The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 3 by Heather Ray (macos ebook reader TXT) 📕

"I'm fine."

"What's going on?" asked Natasha. "Where are we?"

"We've... been abducted by aliens," said William, "I'm afraid their hostile."

Natasha gasped and James' eyes narrowed.

"What do they want from us?" James asked.

"They want us as hostages," said William, rising to his feet and gripping the iron bars. "But don't worry, help is on the way. I hope."
Chapter Eight

The Anglo-Australian Observatory was the largest, most advanced observatory in the southern hemisphere. This observatory has teamed up with NASA in keeping an eye on the Endeavor spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive at Cape Kennedy in less than an hour. But one young up and coming astronomer isn't looking out for the Endeavor. Rather, Doctor Katherine Hillard was busy monitoring an even more interesting phenomenon -- known to us as the Temporal Comet.

I just don't get it!

she though in frustration. According to the trajectory of that comet, it should take millions of years to return to its perihelion, yet I estimated 3,653 days for this unidentified comet to complete one orbit. Ten years...

"Katherine!" called an elderly Chinese man. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out this strange comet, Doctor Wong. It just doesn't make sense -- it passed the Moon thirty seven minutes ago, and its already out of the solar system. If it weren't for our enhanced scanning technology, the comet would've passed us without anyone knowing it."

"We've got bigger problems, Kathy. NASA just contacted us. The Endeavor has cut communications, and there is no signal. They asked us to get some pictures of its last location with the Hubble."

"My God," gasped Katherine. "That's Will's ship..."

"Kathy, I know he was a friend of yours, but you've got to focus. Go downstairs and give Mark a hand. He's trying to reprogram the Hubble Space Telescope, so we can get those pictures."

"Okay," said Kat, standing up from her seat and hurrying out of the room. She soon reached the lower level, where the computers controlling the Hubble Space Telescope were located. This time of year, the Anglo-Australian Observatory got the privilege of directly controlling the first and largest orbiting space telescope, allowing them to get instant, clearer images of space phenomena in many different wavelengths of light. She entered the computer room, and saw Doctor Mark Ellis typing in commands on the large computer keyboard. On the screen was an image of the dark side of the Moon, with several unusual lights brightening the usually grey surface.

"Mark, what's that?"

"I was scanning the Endeavor's journey for the past few hours, and I found something strange going on at the Moon. There's some kind of electro-magnetic energy eminating from the dark side, and its like nothing I've ever seen before. I decided to get some optical images, so I could see what this EM energy looks like, and there it is on the screen."

"Amazing," she whispered, gazing at the image, "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. What kind of EM waves are they?"

"That's the mystery. They're not part of the spectrum! Usually, the wavelength is inversely proportional to the frequency, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So, they're directly proportional in these waves! This energy completely disobeys the laws of physics!"

"Can you get a closer image?" asked Katherine, standing beside Mark.

"Right now, I'm trying to get an image of the last location of the Endeavor. It should be coming up any minute now."

Seconds later, the image on the screen changed slightly, revealing shattered debris reflecting the light from the Moon. Mark's eyes widened, and Katherine gasped loudly.

"Debris?" she said quietly. "But, how?"

"Something must've destroyed the Endeavor!" cried Mark frantically. "But what? There's nothing out there!"

"Except that EM energy," said Kat, rubbing her chin. "Exactly when did you start reading this strange energy from the Moon?"

"Um... about forty minutes ago. Give or take."

"The same time the comet passed the Moon!" Katherine shrieked, pushing Mark aside. She began madly typing in commands.

"Hey!" said Mark. "What're you doing?!"

"I'm getting a closer, more recent image of the spot on the Moon where that strange light originated. I don't like the look of this..."

Katherine tapped her foot impatiently as the command slowly reached the Hubble. Mark just stared at his young collegue in surprise, and they both stared at the screen in shock when the image came up. On the screen was a distant and unclear picture, but it was unmistakably a castle, perched on the barren lunar surface.

"It...it's that palace they found seven years ago!" said Mark. "But, it's abandoned! What's the connection?"

"I...I'd better contact NASA," said Katherine, running her hands through her long, curly blonde hair. "They have to know what happened to the Endeavor."

"But, we still don't know what happened up there!" protested Mark.

"You keep trying to figure it out, Mark. I'll be right back."

Katherine hurried out of the room, and went to her own office, where her private computer terminal and telephone were located. She sat at her desk, and looked around warily, to make sure no one was there. Once the coast was determined clear, she unlocked her bottom drawer, and pulled out a small unmarked envelope. Inside the envelope were two small aqua-blue rings, each about the size of a palm. She snapped them onto the receiver of her telephone, and dialed a familiar number. I have to contact the guys, she thought to herself, but I can't risk insecure phone lines! I need to access the satellite Will put into orbit twelve years ago, so I need these special disks, as well as the access code.

^Welcome to the Ranger-Com, Katherine Hillard,^

said the automated voice answering the call. ^If this call is an emergency, please press one. If this is a social call, press two.^

Katherine pressed one, and waited as the recording continued.

^Since this is an emergency, the Ranger-Com system will dial all the telephone numbers listed in the system for the particular ranger you are trying to contact. Please name the ranger you wish to call.^

"Kimberly Hart-Monroe."

Chapter Nine

Thousands of miles away, in the New York City based Hart Fashion Industries skyscraper, the president of the company, Kimberly Hart-Monroe, was busy reviewing sketches for the spring fashion line-up in her spacious 80th floor office. While she examined each sketch carefully, a middle aged man with a black mustache looked over her shoulder.

"Well?" he asks with a thick French accent. "What do you think?"

"In my opinion, the pastel sundress is a classic, but it needs something different," she said, running her fingers through her golden brown hair, cropped just below the ear. "Maybe it needs more of a... flair skirt design. How does that sound, Jacques?"

"Interesting," he said. "Oh, and Madame Monroe, Ashley Olsen asks how that wedding dress you're to design for her is coming? The ceremony is in three weeks."

"I already sent her the sketches," sighed Kim. "If she wants to see the gown itself, she has to come here."

Then, her desk telephone began to ring. Kimberly sighed again and picked up the receiver.

"I'm a little busy right now --"

^Kim? Kim its me, Katherine!^

"Kat?" asked Kim in surprise, "What's going on? I'm in a meeting..."

^I'm sorry to bother you Kim, but we have an emergency! You know Will's spaceship, the Endeavor?^

"Uh, yeah," said Kim, sitting down and beckoning Jacques to leave. "Isn't that like the first manned trip to the outer planets?"

^Yes! Well, he was supposed to arrive about now, but his ship vanished from all scanners. We found it on the Hubble telescope -- in a billion pieces.^

"No," whispered Kim. "Not Will!"

^Yes, Will. Now the strange thing is, the Endeavor debris was found near the dark side of the Moon, and my collegue Mark discovered a strange radiation coming from the Moon at the same time. And guess where that energy's coming from exactly?^

"The Moon Palace," Kim said quietly, "Zedd and Rita?"

^There's no way to know for sure, but there is definitely something happening on the Moon. I think the six of us should get the Zeo Crystal, and check everything out.^

"I agree. Did you call the guys?"

^Not yet. I figure you can get in touch with Jason, Tom, Adam and Zack. I've gotta catch a plane.^

"Uh, I don't think so," said Kim, "I...uh, I think you should call Tom."

^You're not speaking to him yet?! What, its been three years? Don't you think you're being a little...childish

?^

"Let's not discuss it, okay?" said Kim impatiently. "We should all meet in Angel Grove, at Jason's house, as soon as possible."

^Right. I already booked a flight to California on the internet. I'll call Tom at the airport, I guess.^

"Good. I'll see you then. Bye."

With that, Kim hung up the telephone, and then put on the intercom.

^Can I get you something, Mrs. Monroe?^

asked Kim's secretary's voice.

"Yes. Could you arrange for my plane to be ready for departure in about twenty minutes? Also, I'll need enough fuel for a cross country flight, no stops."

^Yes, Ma'am.^

Kim turned off the intercom and attached two yellow disks to the telephone. Like Katherine had done, Kimberly accessed the Ranger-Com system, and dialed up the number of long-time friend Jason Scott Lee.

Chapter Ten