Emergence (Fox Meridian Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

that.’
    ‘Inflicting gunshot wounds without feeling guilty.’
    ‘I have not been in a shootout in over a year.’
    ‘You poor baby.’
    ‘I do miss the shootouts,’ Pascal agreed wistfully.
    ‘I don’t even routinely carry a gun!’ Gaby wailed.
    Monique rolled her eyes. ‘Police officers should be locked up for the safety of the general populace.’
    Fox narrowed her eyes. ‘We’d just shoot our way out.’
    ~~~
    ‘You are seriously telling me that Jackson Martins packed guidance electronics and an infrared optical system into a ten-mil projectile?’ Gaby was holding one of the rounds from Fox’s pistol and staring at it as though it could not possibly be there.
    ‘Pretty much my reaction,’ Fox replied, ‘but, yes, he did. Haven’t actually had to use many of the homing rounds, which is good because they cost a fortune, relatively. Mostly it’s short-range stuff and the magnetic accelerator takes care of that. But it’s a snap to get a lock and if you’re not using homing, the rounds have a flat trajectory out to a thousand metres because of the rocket motors. Then you have a choice of warheads, from less-than-lethal to smart-forged, multi-purpose explosive.’
    ‘That is so cool. Positively pearlescent.’
    ‘You are, I think, a little more enthusiastic about guns than my husband,’ Monique commented.
    ‘Ex-Army. You should see the assault carbines Jackson’s people designed based on the Gauss pistol he built for me. And the heavy stuff! Which I can’t talk about because it’s still secret, but… Wow!’
    ‘And yet you said that you were pushing for police to carry non-lethal weapons.’
    ‘The electrolasers? That’s just common sense. And they can give a lethal shock if required, but it’s viable to use them as a standard sidearm which incapacitates rather than kills. If you have that option, then it should be the default. Projectile weapons should be deployed for specific circumstances. Also, I may not eat until New Year.’
    Monique laughed. They had retired to the lounge with glasses of wine and the probability that they would chat and drink until they fell into a stupor. Fox was warm, full, and developing a nice buzz: she suspected unconsciousness might claim her quite quickly.
    ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it,’ Monique said. ‘It takes a while to get ready, so it’s always nice when it’s appreciated.’
    ‘It was appreciated. Even if I can’t actually move.’
    ‘Moving is overrated,’ Jason commented.
    ‘Have to eventually. If I forget to say this before I go, this has been great. I was so nervous and you’ve all been so nice. Even Kit’s had a good time. Thank you.’
    ‘Our pleasure,’ Monique said.
    ‘Any woman who can get Jason to stop working long enough to pay her any attention is worth meeting,’ Pascal added.
    ‘I was expecting you to be some sort of sorceress for pulling that trick off,’ Gaby said.
    ‘I am not that bad,’ Jason grumbled. There was a second or so of silence. ‘All right, perhaps I am, but you don’t have to point it out so vigorously.’
    ‘Yes,’ Monique said, ‘we do. You might relapse without constant reminders.’
    ‘I’m feeling put-upon.’
    Fox leaned over and patted his hand. ‘Big, strong man like you? I’m sure you’ll cope.’
    New York Metro, 26 th December.
    It was around five p.m. before Fox made it into Sam’s lounge. She had managed to get home not long after two, but then she had called Jason just to let him know that she had arrived safely, and had ended up in a teleconference chat with his family. There was still some snow on the ground in Toronto while New York was sitting under a glowering blanket of cloud, which was keeping the temperature well above freezing, so that had required discussion as part of the ‘how did the journey go’ conversation.
    Then there had been a shower, because travelling often made Fox feel a little grimy, and a change of clothes, and then she had felt ready to be among humans