The Lost Colony (Lost Starship Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

joint and pushed him forward. Someone caused him to stagger out here, apparently directing his path.
    Maddox opened his eyes. The fuzziness had departed although the blotchiness remained.
    The one gripping his elbow made him turn, propelling him through a door and down a lit corridor. They passed closed doors, ones that lacked handles or latches.
    That was interesting if ominous.
    Fortunately for Maddox, he possessed a slightly higher core body temperature than regular humans. He was half New Man and half Earthling. He burned off alcohol faster than others did. Because of that—
    Alcohol!
    Maddox remembered lifting a shot glass and throwing the contents down his throat. He’d held onto his cards as he did so, sitting at a table in a smoky den. He’d been pretending intoxication in order to lull the other players: smugglers, captains of cargo haulers. One could argue his pretense had been unfair deception so they would drop their guard. Perhaps that had been so, but despite being on leave, Maddox had been engaged in a semi-official mission.
    For the past three weeks, he’d felt someone trailing him. The sensation had intensified the last four days. He had come to believe Woo Tower was the locus for the spying. Surely, one of the hauler captains at the table had been a link to the person or persons interested in him.
    Maddox had lifted the shot glass…right. The waitress had slipped the drink beside his hand, replacing the half-filled whiskey. She had done so in a fervent manner while pretending otherwise. Maddox had taken the drink, knowing it was a reckless gamble. He had been frustrated by the months of inactivity. He remembered the itch of it in his fingertips. In a rash moment—maybe wanting to throw himself into danger—he decided to trust his innate ability to shake off most ill effects. Besides, he’d wanted to know who was trying to drug him by having them make a move afterward, which it appeared someone most certainly had.
    It would also appear that the effects of the drink had been stronger than the captain had anticipated. One could argue he had…er, miscalculated .
    Inwardly, Maddox shrugged. One could make that assertion, surely. He did not believe so himself, at least not yet. Clearly, someone had taken advantage of his dulled state. Likely, the one pushing him down the corridor had a connection with the hidden scrutiny. Now that the hidden person had finally emerged from the shadows, Maddox could react accordingly.
    “Where are you taking me?” he asked, letting himself slur more than necessary. His lips weren’t that numb.
    The other said nothing.
    “Are we still in Shanghai?” Maddox asked.
    The other increased the pace, making the captain stumble faster.
    Maddox could feel his body and mind shaking off the ill effects of the drink. He was tall and slender, with steely muscles and, normally, whipcord reflexes. Tonight, he wore his dress uniform complete with holster. By the lack of weight on his belt, he realized someone had taken his gun. That seemed like an obvious precaution on their part.
    The blotchiness finally departed his vision and the corridor came into focus. The walls were metallic like a spaceship. The corridor slanted down, meaning they walked underground by now. The doors were really hatches. Yes. This might actually be a ship.
    It was time to confront the other before it became too late.
    Without seeming to, Maddox examined the hand on his elbow. The fingers were thick and stubby, and the fingernails gleamed as if lacquered. That seemed odd as tiny, individual hairs sprouted from the back of the hand. No…those weren’t hairs, were they? It seemed…they might be tiny wires sprouting up as an approximation of hair.
    Maddox was ready to make several assumptions. Either this was a modified man from a strange world or an android made to imitate a human. Either way, the being would likely think of himself as strong. Thus, this move would come as a surprise maybe even as a shock to