Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins Read Online Free PDF

then said to Elena, “Misses. Florian, stay put for a bit.”
    Porter needed a moment to talk to Phillip alone.  It was obvious enough, so Phillip went along.  The two of them walked back the way Porter had come.
    “What's up?”  Phillip asked when they were out of earshot.
    “You still want to go through with this?”  Porter had to try one last time.
    “You mean escape from Russia in a box?”  Phillip knew what he was asking so said, “Or do you mean, how can I disagree with what The One is doing?”
    “Tell me this, do they do more bad than good?”  Porter asked.
    “Not yet,” Phillip replied.  They stopped at the foreman's office, and Phillip peeked through the window.  He didn't expect anyone was inside, but he learned to expect the unexpected.  It was all very counter-intuitive spycraft.
    “And you think you can do more from the outside than on the inside?” Porter asked.
    “I'm angry, John,” Phillip stopped walking.  “I'm angry that I let it get this bad without noticing.  I'm a goddamn spy, and I didn't see this coming.  But I see where it's going, and I have to do something to change the course.  It's one thing to fight a war in someone else's backyard.  It's another to fight it at home, and you and I both know that when this gets bad it's going to be global.  Civilians versus Super-Humans.  Super-Humans versus Super-Humans.  The military versus Super-Humans.”
    “And I think I can fix it,” Porter said, “and I wouldn't mind some help.  I already have an idea.”
    An enormous man, nearly seven feet tall with dark skin, came out of the shadows.  It was impossible to believe that someone of his size could have snuck up on them.
    In a deep voice he said, “To stop any force you need an equal and opposite force.  To turn it back, you need something more.”
    “Or the planning to deflect it,” Porter retorted.
    “We'll leave that up to you,” the big man said.  “The people I work for have their plans and no one gets very far by dividing their efforts.”  He came closer and put out his hand.  “People like to call me The Dragon Slayer.”
    Porter shook his hand.  “Yes, I know, I was there.  It's hard to imagine the man who killed a Red Iron General can get around without being noticed.”
    “I would say the same thing about the famous Major Porter and the infamous Lieutenant Green,” The Dragon Slayer said.  “Phillip, let’s see the woman.  I need a word with you.”
    Porter took the hint and let them go.  He wasn't exactly sure why he was waiting around.  His part was over, and they'd disappear with the woman.  Maybe it was sentimentality.  Phillip had been his go-to-man throughout the war.  If Porter wanted troop movements, the position of a Red Iron Colonel or a Russian official to look the other way, Phillip was the one who could do it.  There was a mutual admiration and trust between them.  Thinking about it now, he supposed that Phillip was one of the few people he could call a friend.
    When he spotted Phillip walking back towards him, he waited.  The Dragon Slayer wasn't with him, and he wondered what had happened.  As Phillip got closer, Porter could see that he was smiling.
    “Let's go,” Phillip said.
    “What, they reject your application?”  Porter asked.
    “No,” Phillip replied, “he made a convincing argument.”
    The two of them left the warehouse and closed the door behind them.  Then they got into Porter's car and sat for a moment.
    “Sergeant Deacon-Slater didn't seem like the type of man to change opinions,” Porter said.
    “DS, always knows what he wants to do,” Phillip said.  “The guys pulling the strings are the ones that make it complicated.”
    “You can stop there,” Porter said starting up the car.  “Tell me plain and simple, you staying at The One?”
    “As long as I can stand it,” Phillip replied.
    “How are you going to explain showing up in New York?” Porter sped through the dock.  The fog