Breakout Read Online Free PDF Page B

ridiculous, primitive thought, because Silence was
not
death incarnate, just a madwoman given too much power inside Perdition. But the idea rooted inside his brain, digging in like a barbed parasite to keep common sense from dislodging it.
    He glanced over at Dred, but he couldn’t read her expression in the half-light. Jael jerked his head, silently telling her they needed to move on. She agreed with a lift of her chin, and they both came away from the vent. He headed down, as they were bound for the recharge closet where the cleaning units went to power up. Their team had received the primary task of finding parts for RC-17, and in all honesty, Jael didn’t mind. He looked forward to following the bot although it would be dangerous. Droids didn’t think about opposition or danger; they just took the most direct route. So Ike’s caches would probably be the riskiest mission.
    Fine by me.
    They didn’t speak until they had put a fair amount of distance behind them, then Dred signaled her desire to pause by tapping his ankle. He couldn’t turn fully because the ducts had narrowed, but he glanced over his shoulder.
    â€œYou all right?”
    â€œJust . . . spooked.” The somber tone told him he hadn’t been alone in what he felt, watching those crazy, tongueless bastards.
    â€œIt’s different now,” he said.
    â€œWith what she did to Queensland . . . she seems larger than life. I’ve been afraid before, but . . . not quite like this.” The words were barely a whisper, and they roused an answering prickle of gooseflesh on his arms.
    â€œI know. There’s run-of-the-mill evil, like Priest and Mungo. And then there’s Silence.”
    â€œIt’s like she can do worse than kill me. Rationally, I know that’s not true—”
    â€œBut it’s uncanny the way she’s last one still standing, moving through the carnage.” He didn’t say it out loud, but he thought,
Like Death itself.
    Dred nodded. “I’m still here, too, but I’m not the Dread Queen anymore.”
    â€œIf it’s any consolation, I don’t miss her.”
    â€œMe either,” she whispered.
    There was no space to touch her as he wanted to, and it wasn’t the time anyway, so Jael continued on. They slid out of the ducts near the closet, but when he opened it, there were no droids plugged in. He choked out a curse. It was impossible to predict when a bot would come back, and it was dangerous to wait out in the open. They desperately needed some intel about how many men Silence had left, how often they patrolled, and where, but with manpower as scarce as it had become on their end, recon had to wait.
    â€œBack up?” Dred whispered.
    He nodded. This time, they found a way in that gave them vantage over their target, so they’d know when a bot returned. He’d just finished fitting the vent panel in place behind them when he heard the familiar, shuffling sound of Silence’s men. From her expression, Dred registered it, too, and she practically stopped breathing. The fact that her killers were roving freely must signify that she believed herself the undisputed ruler of Perdition.
    When they rounded the corner and came into sight, he stifled a surprised sound. This group was huge, compared to the usual numbers, ten this time, and horror jolted through him like lightning when he realized they were carrying a human-sized bundle. They’d wrapped their captive in dark fabric, so he couldn’t tell anything about the person, but the worst part was, he or she was still moving, thrashing against his bonds.
    Who is that? And why the hell would Silence want someone taken alive?
    Dred’s eyes were wide with the same question. She tilted her head, asking with that gesture if they should intervene.
It might be one of ours.
Quickly, he calculated the odds. With a sneak attack, they could probably take them though Dred