Divided Worlds Trilogy 01 - Disconnect Read Online Free PDF Page A

about? Did she know that Zachary had found her Intercom? How would she know that? Should he tell her?
    To his side, the area around the cracked hull was busy. The path to the ship was clear, and nobody knew he was here. Five minutes and he’d be back in his comfy seat. Even though he’d been caught out by this girl, there wasn’t an immediate risk to his safety. Instinct churned Zachary’s stomach. He walked under her home, studying the connective-joints without a trace of rust visible. Standing beside a black screen attached to a wide pillar, she gestured to him to stand ahead of her.
    “I’m Zachary,” he said, shuffling his feet at the called-for spot.
    “I didn’t ask,” snapped the girl. “Activate.”
    A thud fizzled above his head, then a dark shade materialised around him. He didn’t have to think hard to realise that she’d led him into a trap. “Hey – let me out of here.”
    “Not until you’ve answered some questions, trespasser.”
    Zachary huffed. He should’ve known better than to trust a female. She was no different from the women of Underworld; charming the weak with their conniving promises is all they offered. And he’d fallen for it.
    Fist tightened, he punched the edge of the near-invisible cell. A surge tickled his knuckles. He slammed another. This time a sharp jolt penetrated his arm.
    “The harder you try, the more it’ll hurt,” announced the girl. “We’ve got fifteen of these dotted around to catch intruders, like you.” Green eyes narrowed at him. “I’ll start again. Who sent you? And don’t you dare feed me any garbage about being with the repairers.”
    A circle gleamed overhead. That had to be the driver of the cell. Zachary reached for his screwdriver. Damn! It was in his coat pocket – at home. The lining of the crimson suit rustled under his curled fingers. She had him beat.
    “This isn’t fair. You didn’t give me a chance,” he protested.
    “I don’t care.”
    Zachary gripped the air in front of his head. “My dad’s up there cleaning your infected shell. I was meant to stay on the ship in the docking bay below. You can go and check if you don’t believe me. I snuck out because I wanted to see,” he paused for a moment, “Overworld.”
    “You’re from Underworld.” A stunned look filled her. “Nice try, snot-bag. Admit that you came here to finish off your game.”
    She removed an Intercom, similar to the one he’d found in the box, from her skirt pocket. “I should have told mother and father when my Raptor was stolen. I saw you that night, sneaking around while I sat on the balcony. You got me with the smoke bombs in the fields. One lapse and my Raptor’s gone, but what I don’t understand is why you needed it before attacking us? There are no secret messages on there.”
    “That wasn’t me.”
    One crease dominated the others on her brow. “I don’t know why you do it, or what you actually think you gain by protesting in Assayer. My father has kept himself from politics and the city for years. What have we done to deserve this? Why did you want to kill us?”
    Almost every muscle twitched on Zachary’s face.
    “Hit a nerve, have I? Believe me, when General Sokolov, who happens to be very good friends with my father, gets hold of you …” she sniggered. “There’s hardly enough skin on you to harm. They’ll probably mince your bones and eject you into outer space.”
    “Do you think I caused this? Do I look like a pirate to you?” Not that he knew what they resembled. “If you want to, go and speak to my dad. Over there, with the drills. He’ll tell you where we’re from.” He kicked a pebble forward. It bounced back off the cell’s barrier-wall.
    The girl studied him. “Thin. Very thin. Dirty.” Her weak guffaw strained. “You can’t be from Underworld. You’re not allowed. They’d never let your sort up here.”
    “ My sort? What do you mean by that?”
    “I didn’t mean it like that.” She cleared her throat.