shuttle, but they might've been able to splash us if they'd gotten close enough to lock on with air-to-air missiles. But the shuttle was travelling too fast, so..."
"Why were they trying to shoot us down?" I asked.
Gordie chose to ignore that question. "Point is, we made a clean getaway. And don't worry about the Spirit . Just before he jettisoned us, I heard the commander talking to Flight Control back in Wallops, telling him that they were having mechanical problems and that he was going to make an emergency landing at the ISC launch center in Spain. My guess is that he and the pilot will request political asylum as soon as they're on the ground so that they won't have to face the music back home."
I winced when I heard this. The shuttle crew had sacrificed their citizenship for our freedom; it would be awhile before they'd go home again, if ever. And they were lucky; no telling what might happen to the people on Wallops Island who'd aided and abetted in our escape. They would be detained and questioned, no doubt about it. Some of them might even land in prison. All just to make sure that six kids made their way to safety.
"What about you?" I asked.
Gordie shrugged. "I make the trip to Apollo about once a month. I've got plenty of friends there, so it's practically my second home."
"What else have you heard from Wallops?" Logan asked. "Did our parents get away?"
"I don't know. We're radio silent till we reach the Moon. No communications with anyone for the duration." Logan was about to say something, but the pilot shook his head. "Sorry, but that's all I can tell you."
Gordie pushed himself away from the ceiling so that his shoes attached themselves to the floor again. "Anyway, once we complete this orbit, we'll be in the proper position to fire the main engine and head for the Moon. It'll take about two and a half days to get there. A ferry will rendezvous with us in lunar orbit and carry us the rest of the way."
As he spoke, I gazed out the window again. We were directly above the Gulf now, the Texas panhandle visible to the north-northeast. It would be early morning down there, with only a few clouds in the sky.
"Until then," Gordie was saying, "make yourselves at home." He pointed to a hatch in the aft bulkhead behind Melissa and me. "There's a galley back there with plenty of food and water, and also the head."
"There's a head back there?" Eddie's voice rose in terror.
"No, no, no!" Too late, Gordie remembered that he was speaking to someone who might take him literally. "That's just what we call abathroom. It's not a...y'know, a real head." Melissa snickered, and both Logan and I gave her a dirty look. "The seats can be folded down against the deck...sorry, Jamey, but your cocoon stays where it is...and I have hammocks that can be strung up for us to sleep in. In the meantime...well, I've got a couple of pads if you didn't bring your own. And if you get tired of reading or playing games, you can always look out the window."
I already was. While the others were talking, I caught sight of something that didn't look right: a small, bright point of light, rapidly rising from the curve horizon below us. At first I thought it might be a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere, except that it was headed in the wrong direction, toward space instead of away from it. Almost as if it was...
No , I thought. That can't be a missile .
"I need to go forward again, start laying in the coordinates for the next burn." Gordie glanced at Eddie. "A burn is when I fire the main engine," he quickly added, and Eddie nodded. "Unless there's any more questions..."
"Gordie?" I didn't look away from the window. "You might want to see this."
Gordie glanced my way, almost as if irritated that I'd interrupted him. Then he pulled himself over to the window next to mine. For a second or two he said nothing as he peered out. Then his mouth fell open in astonishment and he threw himself back from the window.
"Get in your seats and
"Why were they trying to shoot us down?" I asked.
Gordie chose to ignore that question. "Point is, we made a clean getaway. And don't worry about the Spirit . Just before he jettisoned us, I heard the commander talking to Flight Control back in Wallops, telling him that they were having mechanical problems and that he was going to make an emergency landing at the ISC launch center in Spain. My guess is that he and the pilot will request political asylum as soon as they're on the ground so that they won't have to face the music back home."
I winced when I heard this. The shuttle crew had sacrificed their citizenship for our freedom; it would be awhile before they'd go home again, if ever. And they were lucky; no telling what might happen to the people on Wallops Island who'd aided and abetted in our escape. They would be detained and questioned, no doubt about it. Some of them might even land in prison. All just to make sure that six kids made their way to safety.
"What about you?" I asked.
Gordie shrugged. "I make the trip to Apollo about once a month. I've got plenty of friends there, so it's practically my second home."
"What else have you heard from Wallops?" Logan asked. "Did our parents get away?"
"I don't know. We're radio silent till we reach the Moon. No communications with anyone for the duration." Logan was about to say something, but the pilot shook his head. "Sorry, but that's all I can tell you."
Gordie pushed himself away from the ceiling so that his shoes attached themselves to the floor again. "Anyway, once we complete this orbit, we'll be in the proper position to fire the main engine and head for the Moon. It'll take about two and a half days to get there. A ferry will rendezvous with us in lunar orbit and carry us the rest of the way."
As he spoke, I gazed out the window again. We were directly above the Gulf now, the Texas panhandle visible to the north-northeast. It would be early morning down there, with only a few clouds in the sky.
"Until then," Gordie was saying, "make yourselves at home." He pointed to a hatch in the aft bulkhead behind Melissa and me. "There's a galley back there with plenty of food and water, and also the head."
"There's a head back there?" Eddie's voice rose in terror.
"No, no, no!" Too late, Gordie remembered that he was speaking to someone who might take him literally. "That's just what we call abathroom. It's not a...y'know, a real head." Melissa snickered, and both Logan and I gave her a dirty look. "The seats can be folded down against the deck...sorry, Jamey, but your cocoon stays where it is...and I have hammocks that can be strung up for us to sleep in. In the meantime...well, I've got a couple of pads if you didn't bring your own. And if you get tired of reading or playing games, you can always look out the window."
I already was. While the others were talking, I caught sight of something that didn't look right: a small, bright point of light, rapidly rising from the curve horizon below us. At first I thought it might be a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere, except that it was headed in the wrong direction, toward space instead of away from it. Almost as if it was...
No , I thought. That can't be a missile .
"I need to go forward again, start laying in the coordinates for the next burn." Gordie glanced at Eddie. "A burn is when I fire the main engine," he quickly added, and Eddie nodded. "Unless there's any more questions..."
"Gordie?" I didn't look away from the window. "You might want to see this."
Gordie glanced my way, almost as if irritated that I'd interrupted him. Then he pulled himself over to the window next to mine. For a second or two he said nothing as he peered out. Then his mouth fell open in astonishment and he threw himself back from the window.
"Get in your seats and
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