Sedulity (Book One) Impact Read Online Free Page A

instructed his own wife to
go down to the life boat stations with Staff Captain Stevens and help keep the
passengers calm. Kevin chimed in to say, “Keep everyone away from the
windows!”  Then he followed Captain Krystos towards the Bridge.
    Everyone on the pool deck was either dazed or in a state of
panic, but many of them were indeed heading inside the ship. Many of the
passengers and crew led others who had been blinded by the flash of the impact.
The Captain’s wife and some of the crew were herding them like sheep. Kevin
hoped they would all make it below in time, but even if they did there was no
certainty that anyone would survive what was coming next.  
    “What was that you said about turning the ship?” Captain
Krystos asked as they entered a door marked Crew Only.
    “The blast wave will be coming from the east.” Kevin replied.
“We need to turn into it, or it will hit the ship broadside, maybe even capsize
us.”
    “You don’t think we should turn west? Away from it?” Mr.
Crawford asked from behind them.
    “The front of the ship is more aerodynamic and built to take
more punishment, isn’t it? And there’s no hope of outrunning what’s coming.”
Kevin replied. The Captain grunted agreement as they reached the Bridge.
    “Captain is on the Bridge!” called out the nervous but
clearly relieved voice of the Third Officer standing watch.
    “Thank you, Mr. Jennings, I have the con,” Captain Krystos
said. “Helmsman, hard to starboard. Full ahead on port engines, full astern on
starboard engines. Steady onto a heading of 90 degrees true, then reduce speed
to one quarter ahead on all engines.”
    “Aye, aye, Sir, hard starboard to a heading of 90 degrees
true,” responded the helmsman as he spun the tiny wheel that steered the
massive ship and fiddled with some computer controls next to it.  The Sedulity responded smartly, listing to port as it dug into the starboard turn. Warning
buzzers sounded as the angle of the turn exceeded the ability of the ship’s
stabilizers to compensate, but there was scant concern for the passenger’s comfort
at that moment.  Vibrations and shudders ran though the hull as the ship was
put under stress by the violent maneuver, yet the Captain knew that the
computers would prevent the controls from exceeding design tolerances. This was
a maximum performance turn of the type the Sedulity had only performed
during sea trials, but she had passed those tests with flying colors. Of course
this time the stakes were much higher.
    Kevin and the Captain moved to the Starboard Wing of the
Bridge and stared out at the western horizon. The brightest light had faded,
but the sky was still lit as if by a sunset. More disquieting was the way the
glow rose into a distant column that must be miles wide and was topped by a
rapidly spreading mushroom cloud. 
    “It’s like a nuclear bomb!” exclaimed the Captain.
    “No,” Kevin said with tears threatening to spill from his
eyes. “It’s much worse than that.”
    ****
    Amanda and Lieutenant Reiner were ahead of the majority of
people trying to get inside the ship and made it to the stairwell without
incident. The stateroom where Emily waited with the babysitter was only two
levels down on the Panorama Deck. They passed several bewildered passengers on
the stairs who might not have witnessed the events overhead, but had obviously
heard the sonic boom. The Lieutenant called out as they passed, “Go down to
your lifeboat muster stations! Stay off the deck and away from windows. Do not
go back to any outside cabins!” 
    Ignoring confused demands for clarification, Amanda led the
officer to her door. She pounded on it as the officer pulled out his master
keycard. Before he could use it the door opened inward and a young Filipino
woman let them in. The babysitter was clearly terrified and began asking
questions in broken English, but the Lieutenant directed her out into the
passageway and ushered Amanda inside where she rushed to