Diggers: The Sharp Edge of the Universe by Shannon Heather, Jerrett James Page B

backed away and ran for the hover.
    “Wait!” Mikayla glanced into the Science Lab and ran after him. “What are you talking about? Where are you going? You’re just going to get into more trouble!”
    “Probably,” Finn called over his shoulder.
    “You’re crazy!” She ducked into the hover with him before the doors closed. They held on to the safety bar as the hover whooshed down toward Launch Pad One.
    “Yep,” Finn said.
     
     

Chapter 11: Technically Speaking—Totally Illegal
     
    Reggie stood next to the DUMP with his hands shoved in his pockets, as if it were just another day. The chaos of people frantically maneuvering around debris and running from one ComBoard to another seemed to never affect Reggie, but their frantic orders shouted across the dock bay conveyed a true sense of urgency.
    “Hey,” Reg said as Finn reached him. Mikayla followed right behind.
    “Reg!” Finn had run all the way from the hover, mostly to try to lose Mikayla, but she’d managed to keep up. “I need to borrow a DUMP, but I’m locked out of all the security codes. Will you help me?”
    “Where we going?”
    “To. The. Anomaly.” Low on patience, he frowned at Reggie’s lack of excitement. “If that thing is silicone-based, we can get a sample and find out some more information. Will you take me?”
    “That is not going to happen.” Mikayla crossed her arms and stepped between the boys. “Until my dad and his team can do some more scans, no one is cleared to leave the Space Station.”
    Finn pushed her out of the way. “So, will you take me?” he asked again.
    Reg thought for a moment. “Sure.”
    “No way! You can’t just steal a DUMP and take a joyride to the anomaly. You’d be breaking about a million Vortex rules!” Mikayla grabbed their arms, but Finn yanked his away.
    “Yeah,” Reg said. “We’ll probably get in trouble.”
    “No doubt about it,” Finn said.
    “Sure, I’ll take you.” Reg didn’t hesitate this time.
    “You two are crazy.” Mikayla threw her hands in the air.
    “Let’s go.” Finn ignored Mikayla’s mini temper tantrum.
    He followed Reg into the shiny new DUMP without a second look from anyone but Mikayla, who stood riveted at the opening, so angry Finn thought her head might pop off. He smiled at the vision and waved at her, hoping it would be enough to make her head burst off her body like an angry zit.
    Mikayla suddenly lunged toward the closing door, managing to slip through it with seconds to spare.
    “I’m going too.” Mikayla’s commanding voice reminded Finn of his mother's and he gave an involuntary shudder.
    “Oh no, you’re not.” Finn’s voice cracked.
    “Oh yes, I am.” Mikayla leaned into his face and gave him the eye. “I’m going.”
    “No way,” Finn said.
    “Yes. I. Am.” Mikayla stood there, hands on hips, looking more like a lioness than a girl.
    Finn tried to stand his ground, but Mikayla reminded him too much of his mom when she got really angry.
    “Why do you want to go?” Finn looked away from Mikayla’s glare. “We’re just stupid Diggers looking for trouble.”
    “Because,” she said as she moved away and began to strap in, “without me, you’ll just mess it up. You two don’t know the first thing about making discoveries.”
    Finn thought about protesting the injustice of her unfair assumptions, but the look on her face made the hair rise on the back of his neck, so he kept his mouth shut.
    “Let’s get going,” Reggie said, and the DUMP rumbled to life.
    Finn scanned the launch pad for signs of anyone who might try to stop them, but everyone scrambled around, too busy trying to solve a one crisis or another to worry about why a DUMP was leaving.
    The DUMP pushed out into space much slower than when Belch had driven them to the dig site and Finn noticed how carefully Reggie controlled the ship. Though he hadn't loved his first trip with Belch, he thought Reggie drove like such a grandpa.
    Finn opened his mouth to