The Face of Earth Read Online Free Page A
trees. It pulsed with a regular beat, rising up out of the forest. Instead of the second fire she expected, a huge, metallic, oval-shaped object appeared and hovered above the treetops, reflecting the red and yellow of the fire that now engulfed the other shore. She gasped and gripped the oars tightly, looking around wildly for an escape route. With the fire behind her, the silver object in front of her, the cliff face to the left, and the fire progressing to the right, there was nowhere to go. Karina hunkered down low in the boat and hoped she hadn’t been noticed.
The UFO slid slowly across the sky, coming toward her. Fear constricted her throat, holding back the vomit rising from her stomach. She cowered in the tiny boat as the craft passed over her, moving toward the fire. The black clouds gathered around it as if they were magnetically attracted. It began to rotate, slowly at first. As it gained momentum, the black clouds swirled around it, sticking to the craft’s skin until they were drawn into its mirror-sleek surface. The flames followed, lighting the surface of the craft until they too were absorbed. Karina found herself staring at the vessel against a backdrop of stars, not a cloud in sight. The wind died. She heard the crackling of the subdued fire in the sudden silence.
Pulling gently on the oars, Karina tried to edge the boat nearer to the opposite shore. The tiny splash echoed off the granite cliff, amplifying the sound. The UFO turned and moved in her direction. Karina leaned into the oars, no longer caring about the noise. The craft moved steadily toward her as she raced across the water. Five feet from land her boat bottomed out on the pebbly shore and came to an abrupt halt. She abandoned both boat and pack, leaping into the shallow water and rushing into the forest.
Plunging into the closely packed trees, Karina lost what little light she had from the dying fire and the moon. Running blindly, she sprawled over a root placed inconveniently in her path. She lay panting, listening for any sound outside of her breath and heartbeat. The forest was quiet. The UFO was gone.
Karina sat up, knees and palms stinging from the fall. Her body ached from running. Her heart hammered, and she gulped air like a landed fish. She calmed herself, knowing this far from civilization she had to keep her head. She needed her pack and the food it contained. She stood and brushed her hands off on her pants, then began walking back to the lake.
When Karina reached the edge of the forest, she cautiously scanned the open area. Across the lake the fire smoldered, red embers flickering among white coals. She waded out to the boat only to find it empty. Karina numbly waded back to shore and sat on a flat granite boulder that jutted out into the water. Pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging her legs, she stared out over the star-spangled lake as the sky lightened in the east.
The mid-morning sun found Karina curled up into a ball on the boulder, fast asleep. She didn’t stir when the rays crept down and caressed her face. Mentally and physically exhausted, she slept so deeply she didn’t hear the footsteps draw near her and stop. She didn’t feel the dark eyes stare at her for several moments. And she didn’t feel the arms lift her and carry her like a sleeping child into the silvery craft on the edge of the mountain lake.
CHAPTER 2
Luvian sat at the helm, watching as the Milky Way Galaxy approached them. He could feel the excitement build in his stomach, but held it down. He had only recently joined this project, and this was his first trip to see the experiment. Megg sat behind him in the captain’s chair, idly playing with her long black hair.
“Disengage the distortion drive,” she ordered as the galaxy edge neared.
Luvian complied and the universe stopped. The Milky Way spun below them like an enormous whirlpool. It was three times the size of their own galaxy, and lay just inside the border of the
The UFO slid slowly across the sky, coming toward her. Fear constricted her throat, holding back the vomit rising from her stomach. She cowered in the tiny boat as the craft passed over her, moving toward the fire. The black clouds gathered around it as if they were magnetically attracted. It began to rotate, slowly at first. As it gained momentum, the black clouds swirled around it, sticking to the craft’s skin until they were drawn into its mirror-sleek surface. The flames followed, lighting the surface of the craft until they too were absorbed. Karina found herself staring at the vessel against a backdrop of stars, not a cloud in sight. The wind died. She heard the crackling of the subdued fire in the sudden silence.
Pulling gently on the oars, Karina tried to edge the boat nearer to the opposite shore. The tiny splash echoed off the granite cliff, amplifying the sound. The UFO turned and moved in her direction. Karina leaned into the oars, no longer caring about the noise. The craft moved steadily toward her as she raced across the water. Five feet from land her boat bottomed out on the pebbly shore and came to an abrupt halt. She abandoned both boat and pack, leaping into the shallow water and rushing into the forest.
Plunging into the closely packed trees, Karina lost what little light she had from the dying fire and the moon. Running blindly, she sprawled over a root placed inconveniently in her path. She lay panting, listening for any sound outside of her breath and heartbeat. The forest was quiet. The UFO was gone.
Karina sat up, knees and palms stinging from the fall. Her body ached from running. Her heart hammered, and she gulped air like a landed fish. She calmed herself, knowing this far from civilization she had to keep her head. She needed her pack and the food it contained. She stood and brushed her hands off on her pants, then began walking back to the lake.
When Karina reached the edge of the forest, she cautiously scanned the open area. Across the lake the fire smoldered, red embers flickering among white coals. She waded out to the boat only to find it empty. Karina numbly waded back to shore and sat on a flat granite boulder that jutted out into the water. Pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging her legs, she stared out over the star-spangled lake as the sky lightened in the east.
The mid-morning sun found Karina curled up into a ball on the boulder, fast asleep. She didn’t stir when the rays crept down and caressed her face. Mentally and physically exhausted, she slept so deeply she didn’t hear the footsteps draw near her and stop. She didn’t feel the dark eyes stare at her for several moments. And she didn’t feel the arms lift her and carry her like a sleeping child into the silvery craft on the edge of the mountain lake.
CHAPTER 2
Luvian sat at the helm, watching as the Milky Way Galaxy approached them. He could feel the excitement build in his stomach, but held it down. He had only recently joined this project, and this was his first trip to see the experiment. Megg sat behind him in the captain’s chair, idly playing with her long black hair.
“Disengage the distortion drive,” she ordered as the galaxy edge neared.
Luvian complied and the universe stopped. The Milky Way spun below them like an enormous whirlpool. It was three times the size of their own galaxy, and lay just inside the border of the
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