Tech World (Undying Mercenaries Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

suited up by the time we arrived. Smart clothing is great that way. You can dress in your car if you want to . All you have to do is wrap the cloth over yourself and wriggle a bit to let it worm its way around your butt and behind your back.
    “What’s our story?” Natasha asked me as she parked.
    I eyed her worriedly. I felt confident I could bullshit my way past anything that was asked of us, but Natasha was a straight-shooter. She’d done all right against the Hogs as she didn’t respect them, but with real Legion Varus people I knew it would be different for her. She liked telling the truth and doing as she was told when legit authority was involved. She’d helped me out back home and taken things way out on a limb. But I didn’t trust her here. She’d crack under real pressure from one of our direct commanders.
    “Uh…story?” I asked. “We’ve already got it down. Some goons came to the door, there was a struggle when they didn’t identify themselves, and things went badly. Don’t change even the slightest detail.”
    She looked worried, and she put a hand on the car door. The panel recognized her touch, flashed a colored light and the lock clicked open.
    “Hey,” I said, reaching over and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
    “You murdered three men who someone sent to arrest you, James,” she said with a tight look on her face.
    “Yeah, well…they deserved it.”
    “I agree, but what if Graves is in that building? What if he’s a little smarter than that Hog team? He’ll know what happened. He knows us. He knows you .”
    “Graves won’t give a shit if I got into it with a few Hogs.”
    Natasha sighed and rolled her eyes at me briefly. I got that sort of response often, especially from women.
    She climbed out, adjusted her uniform so it fit properly, and straightened her spine. I did the same, placing my beret on my head and tilting it at an appropriate angle. The smart uniforms worked to transform themselves into a crisp arrangement by crawling over our bodies.
    I led the way to the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. At the front desk I got my first surprise. I recognized the man who sat there. He was a rat-faced guy with close-cropped hair that glistened with additives. His name was Winslade and he was Primus Turov’s chief weasel.
    Winslade had his feet on the desk. I looked at him, and he smiled back with sharp white teeth.
    “Hey McGill,” he said. “Nice of you to show up. You’re wanted in back.”
    He directed me with a casual stabbing of his thumb over his shoulder.
    “Adjunct Winslade?” I asked. “What’s going on, sir?”
    “You’ll find out. There’s only one closed door in the back. Go see who’s waiting inside.”
    Winslade gave me a shitty grin. I passed him by, walking as coolly as possible. I wanted to maintain a solid front for Natasha’s sake. She’d been rattled the minute we arrived in the parking lot, and there wasn’t any point in giving her a weak vibe now.
    As we passed his desk, Winslade’s skinny arm shot out blocking Natasha’s path. I felt like cracking him one, but I had to let it go.
    “Not you, sweetie,” he said. “You can wait out here and keep me company.”
    Walking to the door, I pushed it open and stepped inside. In the dim interior I met none other than Primus Galina Turov herself.
    I should have expected this after seeing Adjunct Winslade out front, but somehow I hadn’t figured it out. The Primus never came down to the sticks. She was a rare enough sight at the Mustering Hall up in Newark—but down here at the Chapter House? No way.
    She took in my surprise with relish. I don ’t mean she was happy to see me, not by a long shot. Her joy was derived from my obvious dismay.
    “Six months of leave and you’ve already forgotten how to salute?” Turov asked.
    I jumped to attention and gave her a crisp salute. She didn’t deserve it, but rules were rules.
    Turov and I had never seen eye to