Page 74 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
She noticed very faint lines in the walls, like cabinet doors. Other than the grooves, the walls were smooth. Using her hands, she pressed randomly above and below the grooves.
Success. A panel reacted to pressure and slid open. Unfortunately, nothing inside would help her remove the cuffs.
She shouted in frustration, kicking the wall. Other panels slid open, all containing equally unhelpful items.
The ship lurched again, lifting and then slamming down. Her stomach flip-flopped. At least someone was giving Karl a hard time.
Chapter 21
Mads
Boarding another craft was not an activity Mads planned for that morning. He did not wear the correct shoes. Sneakers just didn’t cut it when you locked onto another vessel and used brute force to open the access port. The barrier suit—borrowed from Svallin—crackled with energy. Invisible to the naked eye, it kept the vacuum of space at bay and maintained his body temperature, without hindering movement. The breather mask handled the other necessary mechanics of staying alive.
He used a torch to slice through the locking mechanism. With his sneaker-clad foot, he kicked in the door. Atmosphere whooshed out, knocking him back but his grip on the door frame kept him in place. Once the pressure equalized, he pulled himself inside.
The docking tube extended from Svallin’s ship. Mads grabbed the lead and guided it in place. The edges created an automatic seal. Now the ships were joined. If Karl jumped into quantum space, he’d drag the other ship with him.
The atmosphere returned to normal and Mads pressed the control panel on his chest, deactivating the suit.
Svallin clambered through the tube, wearing his sleek black armor and matching helmet. He gave Mads’ T-shirt and jeans a once-over. “You look ridiculous.”
“I did not plan to commandeer a ship this morning when I dressed,” Mads retorted, once again regretting the sneakers. He had boots. Heavy, sturdy boots good for snow or kicking ass. Instead, he chose the flexible sneaker to climb through his mate’s window that morning.
He had no regrets.
“Secure the command center first, then let’s find my mate,” Mads said, drawing his pistol.
The ship’s layout followed a standard design. They met no opposition or found hidden traps along the way. The corridors remained clear of debris and crew.
“It is highly unlikely that the rogue is on his own, so where is the crew?” Svallin grumbled.
“How many life pods on a ship this size?” Mads asked, even though he knew the answer.
“Four is standard.”
“And what size crew is required?”
“Four.” Svallin checked his wrist, then rushed to a junction in the corridor. He accessed a control panel. “Four life pods are preparing to eject.”
“Let them go,” Mads said.
“They have violated Reilen law.”
“They’re following orders.” Not for the first time, Mads wondered how a male so rigid and inflexible in his thinking could be his friend. “The real culprit is whoever financed the ship and crew.”
“Agreed,” Svallin unenthusiastically said.
The situation was not ideal, but Mads did not require Svallin’s enthusiasm, just his gun.
Unsurprisingly, the control room had been locked down. Prepared to break it open with brute force, Mads grabbed the cutting tool.
“Do not,” Svallin said, shoving him out of the way. “It could be rigged with explosives.” Crouching down, he removed a panel to expose the inner guts of the ship and then laid out his tools in neat, precise rows.
Mads groaned. His mate needed him. Every second could cost Odessa her life. “Your way will take too long.”
“My way will give us control of the ship, not just muscle our way through a door.”
“I will secure the corridor,” he said, deciding to be moderately useful rather than fruitlessly pace.
