Survivor Read Online Free PDF Page B

was ruined only by the
red-faced man standing in front of the stairs. He was slightly
chubby with a round face and a bulbous nose. His hair was black
with grey speckles and he wore a stained shirt with a laboratory
coat thrown over the top. Cuts and scars ran up his arms and there
was a slice of white, raised flesh on his left cheek.
    "What's your name, hunter?"
    "My name is Nova," she said, through
clenched teeth. "And you are?"
    The man glared at her, his mouth working as
he ground his teeth together. He loomed over her and his chest
puffed out as he spoke. "I am Doctor Codon, science officer of the
ninth Confederacy fleet. I would suggest you tell me exactly what
you're doing snooping around our site."
    His hands rubbed back and forth on the legs
of his pants. He looked down his nose at her. She thought to
herself that he could probably barely see her around the bulbous
thing but she daren't laugh.
    "I'm looking for two fugitives," she said,
holding out a small screen. Photos of the two criminals flickered
up.
    "And what exactly does that have to do with
me?" Codon asked.
    "They're terrorists known to target
Confederacy endeavours. I figured you might be interested," she
said, snapping the screen back onto her belt.
    "I'm sure you'll get a healthy pay out of
it," Codon said.
    "True. But I sure as hell don't have to be
here listening to you. There are plenty of other jobs I'd rather be
doing. Trust me, I only came here because of the workers who might
die, I sure as hell don't give a damn about you or your
soldiers."
    She pushed her chin forward and stared at
him with her steely eyes. It was at least partly true; she didn't
care one bit for the Confederacy soldiers. If they'd wanted to make
an honest living they wouldn't be working for the Confederacy.
    The doctor's mouth dropped open. Her eyes
bore into him.
    Doctor Codon spluttered. "Well – I-"
    Nova cautioned herself. He was intimidated
now but for some reason he was in control of this whole Confederacy
operation, which meant he had power. She didn't want to push him
too far, just a little nudge to keep him on his toes. She was
counting on the military's apparent lack of respect for the doctor.
If she'd spoken like that to one of their generals she would have
been beaten to a bloody pulp.
    "Take my word for it, Codon. If you don't
let me find those fugitives you and your men are walking corpses. I
dread to think what the Confederacy would do if this mission went
to hell because you didn't check it out."
    Codon's eyes flew open and he twisted his
hand around the loose material of his coat.
    She kept her face emotionless, playing on
the man's insecurities. Without her gun all she had was her
intellect. Codon could just as easily shoot her here and dispose of
her body as listen to her. She doubted that would happen. The man
was too green in his chair. He'd listen to her. It wouldn't be the
first time that brash confidence had beaten a Confederacy
puppet.
    "Thank you for your information," Codon said
slowly. His eyes flicked around the room, perhaps hoping for a
solution to appear on the wall. "I'll have my soldiers look into
it."
    Nova's neck tensed but she kept her face
serene. She needed this job for the reward, it was no good if Codon
went and found the fugitives himself.
    "While I'm sure your soldiers would do their
best," she said, glancing over her shoulder at Alaina. "This is a
job for someone with more experience."
    Codon frowned and glanced at Alaina. "What
do you mean?"
    "Well," she said, her mind racing for a
solution. "You're a man of science. I wouldn't expect you to march
to war."
    Codon nodded slowly at her, still
frowning.
    "Well, in the same way, we can't expect
simple soldiers to understand the intricacies of such a delicate
political situation. These kinds of fugitives are volatile and
could break at any moment. If you send one of your soldiers in to
handle something like this it would more than likely blow up in
your face. Literally."
    Alaina's face was