Purge of Prometheus Read Online Free PDF Page B

team.
    “Remember,” she said, “stealth is the key.   Make yourself inconspicuous.”
    “Stealth,” they both replied in unison.
    Stepping out of the foliage, Keryn and her team slipped past the large stone buildings that marked the beginning of the city.   Miller’s Glen sprawled like a miniature metropolis; its stone buildings quickly gave way to the metal and glass structures that jutted from the center of the city in progressively taller and larger buildings.   To Keryn, they looked like demons clawing over one another on their way out of hell; their metal spires rose like hands reaching in vain toward the emerald sky.   The skies above the city were full of recreational crafts, flying in a carefully orchestrated three-dimensional overlay of airways.
    The entire city encompassed no more than two square miles, but the inhabitants packed as much activity into such a small space a possible.   Market stalls spread down the narrow streets as merchants hawked their wares.   Fabrics from all corners of the known universe stood proudly beside exotic fruits from distant home worlds.   Illegal Terran technology was brazenly displayed on the streets by sellers who had little to fear from Interstellar Alliance police forces; the police forces were rarely seen on planets so far removed from commonly traveled space.  
    Miller’s Glen had been founded as a melting pot of races interested in interspecies trade.   Merchants arrived in an amalgamation of ships, each representative of their home worlds and unique physiology.   After clearing away a patch of jungle, they established a trading village that catered not just to the legitimate merchants but to black market salesmen and smugglers.   What began as a small trader’s haven quickly grew as travelers near the Demilitarized Zone began spreading word of the potential wares available in the small jungle city.   The more the money flowed freely through the streets of Miller’s Glen, the larger the established stores.   Street stalls were moved into one story stone buildings; one story stone buildings were moved into glistening towers of metal and glass; and those in the glistening towers cared less and less about the quality of inhabitants living in the streets below.   The town, in essence, became the perfect hiding place for a traitorous smuggler like Cardax.
    “Give me an update,” Keryn said, smiling broadly as merchants flashed their wares from their street stalls.
    Adam glanced around, as though deciding what to buy from the nearby tradesmen.   “Majority of the populace is armed.   It appears that there are bodyguards located at the entrance to most storefronts.   Any frontal assaults here are suicidal.   Stealth will have to be the word of the day.”   Adam grimaced at his own recommendation.
    “Penchant?”   Keryn prodded the Lithid for his input.
    Penchant stared at the hypnotic dance of the small craft flittering overhead.   Above them, his faux blue eyes narrowing to see past the smaller ships, he could see the larger merchant vessels floating toward the far side of town like bloated insects.
    “The spaceport is located on the far side of town,” his coarse voice seemed out of place on his smooth Terran exterior.   “We can assume that Cardax landed there.   He wouldn’t travel far from his ship, knowing that he’s being pursued.   There are a couple bars and hotels in that area that would cater to Cardax’s tastes.”
    Keryn nodded in agreement and led her team through the densely packed streets.   They left the flowing shorter stone structures and entered into the cavernous streets of the financial section of town.   Though the large buildings blocked the sun, green light filtered down the street, reflected over and over again on the glass exteriors.   Here, the flamboyantly dressed merchants gave way to smartly dressed management.   The inhabitants of the center of the city consisted of those who had once found themselves