Tritium Gambit (Max and Miranda Book 1) Read Free Page B

“Johnson didn’t say anything about a partner.”
    “ Captain Johnson,” Wendy corrected me, “might not have thought to mention it. However, I’m sure you two will do great.”
    I cleared my throat. “But…”
    “ There’s been a ping in northern Minnesota near the town of Ely. There is an old iron mine there, and we think the source of that ping might be near the mine or perhaps from inside it.”
    “ Excellent! I love exploring caves,” Miranda said enthusiastically.
    Wendy smirked. “Well, it’s a mine, not a cave, and you’ll need a wetsuit because it is under fifty feet of water.” She cleared her throat. “I should probably warn you…” She looked absently at the plane. “Never mind.”
    “ It sounds like a vacation getaway,” I murmured.
    “ Exactly,” Wendy replied. “You two are on your first couple’s getaway and have booked a stay at the Great Rapids Inn.”
    “ How are we getting there?” I glanced around for an obvious source of transportation. “Space Curve Rail or do we get a ride in a Falcon II?” Then I realized that I didn’t see a Falcon II.
    “ Neither, actually.” Wendy gestured to the plane that she had been working on when I arrived at the hangar. “A Cherokee 140.”
    The vintage was at best 1960s. I fought to find words. “Umm...”
    The plane’s paint was faded blue and white, and there were small dents across the skin of the wings. The windshield looked like it had a permanent fog etched into it. The tail had 8609E in large bold lettering across the back.
    Wendy clapped me on the shoulder and sent a pleasant tingle through me. She could do more than cause pain, I knew. At her lowest setting, she could make you tingle in ways one could not imagine. I remembered that first night together behind closed doors. It turns out there is not an inch of her body that she can’t run electric current over, which is certainly interesting, but when her passion peaks, she can lose control. No matter how pleasant the tingling feels at first, I learned the hard way that you must never put your most important body part in the equivalent of an electric socket. The shock was worse than the time I peed on an electric fence.
    Wendy’s hand trailed down my chest, sending tingles through me as she went. “Well, that’s what I have for you guys. Time is of the essence. I need to help prepare the others for the Texas departure using the SCR. That mission is top priority, and Captain Johnson is already going to be upset that I’ve wasted this much time talking to you. As your mission coordinator, you can call me if you need anything. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” I watched her as she walked to the other side of the hangar to where the Space Curve Rail cab waited. Agents carrying Wolverine two-eighties were walking into the hangar toward her. Lucky bastards, I thought.
    Miranda took two quick steps and then leaped with blinding speed to the plane. She must have crossed the thirty-odd feet in a fraction of a second—and not by running but with a lightning fast jump. She was in the cockpit with the engine running before I took my first step.
    When I climbed in the plane and put on my headset, I asked, “What’s the rush?”
    “ If they activate the SCR before we leave, the gravitational disturbance won’t allow us to take off for an hour. So, if you don’t want to wait around, we should go now,” she replied.
    Before I was buckled in, the plane accelerated away from the hangar. We taxied out onto the runway, and then she cranked up the throttle. We were in the air in only a few moments.
    When we were less than a mile away, there was a loud pop back at the base that sounded like a gunshot, but it was a cue the gravitational flux would hit us in a few seconds. We swayed and rocked, but Miranda kept the plane going parallel to the ground.
    “ So, are you and Wendy dating?” she asked.
    “ No.”
    She kept her eyes straight ahead. “But you used to date?”
    I suppressed a groan.