Rath's Gambit (The Janus Group Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

on a misdemeanor a day or two from now, so just bide your time, we’ll all keep a close eye on him, and you can nab him when he gets out.”
    “Thanks,” the woman said.
    “Don’t fucking thank me,” the cop spat. “This is way outside of what I agreed to do for your bosses. Just tell them there better be some real money in my account when this is over.”
    They saw the pod a minute later, drifting down on three large parachutes, looking strangely out of place amidst the skyscrapers of the city center. Ahead, the waiting police cars and ambulance had cordoned off a wide section of the street, creating a makeshift landing zone. They parked just as the pod touched down, tilting onto one side, the parachutes collapsing gracefully around it.
    The man and woman got out of the car, watching as their driver ducked under a section of police tape and joined three other police.
    “Headquarters: guidance, please,” the woman requested.
     , the reply appeared in her heads-up display. She sighed. The police had approached the pod and were trying to figure out how to open the hatch from the outside. A small crowd had gathered around the fringes of the cordon, watching the activity with interest.
    “What’s the update on the security gate?” the man in the security guard uniform asked.
    “Good question,” the woman told him. “Headquarters?”
    “All passengers and crew are off, no one matched the implants or body type profile of 621.”
    “Must be in the pod,” the man noted.
    The police working on the hatch found the release lever. Two of them stood back, hands resting on their holstered pistols. The third yanked on the lever and the hatch swung free on its hinge.
    The pod was empty.
    “Son of a bitch,” the woman said. She traded a look with the other contractor, and then both turned and disappeared into the crowd.
     
    * * *
     
    Director Nkosi tapped a key embedded on her desk’s glass surface. “Send in Supervisor Altaras.”
    “One moment,” the receptionist replied. Siya Nkosi’s office was spacious, but decorations were sparse: a conferencing table with chairs under a viewscreen, her large desk, and an abstract painting on one wall. Her predecessor had been lavish in his furnishings, but she preferred a more focused environment. Her attire was similarly businesslike – a conservative grey wool pants suit, and a silk shirt. The only jewelry she wore was a golden clasp holding her long black hair up in a tight bun, and her makeup was minimal. The outer doors slid open, admitting Altaras.
    “Ma’am,” he said, by way of greeting.
    “I haven’t seen your report on the rogue asset,” Nkosi stated. “And my call with the senate committee begins in twenty minutes. I’d like to be prepared for their questions.”
    “Of course,” he said. “I’m sorry for the delay, we’re still piecing things together … I didn’t want to bring you conjectures.”
    “So tell me what you know,” she said. Her voice was calm, but Altaras found it hard to meet her steely gaze.
    “The … the team was set up and ready to intercept 621 at the orbital transfer station,” he said. “But before the ship docked, an escape pod was jettisoned. We directed the contractors to intercept the pod, but it was found empty upon landing. We were also monitoring the scanner at the gate, ready to detonate it, as you directed … but no one with contractor-type implants went through the gate.”
    “Did he exit the pod sometime prior to landing?”
    “It’s possible,” Altaras hedged. “But the pod was under surveillance from the moment it was jettisoned, and there’s no sign in the footage of someone exiting.”
    “Well, he didn’t take out all of his implants on his own …,” Nkosi said.
    “Not on that short of a flight, no. We’re evaluating whether or not he could have fooled the scanner … or he might have simply stayed hidden somewhere on the ship, as well. Our team returned to the orbital