The Rig 1: Rough Seas Read Online Free PDF

working on gas and oil, which has to be brought in until they strike oil.”
    “Jeez.” Sheila looked shocked. “What about all the food production they're supposed to be doing here? Is that working?”
    “There's the hydroponics quarter for that. They can grow some tomatoes, but for anything serious they still have to bring it in. There are just too many people and not enough food they can produce. And nobody wants to eat the synthetic meat.”
    Sheila was silent for a moment and just picked at the crust of her Wellington.
    “So you're saying this place is a failure?”
    Wes nodded happily.
    “Yup! It's failed alright. They'll never admit it, but it's a disaster in all things but one.”
    “What's that?”
    “It is a perfect research center.” Wes smiled at her. “I've been all over the world, but the facilities and the location I'm working at now are second to none.”
    Sheila smiled too.
    “That is a bonus!”
    They had a dessert and some coffee and then walked down the deck to check out the rest of ‘The City.’ Wes offered Sheila his arm and she laid her hand on his as they walked. They went down a deck and found themselves in the very center of the rig, at Central Plaza. A podium was already being set up there for the deejay that would be playing there the next day.
    “I hear she's rather good,” Wes remarked as they looked at the poster.
    Sheila shrugged.
    “I couldn't really care less, not my sort of music. If there's a good jazz joint, I'll go there any day.”
    “Me too!” Wes laughed. “But if she's playing here the whole rig will be bouncing up and down. No escaping it unless you have one of the good apartments. Those are sound proofed.”
    “Like the one I'm in?”
    “Yup. Sound proofed,” Wes sighed. “I'm not so lucky.”
    Wes walked Sheila to her door and bade her goodnight. Sheila felt she wanted to invite him in for coffee, but decided it was a bit inappropriate. She hugged him and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and then closed the door. She stood there for a moment, her eyes closed, wondering whether she should have invited him in after all.
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    Smith, Garcia and Fatíma sat around the table, mugs of coffee in their hands. Akhmed had left earlier.
    “What did you make of him?” Smith was looking at Fatíma.
    “He'll do,” She said casually, sipping her coffee.
    Garcia bit his lip as he looked at her.
    “You think you can work it?”
    “As long as you take care of everything on the side, you just leave it to me. Just make sure you get everything there and get him in play.”
    They were silent for a while. There was nothing to say really. They knew their own plans and they knew what had to be done.
    “We'll have everything you need brought over tonight.” Smith said. “Then you make sure it all gets into the chopper, set up and you give him the sign.”
    “Then what?” Fatíma gave him a quizzing look. “You'll come in and save the day?”
    Garcia nodded, answering instead of Smith.
    “That's the plan.”
     
    ***
     
    Akhmed walked down the street towards his place. He felt satisfied. They had worked out a plan which would draw plenty of attention and would go a great deal towards ‘The City's’ owners coming clean about the failure of the project. And then there had been the woman.
    He had felt a bit paranoid when he got to the house, but Fatíma had completely assured him. She had been calm, collected, self-confident. She had flirted a bit with him, putting him at ease and it had worked. He had begun to relax and she had explained to him what she wanted.
    She too had realized ‘The City’ was a scam and only cost money. Worse than that, it was an environmental disaster, and it was because of that the project had to be stopped. So she had asked her friends Smith and Garcia to find someone to help her.
    She was a deejay, she explained. People knew her around the San Diego area and she did gigs elsewhere and made quite good money, but she was