Avenging Angels (The Seraphim Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

broke across the channel. “If there are, they’re negligible. It must be an abandoned station of some kind, maybe a mine. I’m not reading anything.”
    Evangeline used the instruments on her HUD to zoom in on the doors. “Weston, do those look like winch-holds where the doors meet?” She flashed her spotlight at a point between the doors. “Maybe that’s how they got in and out.”
    “Yeah, maybe…” Weston grunted. “It’s worth a try, anyway. Lennox, Harper. Get down there and attach your winches. Stand on either side of the doorway and get those doors open.”
    “Roger, that.” Harper and Lennox said in unison. The two TRTV’s lumbered into the doorway at a snail’s pace. It was a tight fit. There was little clearance overhead. The two soldiers had to hunch down a little to make their way down the short passage. Once they got to the doors they tried to attach their hooks to the winch-holds, but they could not make any headway.
    Lennox’s voice came on the channel. “Captain, we’re unable to get our hooks into place. The armatures can’t maneuver in this tight space. Requesting permission for EVA.” Evangeline did not like having her team members perform anything outside of their vehicles. An EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity), common to space walks and other duties performed outside of a ship floating between worlds, was no big deal unless you were in an unknown situation with no reinforcements and the chance of a lethal encounter.
    “Are you certain you can’t get your hooks in place with the armature?” she asked.
    Harper answered her question. “No, ma’am. It’s snugger than a St. Bernard in a cat door down here. These winch-holds were just not made for such masculine equipment.” Evangeline could not suppress her grin; it was lucky for her position of authority that grins did not transmit over audio.
    “Can it, Harper. Lennox, permission granted. Get those doors open. And, Harper, keep the colorful commentary to yourself next time, got it?” Evangeline said with a slight chuckle.
    “Roger, that, Captain.” both Lennox and Harper replied in unison. Lennox’s TRTV began to hum inside the cockpit. Part of why Evangeline hated EVA’s so much was how long it took to cycle through the neural connection from the TRTV. She watched Lennox’s seat began to descend down through the floor of the cockpit.
    When it reached the bottom, mechanisms spun and unwound themselves from his back and the base of his helmet, revealing illuminated ports along his spine and neck. The dots of light along his back reminded her of the first time her husband had seen her since the procedure. The memory of his reaction churned in her stomach. She did not want to think about it and pushed the thoughts into the back of her mind with the rest of her pain.
    In a flash, the jacks penetrating the neural-interface ports retracted and the open ports were sealed shut. Once disconnected from his vehicle he stood up from his seat and stretched. He performed a quick check on the seal between his helmet and flight suit before he moved toward the front of his own TRTV, taking the hook from the armature. He walked toward the doors and attached his hook to the winch-hold, then did the same on Harper’s side.
    Lennox used the console on his forearm to activate the winch once he secured the hooks into place. Harper activated his own winch, from inside his TRTV, at Lennox’s signal. The hangar doors inched open with the squealing sound of metal scraping against metal. The doors opened about five feet before they would not move any farther. The wires attached to the hooks started to strain.
    “Stop!” Lennox shouted at Harper. “The lines are going to snap! Captain, this is as wide as these doors will open.”
    Evangeline responded to Lennox’s assessment. “Lennox, go inside and see if there is something blocking the doors.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Lennox replied touching his fingers to the faceplate of his helmet. He took his