"I'll be out of oxygen," I reply.
The K1 is already a small dot. It's like a little jewel. A deadly one, like any interesting gem, but beautiful no less.
I hear Laney protest in the background, "Let me talk to him! David?"
"What's up, Glitter Menace?"
"What about your reserve rockets?"
"Used them to tackle Domnin."
"Okay...maybe we can improvise something? What about the EVO's?"
"They have to be initiated from outside the station."
"Damn it. What about...there's got to be something!"
"Kiddo, all that matters is the mission. I've got the nuke. The bad guys are dead. We'll be able to retrieve this thing before I become a shooting star and all will be right with the world."
"No, it won't. Don't give up." I can hear her sobbing on the other end of the comm.
"I'm not. I'm just accepting the idea that there are no more alternatives. Make sure that Vin finds those kids in Rio that helped me. If that happens, I'll die a happy man."
The earth is so big and beautiful right now. I'm on the day side and night is approaching – It's such a wonderful metaphor for what's happening.
Bennet, Peterson, Tyler, they all died for an important reason I get now. I know why they did it.
I can hear the static of the open channel, but neither Laney nor I know what to say.
"David," says Markov. "You've done an admirable thing."
"Thanks. Look after Washburn for me."
OPS goes quiet as they try to figure out what you tell a guy about to die.
Finally, I speak, trying to put a brave face on everything. "Hey, Laney, it's so beautiful up here. I can't wait for you to see it one day."
82
FALLBACK
I LOOK at the lights down in the night side and imagine each one is a living person. Maybe they are.
"David..." cries Laney, tired of the silence, "if only the DarkStar hadn't been destroyed."
"Yeah...is it?"
"You said all the ships were destroyed in the explosion?"
"I meant the Russian ones."
"Wait...Hold on...checking telemetry. Yeah, it's still there."
"Well, that's a relief. Too bad it's about a kilometer away now."
"I can control it remotely."
"Wait? What?"
"Yeah, dumb ass. If you tethered it, I'll use the control rockets to burn through the line. Hold on. We're logging in now. Got it."
"Shit? Are you saying I'm not going to die?"
"Not from lack of oxygen. But you'll still have to do the high altitude reentry on the inflatable heat shield. Nobody has ever tried that before."
To hell with the martyr bullshit. I want to live. Or at least die trying to.
"I think I can deal with those odds."
So this will be interesting...
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! If you enjoyed it, I hope you’ll consider writing a blurb on Amazon, Goodreads or your favorite book site. Publishing is still driven by word of mouth and every single voice helps – especially yours!
Don’t be afraid to say hello on Twitter (@AndrewMayne). There’s a 99% chance I’ll answer back (and yes, it’s really me replying!)
If you’d like to know more about my upcoming books and other projects, please stop by my website at AndrewMayne.com and sign up for my newsletter. I’ve been known to send advance copies and other cool stuff to people who sign up!
You can follow me online at:
Twitter.com/AndrewMayne
Facebook.com/AndrewMayne
I also have lots of videos about writing and other topics at:
YouTube.com/AndrewMayne
I do a weekly podcast on creativity that can be found at: WeirdThings.com.
Please check my “Also by” section for all my other titles!
PS
David Dixon will return very soon!
Best,
Andrew Mayne
@AndrewMayne
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Mayne, star of A&E’s Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne, is a magician and novelist ranked the fifth best-selling independent author of the year by Amazon UK. He started his first world tour as an illusionist when he was a teenager and went on to work behind the scenes for Penn & Teller, David Blaine and David Copperfield. He’s also the host of the WeirdThings.com podcast.
Click to sign up for his exclusive email newsletter.
For more information
@AndrewMayne
AndrewMayne
www.AndrewMayne.com
contact@andrewmayne.com
ALSO BY ANDREW MAYNE
Public Enemy Zero
The Grendel's Shadow
Hollywood Pharaohs
Knight School
Angel Killer
Name of the Devil
Monster in the Mist
The Martian Emperor
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
[Cosmodrome]
1. Space Gun
2. Glitter Menace
3. Moving Target
4. Hot Mess
5. Party Crashers
6. Airlock
7. Border Patrol
8. Babysitter
9. Blood Stains
10. Emergency Launch
11. Ground Control
12. Crash Dummy
13. Bailout
14. Fly by Wire
15. Drogue
16. Escape
17. Impact
18. Crawlspace
19. Street Gang
20. Invisible
21. Paranoia
22. High Ground
23. Impulse Control
24. Emt
25. Walkway to Heaven
26. Fugitive
27. Shopping
28. The Frat
29. Selfie
30. Party Animal
31. Jump Seat
32. Air Show
33. Pilot
34. The Captain
35. Co-Pilot
36. Deep Six
37. Escorts
38. Point of Entry
39. Border Patrol
40. Convenience
41. Sandlot
42. Black Box
43. Red Agents
44. Examination
45. The Hole
46. Airdrop
47. Insider
48. Dead Drop
49. Rally
50. Secret Ops
51. Detour
52. Menace
53. Support Crew
54. Small World
55. Strategy
56. Space Ops
57. Crash Course
58. Countdown
59. State of the Art
60. Mission Statement
61. Assembly
62. Security Protocols
63. Grand Theft
64. Projectile
65. Thruster
66. Touch Down
67. Standby
68. Breaking and Entering
69. Pressure
70. Invader
71. Rec Room
72. Captive Audience
73. Bad Intentions
74. Sting Operation
75. Hide and Seek
76. Stalker
77. Super Power
78. Death Spiral
79. Reaction
80. Last Stand
81. Adrift
82. Fallback
Thank you!
About the Author
Also by Andrew Mayne
%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share</div>