Banished Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page B

for. We were surrounded by a crowd of men and women even before the shields dropped and released us, and they were armed with clubs and some very nasty looking edged weapons.
    “All of you listen up. You are now workers for The Highman. Your obedience in this matter is expected, nothing else will be accepted.” The man that spoke to our group stood facing Roberts. He was a dirty, little, bald man with a number of scars that covered his scalp.
    “What’s this, forced work, are you crazy?” one of Nelson’s agents said back to the speaker.
    The bald man turned to the agent. “You’re his property now, yes. Shut up and listen.” The bald man thought the conversation was over and half turned to one of the other men with him. “Seven new workers for red section, tell the office.”
    “Go to hell, I’m not working for you, or this other guy you’re talking about,” the agent said to the bald man’s back.
    The bald man turned, pulled out a long, rusty looking knife and pointed it at the agent. The bald man held the weapon out at shoulders length.
    “There are no weapons on Tirus,” Roberts whispered to me.
    “Get that out of my face before I stuff it down your throat,” the agent told the bald man.
    In one smooth, practiced motion, the bald man jabbed the agent through the throat. Since he had not expected it, the agent did not even try to move. “Tell the office six new workers for red section.”
    A slide window opened at what must be the office they were talking about. “Hey, Bender needs two bodies for the demolition team,” yelled a woman at the window.
    The bald man nodded and looked to our group. “You,” he pointed at me. “And you.” He pointed to the older female agent with us. “Go into that office and wait until you’re told what to do.”
    “Thanks, at least you didn’t put me with this one,” I said to the bald man.
    “Wait.” He pointed to the older female agent. “You stay.” He pulled Roberts from the platform and pushed her in my direction. “You got anything more to say now?”
    I grabbed Roberts arm and walked off to the office. I could hear him laugh.

CHAPTER 3
     
    Roberts and I entered the door to the office.
    “Hey, who told you to be on my floor, get over there until Bender wants you!” the old woman yelled, the instant we entered the office. She pointed at a dirty mat across the room near a second door.
    I could see it in Roberts’ eyes. She was about to comment when I jerked her by the arm onto the mat. “Sorry, it won’t happen again,” I told the old woman.
    The old woman pressed a button on her desk and the speakers crackled to life. “Bender, I got your two new workers.” She clicked the system back off.
    The mat was not that large which put Roberts and me close, too close for her comfort. She tried to shift position and almost stepped off of the mat. We couldn’t have that so I grabbed her by the belt and pulled her close. “Stop moving,” I ordered in a very low voice. “They killed the other guy for talking, what makes you think they won’t kill us?”
    Roberts looked sideways at me, but she did stop moving. We stood there for well over an hour with no one talking to us, no one watching us directly, but I had the vibe that if we moved off of the mat we would be the center of attention.
    The second door, the one near us, popped open, and in strolled this man in dirty coveralls and muddy boots. He walked straight to the old woman’s desk and bent over it. Bits of debris fell from his clothes onto her papers. “So, Alice, how’s my favorite girl today?”
    “Your two workers are over there. Don’t let them get my floor dirty,” she told the man that had just muddied it up.
    “Okay, Alice, I’ll see what I can do.” He straightened up from talking to her and turned to us.
    I got a glance, but his eyes stopped on Roberts.
    “Hello, I’m Tim, but everyone calls me Bender.” He walked over to Roberts. “You’re with me now, let me show you