Diggers: The Sharp Edge of the Universe
Read Diggers: The Sharp Edge of the Universe Online
Authors: Shannon Heather,Jerrett James
Diggers
The Sharp Edge of the Universe
Jerrett James and Shannon Heather
Copyright 2012 © Jerrett James and Shannon Heather
Kindle Edition
Kindle Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the Amazon site and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, business, companies, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-939153-02-9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book wouldn't have been possible without the help for these fantastic people:
*Paula Silici, Pro-edits—
thank
you for never getting tired of reading our manuscripts.
*Robin Ludwig, Robin Ludwig Design—
thank
you for your patience with us while we muddled through ideas for the cover.
*Amanda Lewis—
thank
you for the final edit and book formatting. The words wouldn't see paper without your formatting skills.
Jerrett
Big thanks to Kris M. and Margie C. for the suggestions and editing help. Thank you to all the people along the way that helped me to form my creativity by just being you. Thanks Shannon, for pushing me along, and all the wonderful ideas that you brought to the story.
Shannon
Thank you, Jerrett, for sharing your story idea with me, and for trusting me to partner with yo
u to write this story.
Jerrett
For my Mom.
Thank you for always believing in me and helping me navigate life.
For Shannon Heather.
We went back and forth on a book idea and the next thing I knew we were a chapter into the writing. You are a fantastic writer and creative genius. Thank you for all you have done!
Shannon
For my Mom.
I miss you every single day. I am so lucky to call you Mom,
and I feel your love
.
For Jerrett James.
I remember the day you told me about this idea you had for a book. We ended up going back and forth for hours
coming up with
ideas. I can't think of a better person to share this writing journey with than you. T
hanks for being a great friend.
Table of Contents
Chapter 3: Roller Coasters and Bullies
Chapter 5: The Science Lab Invader
Chapter 6: Field Trip of Death
Chapter 9: Busted—Galaxy Sized
Chapter 10: The Galactic Quake
Chapter 11: Technically Speaking—Totally Illegal
Chapter 16: Attack of the Blobs
Chapter 17: Microscopic Problem
Chapter 19: Lost in Translation
Chapter 22: Greetings and Salutations
Chapter 26: A Blast of a Family Reunion
C
hapter 1: Sneaky Noodle
Finn wiped away the fog his breath formed on the gigantic glass window. Peering in, he searched the room.
There it was.
The new vial sat under the only light in the massive room, like a glorious trophy honoring a hero.
Finn dragged his gaze off the vial and glanced down both sides of the hallway. He inched along the wall to the door, and waved the security card in front of the sensor.
The door slid open, and ELAINA—the Electronic Linguistic and Interface Navigation Assistant—said, “Hello, Mrs. Margaret O’Reilly.”
Finn crouched down and made his way through the rows of lab stools and tall desks over to the new vial. He really didn't need the glow from the spotlight on the new discovery to help him find his way. He’d crawled through this maze so many times he could have done it with his eyes closed.
Finn had made a copy of his mom’s security key years ago when he’d first started sneaking into the Science Laboratory. As far as he was concerned, being able to go anywhere on the entire Space Station seemed like the only perk to his mom’s job as head of Janitorial Services. He’d been to nearly every corner of the fourteen square miles of the Space Station
Vortex
, but this one room remained his first love—his only real love.
Finn reached the table holding the vial. He checked the large window one last time to make sure no one looked in as they passed by, and snapping up the vial, he almost sent it crashing to the floor.
“Whoa!” He juggled the vial, finally grasping it inches from the floor.
He hadn’t been ready for the flakes of metal inside the small, transparent tube to be so incredibly heavy, and his heart pounded against his ribs as he gripped it tighter.
All he wanted to do tonight was find out what the famous lead Scientist, Lee Fishborne, had decided to name the new discovery. Scientists named every new discovery, and, by Finn’s estimation, Mr. Fishborne had named half the Milky Way.
Finn closed his eyes and rotated the vial. When the paper label slid under his fingers, he popped open his eyes.
“Mikaylimide,” Finn whispered, reading the name.
“Ah, geez.”
He punched the air, and the tiny vessel almost fell from his grip once again. He drew it close and cradled it in his lap.
Of course.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Mr. Fishborne had named half the items he’d discovered after his daughter, Mikayla, the blonde girl almost every boy on the Space Station liked. Finn had never even spoken two words to her, but he knew he’d hate her if he ever got the chance to know her—which he hoped would never happen.
He’d watched her in action on the entertainment deck a few times. She always touched her hair and told her friends what to do, and they all listened, just like everyone always listened to Mr. Fishborne. The only difference between Mikayla and her father was that Mikayla annoyed Finn and her father didn't, because Lee Fishborne happened to be amazing. Mikayla studied in the Science Journeyman program, but Finn wondered if she even liked science. When she stood next to her father, his newest discovery, and Captain Windblown, she always seemed so bored in the holopictures Finn had seen.
He could think of at least a dozen discoveries named after her without even cracking open a science journal. For instance, the Mikanimarus, on a moon circling the planet Dadma, were strange amphibious animals the size of whales. Then there was the tribe of humanoids named the Mikaylahaylas on Orr. They reminded Finn of Mikayla the most because they ran around beating trees with wooden spatulas and yelling at the other tribe members. Mount Mikayla on the water-covered planet of Calipsodrammida
erupted
sour, fart-smelling gas. Princess Mikayla was a nine-mile-wide moon orbiting the asteroid Oma.
Finn caught himself wondering what it would be like to have half the universe named after him and felt embarrassment burn his checks.
“Noodligamus,” he whispered.
His brother Quinn would’ve loved to have yet another reason to make fun of him. Finn had received the nickname Noodle the day he was born, because Quinn thought he looked just like a scrawny, wiggly noodle. The nickname only drew in snickers and jabs among the Space Diggers. Quinn’s nickname, Bear, proved to be a much more respectable name for an eleventh-generation Digger.
Finn had long ago decided he would name the first thing he discovered after his fish, Quigley. Always the perfect friend, Quigley remained quiet, and he listened to everything Finn told him. Quigley never tattled on Finn when he’d ditched Digger classes. Quigley never interrupted when Finn told him about all the neat stuff he’d seen on the Space Station during his explorations.
Finn would name his second discovery after his ginger cat, Jasper, the only other living creature to see more of the Space Station than Finn. His mom had to stop in the middle of her shift at least once a week to bring Jasper home from some dark corner of the Space Station, and they’d lost count how many times they’d posted “Lost Cat” alerts.
Knock. Knock
.
Finn and the new vial of Mikaylimide went flying into the air. He grabbed the vial seconds before it smashed to the ground. Shaking from head to toe, he wiped away the sudden burst of sweat forming on his forehead.
Slowly, Finn looked up to see who had caught him.
Chapter 2: Slide Show
An auburn mop of hair atop a face so thick with freckles they reminded Finn of his brother’s zit-infested one, peered through the window at him. Reggie Waddington waved,
then
wiped his drippy nose with the back of each hand. Finn’s best human friend, Reggie, stood at least a foot taller than Finn.
Ignoring the surge of adrenaline, Finn carefully laid the vial back in its spotlight, then headed out the door.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Margaret O’Reilly.” ELAINA voiced as the door whooshed shut behind him.
“Heya, Reg. That stuff’s the new metal Mr. Fishborne discovered on that moon.” Finn pointed toward the glorious new discovery beyond the window. The metal sat under the light, a shining beacon letting everyone who passed by the window know that Lee Fishborne had made yet another great new discovery.
“Scientists didn’t find it,” Reggie said. “Diggers did.”
Reggie loved being a Digger. He’d been in the Digger Journeyman Program for two years and was slated to graduate as the youngest Certified Digger ever, at almost fourteen years old. This wasn’t good news for Finn. Since Finn’s last failed attempt at getting into the program, all his dad would talk about was “Reggie this” and “Reggie that.” At the rate Reggie progressed, he might even beat Quinn in all things Digger-related.
“Diggers dug the hole. The Scientists discovered the metal.” Finn mashed his hand in his pocket and kept the rest of what he wanted to say to himself.
“Not how it happened,” Reggie disagreed, shaking his head.
Reggie hardly ever talked, and when he did it was only about digging. His version of who made a discovery always leaned toward Diggers. The way Reggie made Diggers
sound,
a stranger would think being a Digger held the best job on the
Vortex
.
