SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

IT WILL HAPPEN ON THE THIRD TRY

"What?" I cried.

I decelerated my pace. The cute girl did the same.

"There was a change of plans!" she exclaimed, agitated.

We slowed down. Only two steps were keeping us apart.

I swallowed hard. Doubtful, I took a step forward.

"What's the matter?" I asked between puffs.

Vanessa took another step forward and we were now facing one another. We stared at each other with mouths wide open.

Suddenly, our hands met. They matched perfectly.

"The plan now is..."she finally whispered, "the plan..."

She didn't say more.

There wasn't anything left to say.

Of course, that was not the time or the place to start a romance.

The red lights, which were nothing else but guards sent to seize us—at best— should be touching ground in the cave. It should take them a couple of minutes, at the most, to take over the complex. On the other hand, a whole space shuttle was about to topple down right behind us, threatening a part of the building, to knock it down in the final collapse.

There was a high probability that it would be the one where we were standing on...

Therefore, it was urgent to postpone the romance and abandon the silo once and for all.

The latter proved to be the easy part.

I'm not exactly sure of how we got out of the gigantic cave, but now, we found ourselves in a cloud, floating miles away from that gloomy zone in the jungle.

It was a wonderful place, bathed with a golden light. Melissa was shining and she looked more beautiful than ever.

"Vanessa!" I muttered to the height of happiness, "I—"

"Get away from the light!" Darwin screamed all of a sudden. "They're shooting!"

And he knocked us down.

We fell straight from our personal heaven right on top of the building and tolled like bowling pins. I heard the gunshots nearby, but couldn't see anything, except for a bright spot.

I was dazzled.

"Vanessa!" I yelled, waving my arms desperately.

A thundering noise of vanes slipped into the vault. Nevertheless, I still managed to hear the voice of my beloved.

"Gordo! This way!"

I pivoted on my back and got up.

"I'm coming!" I said bewildered. I started to crawl frenetically following her voice. "Don't be afraid!" I added. "I'm coming!"

Even though I was groping in the dark, I guided myself unerringly by ear.

"That's not the way!" Darwin said. "This is the way!"

I stopped.

"Which way?" I shouted alarmed and tried to locate my companions. But the sparkle in my eyes persisted. "I can't see!" I'm blind!"

A hand tugged me under my arm and lifted me.

"It's me," Vanessa announced, pulling me. "Let's go"

I let her guide me without offering resistance, and set about a frenetic race blindly.

I didn't know where we were heading to. I only knew that we were moving targets crossing a shooting range. The impact of the bullets shattered the ground beneath our feet.