Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy Read Free Page B

stronger.'
    Cragg smiled and nodded. 'Lower.'
    'The vibrations. Stronger.'
    'Exactly,' said Cragg. 'She's trying to tell us where she hurts. Lower.'
    Stella had to get on her hands and knees and she felt the very bottom of the big tank. 'Quite pronounced, now.'
    'We're close.'
    'Craggy. There's some kind of unit here. Jeez. It's hot.'
    Cragg got down on the floor. 'Show me.'
    'Here. Hell. This is not a happy unit.'
    Cragg touched it. 'Dangerously unhappy. The crash threw it out of kilter. Damn that's hot. I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't about to blow up.'
    'Craggy...'
    'Stand back.'
    'What do we do?'
    'Smack its bottom. Hurry. Move away.'
    Stella got up and raced to the door as Cragg did the only thing allowable in the few seconds remaining. He rammed a well aimed boot smack bang in the middle of the unhappy unit. It rumbled and shook. It didn't look good.
    'Stella. We gotta get off this bloody ship.'
    He dived for the door and wriggled through it, as the whole ship started to shake. Cragg didn't have to put his hands on the ship to feel it. The shaking was such that he could hardly stand. 'Everybody out, and fast.'
    Stella, Dillow, Breezy and Skye didn't need telling twice. They were well ahead of him. They were out on the ramp, and they dived across the ditch Freddie Morcurry was still digging. Freddie could see the ungainly exit and decided to move and ask questions later. Cragg was the last one out, missed his footing and landed face first in the freshly excavated dirt, and he clambered up the side of the ditch to see the others racing away.
    'I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Oh. You weren't. Well. Worry a little bit, hey?'
    He fell back down in the ditch. 'At least they won't have to dig a bloody grave when this lot blows.'
    Suddenly, the rumbling stopped.
    'That's either a good sign, or a bad one.'

Chapter 7
    D illow looked at the ship from the safety of a pile of rocks. 'Craggy?'
    'I'm going back inside. You lot stay right where you are.'
    Breeze yelled out, 'You damn well dare go back in there, Craggy. I'm the project leader and I'm telling you straight. Get away from there.'
    'What you gonna do? Fire me?' Cragg pulled himself up and walked up the ramp into the ship. 'You're happy, now. I can tell.' He went back through the inspection hatch to the green tank. The green liquid was bubbling slightly. It looked right. He got down to feel the unit. 'Hmm. Happy now I think you are. Hmm. Pumping green stuff I think you do. Use your feelings, Craggy, and find her you will. What the hell am I on about?' The lights seemed brighter. The ship was humming, in a good way. 'Okay. You had indigestion. Remember me, Dixon Cragg. I helped you. You're a ship. Behave like one, ok?'
    Cragg made his way outside. Freddie Morcurry was somewhere in the distance on the dozer, and the young women stood together and stared at Craggy.
    'Wassup?'
    Breeze said, 'Wassup? What's bloody up? I told you not to go in there.'
    Cragg laughed. 'Sorry. When you get to my age, your herring gets impaired.'
    'Herring?'
    'See? It's already happening to you, Breezy. I'm going home. Misty's probably wondering where the hell I am. Any idea what goat tastes like?'
    Dillow said, 'The ship? Is she happy?'
    'What? Oh. Her. Yeah. Like most females,' he said with a frosty look at Breeze. 'Gets a bit high maintenance now and then. She's happy.' With a twitch of an eyebrow, he added, 'She just needed a man's loving touch.'
    'Can I work with those computers now?' asked Stella.
    'You're probably the only one on the planet that can. Take a tip from me. Don't take no nonsense from her. Show her who the boss is.'
    'Like you and Misty, I suppose.'
    'Thanks for that, Dillow. Have fun.'
    He walked off towards the buggy.
    'Craggy...' yelled Breeze.
    'You're welcome. See you girls in the morning.'

Chapter 8
    M isty put the plates on the table. 'Don't forget you have a story class this afternoon.'
    Cragg ate his scrambled eggs, trying hard to remember what bread, especially