Page 7 of Zinnia and the Zombie
“We might be able to use that vessel to escape. But if it’s too badly damaged, we’ll have to try somewhere else. The more time it takes, the more likely they are to discover our disappearance.”
She looked around the empty repair bay, and he suspected she was having the same thought he was.
“Do you know how to repair it?” she asked.
“Possibly, but we don’t have time to make repairs.”
“Do you know how to fly it?”
“Theoretically.”
Her lips quirked in an unexpected smile. “Why don’t we go find out if you can, and then decide?”
“A sensible solution,” he agreed, and she smiled again, sending more warmth flooding through his system.
She gave their joined hands a puzzled look. “Did your skin just get warmer?”
“Yes. My body responds to… energy.” More specifically, he was responding to her energy, but he didn’t think this was the time to discuss it.
Even though the repair bay was empty, he automatically kept close to the walls as they crossed to the flyer so that if anyone arrived, they would have a chance of hiding.
“Are you sure this thing is capable of flying?” she asked when they reached the vessel, giving it a dismayed look.
He understood her hesitation. The flyer had clearly not been maintained. The hull was pitted and scarred, the finish peeled away in several places. Some of the landing lights appeared to be missing. When he lowered the landing ramp, it gave a protesting groan before jerking down and coming to a halt a considerable distance above the floor.
“Its outer appearance doesn’t matter,” he assured her, even though the evident lack of maintenance worried him. He lifted her onto the landing ramp—another flash of heat surging through his body as his hands closed around her soft waist—then leapt up after her.
The interior of the vessel was as unprepossessing as the outside. The air smelled dank and musty, the floor was dirty and rusted, and the fabric on the cockpit chairs was stained and torn. Ashe sat down, the chair shifted dangerously beneath his weight. Ignoring it, he began examining the controls.
“Don’t you need a key or something?” she asked.
“Not unless it’s coded to a specific user.” Praying that it wasn’t, he found the ignition switch and flipped it on.
The ship gave a jerky hum, and the lights on the dashboard flickered before most of them came on again.
“At least we have power,” he said, scanning the controls. Although there were several he didn’t recognize, most of them were standard, and he started running through a pre-flight check. She watched silently until he sighed and turned to her.
“Can you fly it?” she asked.
“I believe so, and I believe it is capable of flight.”
“But?”
“But a quarter of the systems don’t respond. However, life support is fully functional and the basic navigation systems appear to be working.”
She nodded slowly. “You know more about this kind of thing than I do. Can we make it somewhere safe?”
“Yes,” he said firmly, although he was less certain than he wanted her to believe. “It would be safer to look for a fully functional ship, but that would be more time-consuming and there would be more chance of running into a crew member.”
As he spoke, two of the lights on the panel flickered and went dead.
She looked at the half-lit screen, then around at the decrepit ship, then back at him. “I don’t want to be back in their hands. I’m willing to take the chance if you are.”
Brave little female.
“Very well,” he said, and raised the landing ramp.
CHAPTER FIVE
