Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (7 page)

             
“Jeezus” sighed Owen, running his hands over the silky transparent materials “do you mean you’ve been wearing this lot every night and I’ve been sleeping literally metres away - has anyone ever seen you in one of these?”

             
“Yes, my mirror” she snapped, shutting the doors.

             
He leaned against the door and massaged his temples then looked up at her “If I could see you in that blue one honey, I’d die a happy man” he breathed.

             
“Would you stop pestering me for sex?” she demanded.

             
He shrugged “Well, I dunno about that - oh what the hell, yeah”

             
She grinned “Yank, you’ve got yourself a deal, now get out whilst I change”

             
Owen almost ran from the room and Austen locked the door, leaned against it,
hiccupped
quietly, giggled and, sliding to the floor, fell sound asleep.

*****************

             
She woke several hours later and moaning, put her hand to her head.  It felt as if it were full of little men pounding on the inside of her skull with mallets.  She gently stood up and walking gingerly to the water sprayer, sluiced her face. “Oh God” she moaned “never again”

             
She vaguely remembered showing Owen her closet for some reason but  that was as far as it went.  A sharp rap on the door made her jump and, wincing, she put her hand to her head again.  “Please Lieutenant Commander, have some pity for the dying” she muttered and staggering to the door opened it, only to be faced with an irate Luke Owen, bare chested and
pony tailed
, just wearing a pair of black jeans.

             
“Oh, so you’re awake” he snapped.

             
She put her hand to her head again “God, Owen, don’t shout, what do you want?”

             
“What do you mean what do I goddamn want? You were supposed to be modelling that sexy blue number for me - have you forgotten?  And its Luke, you agreed to call me Luke”

             
“Really Owen, you do talk a load of rubbish - and get some clothes on, its against ships regs to go round in that state” a worm of remembrance was wriggling to life in her brain and she decided the best thing to do was to bluff it out and inject an official tone into the proceedings. “Now, what’s on the agenda for today?  I think I’ll check the fresh water manifest - would you go....................” she turned and reached for the clipboard next to her bed, shaking her head as she did so to try and clear the fog from her mind.

             
Suddenly Owen’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a vicelike grip, forcing her to drop the clipboard.  “I’ve had enough of your stalling  Alodie Austen, I’ve been patient long enough” he hissed, pushing her backwards towards the bed.

             
“What the hell do you think you’re doing Lieutenant Commander?” she gasped, realisation dawning on her just how strong he really was.

             
“What I should have done years ago, what we’ve both been wanting for months!”

             
Austen drew back her hand to slap his face but he caught it with his free hand and, pinioning both her arms above her head he wrapped his other arm around her waist then deposited her on the bed, throwing himself on top of her.  She tried to push him away but he had her hands tight and she only succeeded in rubbing up against his body.

             
“You had no idea how strong I was, had you honey?” he snarled

             
“You cowardly bastard Owen, I’ll have you court martialled, I’ll......”

             
He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose “No you won’t angel, because we’ll never be rescued.  Where we’re going there are no court martials and no lieutenant commanders and captains.  I resign my commission.  The chances of that message being picked up and acted upon are zillions to one!  Face it, beautiful, we’re here to stay and you, hon.....” he slowly unfastened her boiler suit with his free hand “........are mine”

             
She began to panic, then her training took over and the fear that had begun to overcome her turned to anger “That’ll be the day you arrogant.........” she snarled and brought her knee up between his open legs, with a shriek Luke Owen let go her hands and grasped himself.  Quick as lightning Austen sat up and landed him with an uppercut to the chin, he rolled onto the floor, grunting in pain.  Jumping off the bed Austen grabbed her service psi gun from the bedside locker and pointed it at the now quiescent Luke Owen.  “One move, pig and you’re a stain on the floor.  I’ll decide when I lose my virginity, and to whom.   I belong to no one but myself, and certainly not to a swine who uses his superior strength to rape a helpless woman!”

             
Owen struggled to his feet, his eyes beginning to water “Jeez! Helpless?  Rape?  I was trying to do you a favour”

             
Austen was almost speechless “Favour! You arrogant cocksure bastard, how dare you!” she spluttered.

             
Owen gave his vitals a final rub and then held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.  “I’m sorry, Alodie, its just that I don’t think I can go on much longer without making love to you.  Look on sleeping with me as a morale booster for your only crew member!”

             
Austen waved the gun at him.  “Stop talking rubbish and get out!” she snapped.

             
Owen nodded and walked to the door, on the threshold he turned.  “Oh Captain ma’am” She glared at him in response.  “You’ll come to me eventually, you’re only putting off the evil day.  What are you saving it for anyway?  The man you marry?  You’re looking at him honey” with that rejoinder he walked off.

             
Austen sighed and looked in the mirror, her hair had once again come free from its bun.  With a snort of impatience she fastened it behind her head in a ponytail.  The frightening thing was that Luke - yes she was starting to think of him as Luke - was right.  There was no captain, no lieutenant commander, only a man and a woman lost in space and time -  he was all she had.

             
Just then the ship jerked violently and Austen was thrown across the room.  Stunned, she climbed to her feet as the “red alert” klaxon blared.  Without pausing to discover whether or not she was injured she ran from the room and up the corridor as another tremor shook the ship.  What the hell was happening?

             
Riding the lift to the main computer room she found Luke already there, waiting by the locked door.  She pushed past him and slammed her palm against the security panel.  As the door opened a second tremor shook the ship and she was hurled forward into the room, sliding across the floor.  Luke pulled her to her feet, and tottering unsteadily over to the console, she punched into Mindbank.  “Well?” she asked tersely, then gasped as another explosion shook the superstructure.

             
“I assume you are referring to the explosions in the cargo hold” said the computer.

             
“My God, is that what the tremors are?  What’s causing them?”

             
“There is a small rupture in a pipe in the cooling system causing a small amount of nitrelic acid to leak into the cargo hold, contact with which is causing the klerth crystals to become unstable and explode.  At the moment only a small area of the hold is affected but I.......” the biggest explosion yet shook the ship “.........I calculate that within fifteen minutes the ship will be destroyed, the resulting explosion will ignite the atmosphere of Earth”

             
Austen felt panic rising, with a huge effort of will she pushed it back down “Oh Lord” she whispered “w- will freezing the ship stop it?”

             
“Merely postpone it Captain”

             
“Suggestions, Mindbank”

             
“Freeze the ship, that will hold the combustion for six months, set the ship’s co-ordinates for deep space, I will then make my best speed away from Earth, I should have about ten minutes before the freezers affect the engines, there I will stop until the explosion.  The ship should be far enough away from the Earth for them to know nothing of it apart from a few storms when the shock wave hits”

             
Austen gritted her teeth “How long have we got to get off the ship after I start up the freezers?” she asked.

             
“The ship’s temperature reaches absolute zero in five minutes thirty two seconds Captain, human life is insupportable after three minutes five seconds”

             
“Right Mindbank, thank you “ she turned “Luke,  go to the escape shuttle”

             
“But....”

             
“NOW Lieutenant Commander, get her warmed up, don’t worry, I’m not going to repeat my performance by staying with the ship this time”

             
“You’re supposed to set the freezers
from
the escape shuttle” he snapped.

             
“Yes, Luke, true,” she conceded “but if there’s nitrelic acid in the atmosphere that could affect the sensors taking the message from the shuttle computer to the freezing module.   I can set them manually from here.  That’s yours, mine and everyone else’s future down there, remember”

             
He shrugged “I hope you can run” he said and pecking her cheek ran out of the room.  Austen turned back to the computer.

             
“Navigation” she snapped, another explosion rocked the ship, and she steadied herself, praying she would be in time.  Once in navigation she punched in co-ordinates which would take the ship into an empty part of the solar system.

             
“Right, Mindbank” she announced “I am now switching control over to you” she pushed two red buttons and one green button on her console.

             
“Control accepted, Captain”

             
“Take her to best possible speed exactly four minutes from when I start the freezers”

             
“Understood Captain”

             
Austen stood up and patted the console “Bye Mindbank and thanks”

             
“Freeze the ship Captain and get out of here” it replied, a note almost of impatience creeping into its voice.

             
Austen nodded, walked over to the right hand corner of the room and unfastening her boiler suit she removed two slim tags from a chain round her neck.  She inserted them into a blue stand alone console and a light began to flash.  Another tremor shook the ship.

             
She had begun the sequence to freeze the hauler, to put it into suspended animation, to de-activate it and shut all systems down.  The top of the console slid away revealing three levers.  With a trembling hand she pulled the first and a female computer voice said “You have begun the sequence leading to the freezing of the ship - are you the person authorised to do this?”

             
“Affirmative” confirmed Austen.

             
“Name and rank”

             
“Austen, Alodie, Captain”

             
“Voice accepted, palm print please” she placed her hand on a flashing globe.  “Please open your eyes wide for a retinal scan” it continued.  A bright light flashed in Austen’s eyes momentarily blinding her, “palm and retinal prints correspond to those of Captain Alodie Austen, the controls are now freed, proceed”

             
Austen pulled the second lever, the ship began to vibrate, another crash shook the floor, the voice cut in “Freezer one in operation”

             
Austen pulled the third lever, the vibration grew stronger “Freezers now on, you have five seconds to abort the freezing from now - mark”

             
“No thanks” replied Austen and headed for the door.  There she turned and looked at the centre of operations - her first command and a fine mess she had made of it.  The communicator buzzed and Luke’s anxious voice cut into her thoughts.

             
“Alodie, I’m in the escape shuttle, where the hell are you?”

             
“On my way Lieutenant Commander, start the engines” she ran up the corridor and jumped onto the descent platform, not daring the turbo lift.  The temperature was dropping rapidly and the platform stopped two metres from the floor.  She jumped and struck out across the bridge.  By the time she got to the escape corridor the temperature was minus twenty and falling rapidly.  The rubber doors creaked with the ice forming on them and she had difficulty getting through, she remembered reading somewhere that human skin froze at minus thirty.  A huge explosion threw her against the side of the plexiformed corridor, causing her to bang her head - she was momentarily dazed.  Shaking herself and looking out she saw the Earth below,  it looked indescribably beautiful - like a blue jewel on a black velvet cushion.