The Fortress in Orion Read Online Free PDF Page A

don’t know?”
    â€œHe’s going to be traveling with us.”
    She stared at him. “You don’t look crazy, but that’s as crazy a thing as I’ve ever heard you say.”
    â€œWe’ve got a clone—not a look-alike, not an android, but a living, breathing clone of Michkag.”
    â€œGreat,” she said. “So now there are two genocidal geniuses with the same DNA.”
    Pretorius shook his head. “We grew this one up from his DNA, and we’ve got a turncoat Kabori who used to work for Michkag and is teaching the clone his mannerisms, his choice of words and phrases, the way he carries himself, everything.” He paused. “I’ve seen him, Pandora. He really exists.”
    â€œOkay, he really exists,” she said. “Now, I suppose you could put him on video and have him surrender. That might fool some of his troops. Or you might shoot him in cold blood—always assuming these Kabori bastards have any blood—and ruin the morale of his troops and countrymen, or country things , or whatever the hell they are. But no, that’s not half dangerous enough for Nate Pretorius.” She looked him full in the eye. “You’re putting together a suicide mission to replace the real Michkag with the clone.”
    â€œWell, it’s a mission, anyway,” acknowledged Pretorius. “And with the right team, it might not be a suicide mission.”
    â€œHold on,” she said, reaching for one of the seven miniaturized computers she wore attached to her belt and tapping in a code with her forefinger. A moment later a response flashed briefly on the screen. “I just put the proposition to the Master Computer on Deluros VIII,” she continued. “You know what it says the odds of any member of your team living through it are?”
    â€œSix percent.”
    â€œClose,” replied Pandora. “Seven percent.”
    Pretorius smiled. “Damn! I’m doing something right!”
    â€œWhat the hell are you talking about?”
    â€œIt was six percent before you and Snake joined the team.”
    â€œI haven’t joined anything, Nate.”
    â€œBut you will,” he said.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause no one’s ever broken into Michkag’s personal computer, and no one’s ever deciphered their secret codes—and you can’t resist that kind of challenge.”
    â€œYou think not?” she said pugnaciously.
    He shot her a confident smile. “I think not.”
    â€œYou’re a fool,” she said. “You never asked why I retired from the service two years ago.”
    He shrugged. “I figured you had your reasons.”
    â€œI did,” she said, nodding her head. “I do . Close to a billion reasons as of last month.” She lowered her voice. “Since I quit, I’ve robbed seven of the enemy’s biggest banks, and now you want me to actually go to Orion and kidnap or kill their most powerful and best-protected general?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou know the odds against it?”
    He smiled. “You just told me.”
    â€œWell, you’re crazy.”
    â€œI’ve been called worse.”
    She stared at him. “Do I look crazy to you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWell, there you have it.”
    â€œOkay,” said Pretorius. “If you’re still talking to me, I’ll order dessert.”
    She nodded her assent; he signaled to the robotic waiter, ordered two soufflés, and turned back to her.
    â€œBy the way,” she said, “if no one’s broken their code, how do you know what planet to go to and when?”
    He smiled. “We’ve broken their partners’ code.”
    â€œAh,” she said. “Of course.”
    â€œSo who do you recommend? Tomas Sanchez?”
    She shook her head. “Not good enough, not for something like this.”
    â€œBenny Scaparelli?
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWell, when you