Space Station Crisis: Star Challengers Book 2 Read Free

relax, then glanced at the instruments. She could tell Uncle Buzz was proud of her. Her father, a firefighter killed in the line of duty two years ago, would have been proud, too. The runway drew her toward it like a magnet, and she aligned the Arrow perfectly.
    The plane felt natural gliding down toward the pavement. The wheels touched down with just a bump, and then they were roaring along the ground, decelerating like a drag racer. She felt an adrenaline rush as she slowed the Piper to a safe ground speed and brought them to their designated spot.
    Laughing, Uncle Buzz gave her a one-man round of applause.
    JJ couldn’t have been more pleased. “I need this practice if I’m going to be a pilot someday,” she said. In her mind, however, she was thinking, a spaceship pilot.
    These lessons were a thrill, but they had a serious purpose. Thanks to their recent Challenger Center adventure, JJ and her friends knew something that Uncle Buzz did not: An alien invasion was coming in the not-too-distant future, and Earth had only a generation to prepare for it. The skills they learned now might someday mean the difference between life and death for the human race.
    ***

Two
    Dylan pushed speed-dial 4 on his cell phone; he’d been using that number a lot in the past month. Ever since their amazing trip to Moonbase Magellan and escaping from the Kylarn attack, one of them had called or emailed the other almost every day, just to check in.
    Song-Ye picked up on the second ring and spoke immediately, having seen his name on the caller ID. She didn’t bother with any of the polite pleasantries that usually started a phone conversation. “You’ll never guess where I am, Junior.”
    Donovan Dylan Wren, Dyl for short, no longer minded that the South Korean girl kept calling him Junior. The nickname had become a friendly joke between them, and they were learning to appreciate each other’s sense of humor. “Hmm … are you exploring a shipwreck in the Caribbean?” he teased.
    Using his shoulder to press the phone against his ear, Dyl stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce with a long wooden spoon. He sat in front of the stove on a rolling stool he used when cooking for the family. He didn’t need his crutches in the kitchen. On the floor, their tuxedo cat Spock rubbed against his ankles.
    “That’s your best guess—the Caribbean? As in, swimming with sharks? No, thank you,” Song-Ye said. “Try again, Junior.”
    Dyl tasted the sauce and added some oregano. “Are you at the Rose Bowl, watching a football game?”
    Song-Ye made her usual pfft sound that meant she was dismissing his comment. “I’m not a football fan. I really don’t understand why people want to watch a bunch of guys in fat-suits chasing a big brown egg up and down a field. One more guess.”
    Dyl tried to be as outlandish as possible. “Buckingham Palace, then?”
    “Ooh—close! Actually, I’m at a diplomatic reception at the British Embassy with my father.”
    “Because … ?” He knew her father was a diplomat, and Song-Ye often found herself in VIP situations that neither Dyl nor his sister JJ ever encountered.
    “Because he didn’t want to go alone, and Mom was called away for an emergency consult at Johns Hopkins Hospital—something about a Prime Minister with heart problems.”
    “I thought you hated stuff like fancy receptions.” He tried to sound as if he was commiserating, but didn’t think he pulled it off.
    Dyl could almost hear her shrugging one shoulder as she replied, “Normally, I do. These events can be kind of tedious. But Commander Zota wanted us to broaden our horizons and learn new things. There’s a lot at stake. In fact, I’m actually wearing a cocktail dress.”
    “An alien-fighting cocktail dress?” He wasn’t sure how dressing up for a diplomatic party would help prepare them for the arrival of the Kylarn.
    “A professional-looking cocktail dress, appropriate for meeting all sorts of world-class leaders. It’s