IGNITION

Chapter Seven

“Takamada Mioko. We will have the hatch open wither you assist, or we use the rescue lever it doesn’t matter. I give you three minutes. If you refuse I promise you that your death will be very very slow.”

Mioko swallowed, she’d already peed in her worksuit. In nine minutes the window opened and there was no way she could cause her rocket to explode from the capsule. Maybe a pilot could, but it was certain he was dead already. With a scream of frustration she started adjusting switches. According to the emergency protocols there was one way...

Outside the man who had been calmly talking suddenly paled as deep below him three was a sudden sparkling. “She’s trying to blow it up. Release the virus, it must survive.” His men acted instantly, ripping open Styrofoam cases they yanked out teardrop shaped plastic canisters. Each man smashed the fat end against something hard before throwing it as far as they could. They knew that were already dead, so let the world follow them.

Ogre the sea miles from the pad a flight of self defense aircraft were one the outbound leg of their orbit when Mioko made her insane choice. “Falcon leader to Command. Something going on. Bird has lit, I repeat bird has lit.” Still on the outbound swing of their flight the attack group was two minutes away from their target. A target launching long before expected. Even knowing that he was too far out of position Falcon One turned his flight towards the slowly lifting rocket.

Aboard the rocket Mioko Takamada felt a great hand trying to crush her. She fought for breath, screamed and voided herself. Everything someone frightened beyond reason could be expected to do. Gaining speed rapidly her rocket quickly left the pad far behind, along with nearly twenty vaporized bodies. As it clawed its way towards space a half dozen heat seeking missiles followed. Launched just in range they closed at mach six. Impact would be devastating, unforgiving and unavoidable.

Impact was in just over three minutes..