Regan's Reach 4: Avarice Read Online Free PDF

to share with you; my gift, I
give you myself, and I want it to be good for you."
     
    * * *
     
    Much later, in a post coitus cyber space meeting,
two beautiful men stood silently for a while, just looking and taking each
other's measure. Both seemed greatly impressed with what they saw. They shared
a smile of self congratulation, the recognition of a job well done and then they
high fived in an action that turned into a swirling spin, with the spin
resolving into a single merged form.
    Ham then walked to his command chair and
made himself comfortable before extending an arm to link hands with Hilary. He
opened to her and together they shared the data trail, horrors and victories,
delights and disappointments until both were fully updated and ready. Then they
turned their attention to Regan.
     
    It was now her turn to merge.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Regan lay back on the bed and made herself comfortable.
She was nervous and uncertain but then braced herself mentally for . . . what?
What could be so bad?
    [Are you ready babe?]
    The glance sideways at Ham and Hilary was
enough and Regan nodded assent before clasping her hands to her chest and
waiting for just a second more. Closing her eyes she then reached out to the
STEIN Traveler, to the Transport and then to herself, the figure she could see
sitting and waiting there, clearly nervous too. There followed a moment of
uncertain greeting, signals sent and received, confirmation followed by
certainty then a feeling as if a child was leaping into her arms, desperate for
security, and comfort . . . and then she blacked out, a deep tired sleep that
led to dreams.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Walking across a large grassy lawn she
could see figures in the distance entering a building. It had big double doors
that swallowed them as the doors opened and closed, with person after person entering,
but they were all too far away for her to see who they were.
    There was the sense that she should be
there too and so she began to run, but the building was far off and it took
forever to reach the doors, or so it seemed, and anyway they remained closed to
her when she got there. Pressing up to them she could see a small gap so she
inserted her fingers and strained to pry the doors apart and gain entry. They
were almost impossible to move until hauling on one side she created an opening,
just large enough to press through and then the doors slammed shut behind her.
    And immediately she had the sense that
she didn't belong there in this huge space, with only a few people gathered and
they were people she didn't know. Corridors stretched away from the foyer and
in the distance of each she could see people entering rooms, talking and laughing,
walking confidently, clearly knowing where they were, where they belonged . . .
but not her. Running now to her left, she chased the remnant of the last group
she could see and on reaching the doors to that room she cautiously peeked in.
It was a conference of sorts, a business conference with hundreds gathered in
groups talking and laughing, none of them familiar to her, some looking
strangely in her direction. Making her way through the crowd she tried to
ignore the growing feelings of disquiet, and the looks, unpleasant, unwelcoming,
and even hostile. The feeling was of searching and searching for something,
someone, she didn't know what and then she panicked, running from the room to
the corridor and continuing down to the next room before repeating the process,
growing ever more anxious with every minute that passed. Finding her way
blocked at the end of this room, with the hundreds now turning and looking just
at her, she wrapped her arms around herself and readied to scream, and then
something caught her eye, the gracious lady and the beautiful man moving toward
her through the crowd. The groups seemed to part for them as if they were
royalty, and the pair shone with halo light. They didn't hesitate in their steps;
they were coming for her, and her alone.
    And