Mako (The Mako Saga: Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

prepared to throw all of that away on account of five strangers who may or may not be able to make a snap decision in the middle of a firefight. We’re too close to going home.”
    “Oh, I’m well aware of your objections to the Sygarious protocol, just as I’m also aware that the leaking of its existence onto the net was a direct result of your decision to send unauthorized personnel into my simulation. You had no right to deploy your people, Keith. That was a blatant violation of internal security and given everything that’s at stake here, you of all people should’ve known better.”
    “Stop your whining! It’s my job to put your software to the test. I make no apologies for my methods, and besides, all of this could’ve been avoided if you’d been more open with me in the beginning.”
    “The Sygarious protocol is a crucial component of this project’s success—perhaps even the key—because it will reveal to us the character of this team. We already know all that we need to about their skill, which is obviously beyond compare; but when everything is on the line, are they able to look past the mission and risk everything they’ve worked for to do what’s right? That is precisely what this protocol is designed to tell us, but it only works if the initial choice is an instinctive one. That’s why keeping those prisoners a secret is so incredibly vital, and your actions last week may have compromised that.”
    “Relax, Doctor. We saw to our mess. There is no trace of your precious protocol anywhere on their Internet. We’re clean.”
    “I hope so, Sgt. Major, because if there is one thing that you and I can agree on, it’s that we’re almost out of time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have preparations to finalize before their launch at 20:00.”
    “ Fine . Go tend to your beloved simulation. This whole project is just a waste of time anyway.”
     

Chapter 3: Game Changer
    Shortly after his final class, Lee hung a right onto North Main Street toward the tiny, weather-worn townhouse that he’d called home for over a year now. Tucked away in an aging community off of Railroad Court—roughly three miles past the old Evergreen Cemetery—the place had little to offer in the way of lavish comfort. Dank and dingy, with peeling paint, fried shag carpet, and boasting a floorplan that was all but devoid of natural light, Danny had likened it to a dungeon during his first visit. Truth be told, if the lingering fragrance of cigarettes and kitty litter from the previous tenant were any indication, the comparison was probably spot on. Still, with no need for roommates at such a bargain basement price, it was his dungeon and his alone; and at a time in his life when peace and quiet was everything, he would take it.
    Bringing the CJ to rest above the newest collection of weeds in his cracking driveway, Lee hopped out just in time to notice a sizable patch of gray forming overhead. Having no desire for a wet-seated ride to work in the morning, he retrieved the Jeep’s soft top from the floor board, buttoned it down over the vehicle’s roll cage, and kicked someone’s empty beer can out of his overgrown lawn en route to the front door.
    Pushing inside ahead of the initial sprinkle, Lee tossed his briefcase and keys on the small oak dining table to his right, surveyed the wilderness of trash, cereal boxes, and dirty dishes to his left, and frowned.
    “Kitchen first or laundry?” he weighed. Then, remembering the blimp-sized hamper awaiting his attention upstairs (and wanting no part of a commando day at work tomorrow) he headed for the bedroom.
    Two and a half hours later, having temporarily masked the smells of Marlboros and Tidy Cat with those of ammonia and chemically-manufactured pine, Lee made one final towel-pass over his kitchen’s now-sparkling countertops, just in time to see the display on his cell phone light up with an incoming text.
    “Oh, you’d better not be bailin’ on me, Hamish,” Lee