Alienation Read Free Page A

crashing. It felt like the tendons in his neck were going to snap, but his body rose even as the fuel tank lost pressure.
    The jet pack shook, threatening to break free from the straps that held it in place, and Colt felt the tremors through his body. His teeth chattered and his vision blurred as he pulled away from the desert floor and up into the early morning haze.
    â€œAre you trying to give me a heart attack?” Danielle asked.
    Colt couldn’t answer. His heart pounded as he tilted to the right, his shoulder dipping as he entered into a barrel roll. Like a corkscrew, he shot straight up, avoiding the cactus as a great plume of smoke trailed in his wake. It felt like he was coming up for air after holding his breath under water for too long. Relief washed over him, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment to drink it in. The world was quiet. Calm. Far below, a tumbleweed rolled across the desert, bouncing in the wind before it caught on a shrub.
    The jet pack sputtered, a reminder that he needed to land before his fuel supply ran out. He didn’t know the odds of surviving a thousand-foot fall, but he figured they weren’t in his favor. Just then he heard a strange buzzing sound. It was faint at first, like the hum of an oscillating fan, but it was growing louder.
    â€œDo you hear that?” he asked, tilting his head like a dog listening to a distant noise.
    â€œHear what?” Oz asked.
    â€œI’m not sure.” Colt tapped on the tiny speaker lodged in his ear, wondering if it was feedback. “It’s like a hum, or—”
    A massive silhouette rose from the mountains, wings beating and teeth gnashing as it flew toward him.

:: CHAPTER 4 ::
    P lease tell me that’s another hologram,” Colt said as the creature closed in. It was the size of a small bus, with a body that looked something like a wasp, though it was covered in a spiny exoskeleton. Two sets of enormous wings kept it aloft, beating rapidly as six spiked legs hung limp below its belly.
    â€œIf it is, it’s not one of mine,” Danielle said from below. “I don’t know how to make them fly yet.”
    â€œIt’s called an armored viper wasp,” Oz said. “And trust me, it’s real. Let’s just hope there isn’t a hive nearby.”
    â€œA hive?”
    The wasp looked like it could bring down an elephant if it had half a mind, but a swarm of those things? There wasn’t enough bug spray on the planet to deal with that kind of infestation. Its teeth looked like gardening shears, and they stuck out from its mouth in haphazard directions, as though their placement was completely random yet altogether deadly.
    â€œNow would be a good time to get out of there,” Oz said, but Colt couldn’t move. The surrounding mountains started to feel like walls, and the vast desert no bigger than a closet.
    â€œCome on, McAlister!” Oz said. “What are you doing?”
    Colt didn’t respond, even though it was close enough that he could see scars etched into its armored hide. Why couldn’t he move?
    â€œLook, I want you to get in the truck and drive as far away as you can,” Colt heard Oz say through the comlink. “We’ll be right behind you. I promise.”
    â€œBut . . .” Danielle’s voice was hesitant.
    â€œDon’t be a hero,” Oz said. “Just go!”
    The viper wasp lashed out with deceptive speed, and Colt had the good sense to duck. He felt a rush of air sweep over his head as the creature screeched like an orchestra of first-year violin students.
    Far below, Dani jumped into the cab of the truck. The engine revved and tires spun, spitting dirt and rock as it fishtailed and headed back toward the freeway.
    â€œHeads up!” Oz said. There was silence, followed by the sound of rushing air, like a vacuum cleaner, only amplified a thousand-fold. A jagged beam of light slammed into the mindless creature, scorching its