Genesis Code, (Book 1, Genesis Series)

Chapter 39

'Doesn't mean anything,' the corporal said to the sergeant. 'We should still consider the stowaway to be a serious threat.'

'I agree.' The sergeant turned around, startled by Stuart's proximity to him. He backed up a little. 'We'll need everybody's full cooperation until the person we're after has been safely apprehended.'

'Of course,' said Stuart. 'If there's anything at all we can do, please don't hesitate—'

'I want to speak to the pilot,' said the sergeant. He grabbed the operative's shoulder and held out his other hand. The operative handed over the earpiece and the sergeant shoved it into his ear. 'Pilot of the passenger ship. You have a dangerous stowaway on board. Do not engage with your passengers under any circumstances. Proceed as normal. The military will be handling this situation on the ground.' The sergeant nodded at what Galen assumed was the pilot's response, then pulled the earpiece out and tossed it on the table, out of the operative's reach.

'Who have you got in the skies at the moment?' he barked at Stuart.

'Cream of the crop, sir,' said Stuart through gritted teeth. 'All experienced pilots have been recalled from leave or other duties and are at your disposal. Will you be sending your own people up with the pilots?'

'Negative. We don't want military presence to scare off this individual. We will apprehend the subject when it arrives. Who will be collecting the fake Bob Harris from the passenger ship?'

'The best pilot we have. Captain Jennifer Waterson.'

'Does she know why we're here?'

'Yes, but only that the person you're looking for will be boarding her craft. Nothing beyond that.'

'Keep it that way. We don't want the pilot to panic. When we have our man, we'll be out of here.'

The ship arrived five minutes early and hovered in the outer perimeter surrounding Earth. Jenny watched and waited alongside seven other crafts as Cargo Hold 1 in the ship's underside winched open like the jaws of a beast. Last in through the dock, she positioned her craft so she could be the first to leave with her passenger quota. Her destination was the HJA docking station.

Inside the hold, Jenny tweaked the controls until she felt the landing skids touch the floor. The craft bounced off-course and she corrected the movement with a flick of her hand. When it settled on the floor, she disengaged the thrusters to keep it there. She kept the force field in place while decompression of the hold began.

Once it was complete, ship passengers entered the hold. She observed the ones with a drunken-like stupor who hadn't fully emerged from stasis. Others, like an attractive man in his forties, looked very much awake, but the dark circles under his eyes told her he hadn't slept much. Jenny had never travelled on a passenger ship. She assumed it to be a peaceful experience, without the same turbulence as a craft.

From the on-board computer, she downloaded the manifest from the ship officer's DPad using a unique identification code. As everyone filed on-board, she defied her orders not to engage with her passengers. She ordered them to strap in, and gave a quick reminder of the turbulence ahead.

'If you feel sick there are bags under your seat.'

With everyone settled, she guided her craft out of the hold and headed for Dock 10. The other crafts followed, branching off towards their own destinations. She contacted the communications operator in HJA who told her she was clear for landing. She began her descent, firing all thrusters until she had dropped below the outer perimeter shield, where the remaining leg of the journey towards the landing plate would be dictated by gravitational pull alone.