The Dying of the Light (Book 3): Beginning Read Online Free PDF Page B

boots, defeated.
    Powell stood, stunned, listening to the audio and working hard to keep his anger under control. He was a little annoyed that they were all under constant surveillance, but it seemed unimportant right at that moment.
    Major Gaines stared at the crew chief and, without looking down, pushed a button on his intercom as the disc began to replay. Powell had never seen him this angry. The door opened, and two MPs entered and stood at attention behind the chief.
    “Crew Chief Silvera, for gross dereliction of duty and knowingly endangering the lives of your fellow soldiers, you are hereby remanded to the custody of the military police for violations of Articles 92 and 99 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” The major moved around the desk and approached the former chief.
    “If I could, I would deal with you myself. Count yourself lucky that I’m not that kind of soldier. Your kind of soldier. You won’t be needing this anymore.” In one smooth motion, he reached up and ripped the AEGIS patch off the chief’s arm, then turned to the MP. “Arrest both the pilots as well with the same charges.” Gaines turned back to Silvera and gave him a look that chilled Powell to the bone, even though he only caught the edge of it. “Now get him out of here. He’s stinking up my office.”
    As they left, Gaines returned to the other side of the desk and turned off the disc. He looked up at Powell.
    “Stand easy, Captain.”
    Powell relaxed into parade rest position, stifling his surprise at the order.
    “I apologize for berating you earlier, but I had to know if you were in on it. I didn’t think you were, and your reactions confirmed it.”
    He held out his hand, and Powell, stunned, shook it quick and strong, his only response a terse, “Understood, sir.”
    “I want you to get that face of yours looked at. No need for it to be even more atrocious than it already is.” Glancing at the major, Powell could see the slight smile on his face and grinned back.
    “Sir, no, sir. My girl would skin me alive if she found out I’d been hurt at all. Sir, if you don’t mind my asking…”
    “Go ahead, Captain.”
    “What’s going to happen to them? Jail?”
    Gaines shook his head, grimacing. “Doubtful, since we can’t really spare them or the people to watch them now that recolonization is in full swing. The Advisory Board has been talking about it, and it looks like those who are in the brig at the moment, and any future folks, will be put onto chain gangs. Work groups to help with the recolonization. Guys like Silvera are just screwups who weren’t thinking. As mean and cold as it sounds, they’re still useful, so we’ll use them for as long as we can.”
    Powell nodded. “Makes sense to me, sir. Not nearly enough of us left to let them sit on their asses.”
    “Exactly. Now hit the infirmary. I’ll need you back bright and early in the morning.”
    “Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir.”
    Gaines just grunted, and Powell saw him turn back to his desk as he walked out of the office. Gaines’s wife, Marcy, didn’t even look up from her phone call when he passed her desk.
    As he strode across the old cracked concrete at JBLM toward the infirmary, he looked southwest toward Lacey. Command was going to need to re-evaluate their whole recolonization plan. ExForce didn’t have enough men and materials to screw up this badly.

     
    Main Research Lab
Bunker Seven
Wheeler Peak, New Mexico
Z-Day + 19 years
     
    Sabrina Atkins opened the door to the lab and looked inside, careful not to disturb her husband Jim or his lab partner Mary. She knew they hated interruptions, but in this case… She smiled as she realized that her suspicions were confirmed. Both were asleep, Mary’s head on her desk and Jim upright in his chair. She’d noticed through the glass walls of the corridor as she walked in, but also because Jim hadn’t come back to their quarters last night.
    That was happening more and more often, and he had yet