blood flow. Her stomach lurched as she took one step after another, dizziness washing over her. Where the heck are Thorn, Mike, and Jack…and that Kira chick? Her dad leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, pearls of sweat shimmering on his pale face. Casey inched closer and hugged him and her mother tight.
An evil smile played on Tio’s lips as he addressed the line of people standing against the wall, “My weapon will kill everyone on Earth!” Putting up his hood, he paused and took a slow look around, visibly enjoying the erupting gasps. “But you’re to serve another purpose. You’ll make excellent lab rats.”
How am I going to get us out of this? At least twenty soldiers aimed guns at them. Tio met Casey’s eyes as she searched for an escape route. “Don’t bother. You’re mine,” she heard his voice echoing in her head. “Keep dreaming, jerk!” she shouted. A woman let out a loud shriek, and Casey craned her neck toward the capsules to see what was happening.
Two soldiers grabbed the first person in line by her shoulders and dragged her to a capsule.
“Please don’t do this,” the woman begged. “Please! I have four children who need me.”
“Get in,” a soldier said in an irritated voice.
A tear slid down Casey’s face. How can these rebels be so heartless? She needed to fight. They all did, before more reinforcements arrived. “Listen, everybody. Right now, there’re more of us than them.” Her voice thundered as she continued, “We can take them, but we have to fight. They can’t shoot us all!”
“Bring her up to the front of the line,” roared Commander Tio, pointing at her. “She’s next. I’ve had enough of her mouth.”
Strong fingers gripped Casey’s wrists, and her mom let out a long sob. Her dad paled even more. He looked too weak to fight back as he slid down the wall to the floor. Is this how it’s going to end for me? For us? Deep sleep? Experiments? A shiver shot through her. No. If I’m going to die here, it’s going to be on my own terms! They can just shoot me here and now, because I have no intention of being in one of those capsules ever again.
She slammed a heel into the soldier’s shin, and he loosened his grip. She ran in a burst toward her mom and hugged her. Her throat tightened, and she could barely speak. She slowly wiped her mother’s tears away. “I love you, Mom.” Her mom let out a ragged sob and gripped Casey’s hands.
A rumble echoed through the corridor, growing louder with each passing second. Casey scanned the room as a rush of blazing hope flooded through her. Is that Thorn and the others? The crowd of prisoners clapped and shouted for joy.
A rebel took a few steps forward, glancing around. “What is that? Are we under attack?”
The sound of thunder shook the floor, and Casey’s heart pounded. Sparks and metal flew as a spaceship crashed through the Deep Sleep Lab wall on the opposite side of them, hovering ten feet off the ground. Soldiers yelled and scattered to avoid the floating ship.
Casey grabbed her mom’s shoulder and shook it. “Oh my gosh! They did it, and evaded capture too!” She knew Mike and Jack wouldn’t leave without her. Grinning, she scooted along the wall to a soldier who was lying underneath the rubble and nudged him with her foot, then rolled him onto his back. He didn’t move. She retrieved his gun from the floor as tiny pieces of plaster—or whatever it was—crumbled over her head from the ceiling, spraying a white cloud of dust. She covered her mouth and coughed. Pushing down the red button, she set the weapon to stun. Taking someone’s life wasn’t an option, even if they were slime balls.
Another shower of blue sparks rained down. The air grew thick with the smell of molten metal and plastic. Torn electrical wiring, hanging from the wall, began to smoke and crackle. Covering her head, Casey ducked as burning particles rained down on her, searing her skin. She groaned and brushed them off, wishing she had a fireman’s suit.
She gazed at the ship, her way out of this nightmare. A ramp formed, the door opened, and Jack stepped down, followed by Mike, who made one of his famous, grand entrances. “Boys and girls, please don’t try this at home. Smashing through walls with a spaceship is something only a trained professional should do.”
Casey let out a sigh of relief. More than anything, she wanted to run and wrap her arms around them, but she had more important things on her mind, like Commander Tio, who stood less than twenty feet away. She inched closer to him like a cheetah stalking her prey.
Short-circuited computer panels blew up around Tio, and he immediately covered his head from the leaping sparks.
Casey’s fingers flexed as she gripped her weapon. She came up from behind and whispered, “Not so fast, Commander.” She thrust her gun to his head. A trickle of sweat rolled down her face. “Don’t make me pull the trigger.” She gave him a shove. “Now move!”
“Casey, wait. I’ll take it from here!” Mike shouted.
She shook her head. This was her part to deal with; she owed it to her parents, but peering at the remaining soldiers and the determination on their faces, her heart squeezed tight in her chest. “Drop your weapons and get down on the ground or I’ll shoot your beloved leader.” She held the gun tight to his temple. When the soldiers hesitated, she realized they were in the mood for a little hardball. Her scowl deepened, and she repeated her demand in a more threatening tone. “I said to drop your weapons. Get on the ground. I swear I’ll do it. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
“The girl’s unstable. Do as she says,” ordered Tio.
The rebels lowered their weapons to the floor.
Their leader continued, “You’ll pay for this, human.”
Casey laughed. “With everything you’ve put me through, I already have.”
Thorn, Jack, and Kira collected the weapons; many of the captives helped too.
“Stun them, Mike!” called out Thorn. “Start with the commander and then the others.”
“You got it, boss.” Mike aimed his gun at Tio’s chest. “You should really do something about those dark circles. Here, let me help. Nighty night!”
“No!” said Tio. “You’ll never get off the ship. I’ve changed the codes to the docking bay.”
He was bluffing—he had to be—but Thorn’s expression told another story.
Casey blew out a breath. Isn’t this ever going to end? I wish we could just parachute back to Earth.
“Wait, Mike! Don’t shoot.” Thorn walked over to his brother, regarding him. “It’s a lie. You couldn’t have changed them that fast.”
Tio’s lips curled into a grin. “Are you willing to
take that chance, little brother?”
Thorn’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he gazed from one face to the other. “Cuff him and tie him down. We can’t take the risk of shooting him just yet. Start stunning the other soldiers. Once they’re all out, we’ll get the Agarthians on the ship. Casey can guard the commander for now.” He touched Casey’s shoulder. “Stand here, thirty feet away. If he makes a move, shoot him in the knee. If he moves again, shoot his other knee.”
“It’ll be my honor.” Casey smiled as she pointed the gun at Tio. “Just get my folks on the ship.”
“I will.” Thorn sprinted into action.
Kira secured a brown rope tightly around the commander’s shoulders, then wrapped his chest and arms over and over again. Mike cuffed his hands behind his back before rushing off.
Tio let out a moan as Kira slammed him against the wall. She snorted. “Please, by all means, have a seat.”
He sank into the wall and slid down to the floor. “You should be dead with your other scientist friends.”
Kira glared at him. If looks could kill, the battle would have been over right then and there. “Never underestimate the power of a woman.” She turned toward Casey. “Do you have this under control?”
“Don’t worry,” said Casey. “I got this.”
Kira nodded and bolted toward the others.
Tio struggled, battling with the ropes.
“Your left kneecap will go first,” Casey warned.
He swallowed hard and straightened up, sudden realization shining in his eyes. He knew she’d shoot, and she would.
“Put down the gun.” Commander Tio spoke in her head. “I saved the most important people in your life and this is how you repay me?” He paused. “Why, I even saved your life.”
Termination - Book 9 in The Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series (The Conclusion) Page 1