Justice Read Online Free PDF Page B

for
nothing. She shuffled out of the bar room and left the clinking
glasses and loud voices far behind.
     
    ***
     
    The next day
was uneventful. Most people, Jack included, spent the morning
sleeping off the revelries of the night before. The rest were busy
with preparations for the big ceremony. The main conference room
had been decorated for the occasion with a stage in the centre and
the rest of the space cleared for guests.
    Sometime
before the ceremony Nova took up her place by the stage, wearing
simple clothing and her security badge pinned to her chest. She was
sure to get a position where she could keep one eye on the crowd
and one on the President at all times. She had already checked and
rechecked her gun, so now all that was left was to wait and
watch.
    The crowd
gradually grew as the night went on. Mostly they seemed like bored
dignitaries; not the type to shoot a president, Nova thought.
    A hush fell
over the crowd as a side door opened and a tall man with black
hair, greying at the temples, emerged. He walked with long steps
and smiled and waved at the cheering crowd as he went up the stairs
two at a time to the wide stage.
    Walking behind
President Geron Feders, and out of the spotlight, was a woman. She
was past middle-age with brown hair that bounced around her
shoulders without a single sign of greying. Nova wasn’t surprised -
almost all rich women had their hair replaced before any grey began
to show. The woman wore makeup that glistened in the bright lights
of the hall and her arms were weighed down with shiny
jewellery.
    Nova
recognised the woman as Meaghan Feders, Geron’s wife. The woman
walked with stiff formality and didn’t look at the crowd as she
strode across the stage and took a seat next to Geron. Geron
continued to smile and wave at the crowd.
    The next
figure to emerge from the side door was a younger man, the elusive
Dustin Feders. Nova recognised him straight away as Geron’s son.
They had the same jet black hair, although Dustin’s had no hint of
grey. Dustin’s face was serious, with a slight sneer curling his
lips. Unlike his father, Dustin did not sport a formal suit, but
wore tattered jeans and shirt. The boy sauntered across the stage,
ignoring the crowd. He took a seat on the other side of Geron, as
far from Meaghan as he could. During Nova’s research for the
mission it had become clear that Dustin was no fan of his
step-mother and the feeling was mutual.
    When the
family was seated, Geron stood up and walked to the centre of the
stage.
    “ Good evening friends and colleagues,” Geron’s voice projected
across the room thanks to the tiny microphone attached to the back
of his teeth.
    There was a
massive cheer from the crowd, clearly President Feders had many
fans already on Drigoon. It was no surprise really; his
terraforming project had made many of those gathered here today
rich.
    “ I would like to welcome you all to the new and improved
Drigoon.”
    Another cheer
went up.
    “ I’m sure you’ll all agree that life inside the dome is
nothing but pleasant.”
    A lot of
clapping accompanied this statement and he had to wave his hand to
quieten the crowd again.
    “ There are many people I need to thank for the success of the
terraforming project.”
    Geron’s voice
continued to drone on but Nova paid it little attention, instead
she gazed out at the crowd. Mostly they seemed fixated on his words
and there were no suspicious movements amongst the ranks.
    The sound of a
thunderstorm outside the dome became louder, thunder rolling across
the sky. Through a small window, Nova watched trees get torn from
the ground and tossed through the air. Inside, the dome remained
still. The howling could only just be made out over the crowd, but
it was there, just at the edge of Nova’s hearing. She could picture
the rain pelting down on the green mass which made up most of
Drigoon. A part of her wondered what the bile-spitting plants did
when the storms came.
    Her gaze slid
back to