Read Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet for Free Online Page A

Trucon. We’ll grab some breakfast and look around. Maybe we can find something that’ll jog your memory.”
    â€œWon’t Mina just find you and bring us back?”
    â€œShe always does.”
    â€œAnd then I’ll get in trouble.”
    Parker made a face. “She’s an android. How much trouble do you think you can get into?”
    â€œUh, for starters she can lock me back in this room.”
    â€œWhich she will,” said Parker with a shrug. “But this is your one chance to escape for a little while and do some searching of your own. Do you really want to stay locked in here for the next week?”
    It was a simple enough decision. Mina and Dr. Silvestri weren’t going anywhere—he’d still have the chance to learn what his connection to Asa Kaplan was when the time came. Besides, Mina wouldn’t even be able to contact Asa for at least another day, and this would give Chase a chance to ask Parker what he knew about his mysterious guardian. He was willing to live with a little scolding for the possibility of unlocking even a tiny portion of his memory.
    Chase threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. “Wait. Are we going to have to teleport?”
    â€œNever. I’ve got a much better plan. Now put on something besides those dumb pajamas and meet me in the hall.”
    Digging up some jeans and a clean shirt from a closet Parker pointed out, Chase dressed quickly, a small smile on his face. He couldn’t believe that Parker had reached out to help him. At last he’d realized that Chase needed something more than virtual piloting games.
    Parker was waiting for him in the foyer, and Chase followed him downstairs, where at the end of the hall they came to a bright, cavernous chamber at least three times the size of the living room. In the middle of the chamber, a long silver rectangle of a machine rested on squat metal legs. A row of nozzles lined each side of the craft, and the end facing them was made up almost entirely of a wide, reflective window.
    â€œEver seen one of these babies?” Parker asked, smacking the shiny metal.
    â€œUm…” Chase wasn’t sure how to answer that. Of course not? Probably?
    â€œIt’s a Pentagalactic Starjumper, elite class.” Parker pulled a slim metal card from within his jacket with a triumphant flourish.
    Chase took in every detail of the vehicle, from the outlines of different access panels that covered its long sides, to the small yellow sign marked Cargo Egress above a door near the back. Everything about the Starjumper felt completely foreign to him. “You’re allowed to take it out?”
    â€œHe who hacks the drivekey has the right to pilot.” Parker pushed the card into a slot on the side of the vehicle, and an adjacent door popped free with a hiss and slid open.
    â€œDo you know how?”
    In response, Parker rolled his eyes before jumping up into the vehicle.
    By the time Chase climbed inside, Parker was already in the pilot’s seat. His fingers flew over a glowing console screen under the window, scrolling through lists and moving different information windows across the screen. The door slid closed.
    â€œDoor is closed,” a neutral voice confirmed.
    â€œUgh,” muttered Parker. “Why does she always leave the operational voice on?”
    â€œAccessing CFC. CFC online,” said the voice.
    â€œCFC?” asked Chase.
    â€œCoordinated Flight Channels,” said Parker as he typed on the console. “It’s the planet’s central navigating system. You type in where you want to go, and the CFC slots you into the traffic streams and takes you there.” He flicked through a few windows before leaning back in his seat, and looked over, his eyes dancing. “Are you ready? Lords, this is awesome. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages.”
    â€œPlotting course,” said the neutral voice. “Preparing to exit defense