Epic: Book 03 - Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

was following her own path. Her path was bringing her back there, to the coldness of the place that she’d left—to the bowels of sin. Whatever redemption she hoped she would find, she would have to find it alone.

    It wasn’t evening, but it didn’t matter. Scott laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes to the rest of the world. He fell quietly to sleep.
    Nicole’s picture stayed on his chest.



3

    Saturday, November 5 th , 0011 NE
    2100 hours

    EDEN Command

    “ And with that, our week comes to an outstanding end. You are now free men and women!” As President Pauling stepped from the podium, the audience rose with applause. The auditorium lights brightened.
    It was the end of a roller-coaster week. Every year, during the opening days of November, the Global EDEN Conference—the gec—was held. It was always at EDEN Command. Dignitaries from around the globe were invited to attend, along with every top official within the organization. The chance to take a blind flight into the most important facility on the planet was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it came every year.
    This year’s gec was especially intriguing. Announcements deluged the conference, from the fast-approaching opening of Sydney to the promise of an arsenal upgrade. It was revealed that the Advanced Defensive Fighter—the Vindicator—would finally be replaced with something new: the adf-2 Superwolf. The craft would be the first to be reverse-engineered from alien technology, straight from the Bakmanese Courier fighter. It would revolutionize air superiority.
    Not even Judge Torokin was bored at the event. The week had been enjoyable for the Russian judge. Such weeks were few and far between. Here, he got to meet diplomats from the world over—people who actually mattered. He shook hands with the president of Russia and shared drinks with the emperor of Japan. More importantly, he shook hands with men. Real men, as he perceived them. EDEN veterans whose bodies were scarred, and generals who’d actually fought.
    General Bastiaan Platis was among them. Platis knew Torokin well. Though the two had never fought side by side, they had reason to call each other friends. Vector Squad, Torokin’s former unit, was garrisoned at Berlin , and Platis was their regional general.
    Regional generals differed from base generals. The former monitored areas of the globe instead of the operation of an actual facility. Platis’s area was in eastern Europe. Though not directly connected with Berlin , he’d coordinated Vector Squad many times. For that, he’d earned Torokin’s trust.
    General Platis was a purist. He was a Greek historian through and through. He was larger than Torokin, but by no means a brute. His hair neatly rounded his head, showing a slight trace of receding. His salt-and-pepper beard matched it well.
    Platis was one of the few generals who had his own platoon: the Agema. Though not as renowned as Vector Squad, it was still a force to be reckoned with. They were an unusually designed group. Every soldier in its ranks was a Greek.
    As the general approached him, Torokin said, “I suppose this is goodbye.”
    Platis shook the Russian’s hand. “I suppose it is.” English was the only common language the two men shared. “Was today what you spoke of when you talked about politics?”
    The ex-Vector laughed. “Yes, it was. Today was not so bad. But usually, this kind of talk puts me to sleep.” The last day had been all about Archer. Aside from formally introducing himself, he’d announced to the world his new proposal—his amendment to EDEN protocol regarding interceptions.
    “ I do not understand how you survive it,” Platis said. “There was so much bureaucracy today.”
    “ It can be frustrating, I assure you. Sometimes I want to kill everyone.”
    “ Where is Judge Grinkov?”
    Torokin looked through the auditorium’s crowd. “I did not see him this evening.” He was sure Grinkov was there somewhere. He turned