“Hold on tight, this is bound to get bumpy,” snarked Joele.
Avery clicked two straps in place and retorted, “Yeah, I heard that.”
Joele grinned at me and I returned a tentative smile.
I hoped Avery could get us out of here before the Zinids realized we were missing.
Riley took a seat next to Avery in the cockpit and pulled the seatbelts over her shoulders to click them into place.
She glanced back at us with a curt nod then faced forward again.
Avery pushed buttons and ran her hands over strange symbols, like she was trying to figure them out.
The engine made a noise as the shuttle shook.
“Yes!” voiced Riley.
Avery didn’t say a word, her eyes remained glued to the control panel.
A screen appeared in front of her, displaying the nearby area, which I could just about make out because of the height of the cockpit seats.
The shuttle started to take off, wobbling from side to side.
I clutched the arms of my chair.
“You need to get us higher,” said Riley.
“You reckon?” Avery huffed at her.
The shuttle swayed right and then left, while I continued to cling to the solid armrests until my knuckles were white.
I side glanced at Joele to see she was staring at the wall in front of her, appearing the epitome of calm.
The shaking stopped, and the ship seemed to go up.
“We did it!” Avery and Riley both shouted at the same time.
The ship moved forward in a start-stop motion, like a manual car driven by someone learning how to shift gears.
We were jostled in our seats as the shuttle rocked from side to side. I glanced at Joele to see she had a pinched expression and her mouth was down-turned.
The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence and thick tension.
“Shit. Fuck. Shit,” Avery moaned.
“What?” Riley asked, her voice low and steady.
“We’re losing power.”
The shuttle started to plummet through the air.
Joele rolled her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
“Brace for impact,” yelled Avery.
I leaned my head against the back of my large seat still gripping the armrest until my knuckles turned white.
The craft suddenly stabilized before hitting the ground and skidding along the surface.
