The Phoenix Project Read Online Free Page A

way to the
floor ten flights of stairs below them. Both of them were too concerned with
falling down the concrete steps to indulge in conversation. Lathiel finally
heard the sound of success from Ranik’s lips and shortly afterwards a ray of
light pierced the darkness.
         His slit irises immediately
tightened in the sterile white light of the medical bay. As his vision adjusted,
a doctor came to greet them. She looked them up and down for any obvious lacerations
or broken bones.
         “Are you two in need of
medical attention?”
         “No, we’re fine. You seem to
have the only power in the entire complex,” Lathiel replied.
         “Emergency generators,” the
doctor said.
         “Do you have a transmitter?”
         “Yes, down the hall, third
door on the left,” the doctor instructed, pointing to a corridor to her right.
Lathiel followed the doctor’s directions at a brisk pace.
         “I won’t keep you, doctor,”
Ranik said and followed Lathiel to the room she had indicated. He stopped
outside the door and listened to the crackle of static as a communications
console was turned on.
         “This is Helas Base
broadcasting on the emergency bandwidth,” he heard Lathiel say. “We have taken
heavy damage and require assistance.”     

 
 
 
         “She’ll see you right away,”
O’Toole said the moment Elliot walked into the lobby of Admiral Peterson’s
office.
         “Did you miss me?” Elliot
asked once the doors to her office had closed behind him.
         “Very funny, Eli,” Maria
replied, narrowing her green eyes. “We’ve had something come up relating to
those Coalition sensor arrays.”
         “I thought it might be something
important.”
         “One of our ships is out there
right now. It was in the area so I told them to take a look. It’s a science
vessel: the ASV Amazon . They’ve detected a distortion out there. It’s
not natural and no, as far as we know the Coalition isn’t behind it and neither
are we.”
         “So what’s the plan?” Elliot
asked.
         “Fleet Admiral Nelson has
already contacted me. He wants to dispatch the Third Battle Group. I need an
admiral to command it.”   
         “Isn’t there an admiral already
commanding the battle group?”
         “He’s on leave and
unreachable.”
         “I see.”
         “And you are free at the
moment,” Maria said.
         “Oh no.”
         “Oh yes. I’ve got no one else
available,” Maria said.
         “I can’t.”
         “You will. That’s an order.
Choose a cruiser to command and leave. The Coalition already has a head start
on us and I don’t want the Amazon confronting an entire battle group
alone.”
         Elliot stood up to leave the
room. “Would you like anything while I’m out? Some coffee? Maybe some
compassion?”
         Maria chuckled and looked back
to a fan of links in front of her. “I ran out of compassion a long time ago.
Good luck, soldier.”
         Elliot lumbered to the nearest
shuttle and thought of a cruiser to command the fleet from. It would have to be
a newer ship with a good crew. A mischievous smile crossed his face. Elliot
turned on one heel and began walking towards the shuttle that would take him
back to the Endeavour .

 
 
 
         "Was it something I said
to Eli?" Joshua asked after spending nearly a half hour in silence with
his wife.
         “You weren’t much help in
making him feel welcome,” Madison
replied, “but he was called away.”
         “What did I do?”
         “Does cold shoulder mean
anything to you?”
         “He deserved it,” Joshua
replied.
         “You know how hard it is for
him. Lily’s death changed all of us.”
         “You would bring that up,”
Joshua said. “Why do you think he was called away so fast?”
         “Probably something to do with
the Horizon