The Rig Read Online Free PDF Page B

died.’
    Drake thought back to that day in London – his sentencing. His mother had been too sick to attend. The judge had barely looked at him before sending him to juvenile detention for two years. From there he had disappeared into the Alliance Systems network, pulled from his hometown, his school and friends, and sent to Trennimax in France, then Cedarwood in the Alps, and then Harronway in Ireland after that. A busy year, all things said and done.
    Drake ran a hand back over his head. He’d always kept his dark hair short, but on the run in Ireland two weeks ago he’d shaved it clean off, to mask his appearance.
I’ll need to be cleverer next time
, he thought.
Because time is running out.
    Doctor Lambros tapped her pen against her knee. ‘Yes, you lived with your mother in London, correct? It says here your parents are separated. Not a lot of info on your family life. Father is African-American, mother origin-ally from Poland. No siblings.’
    â€˜And I haven’t seen much of dear old dad in a decade,’ Drake muttered.
    â€˜You didn’t see another choice, did you? When you committed your crimes. But what you did hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of damage. You need help, Will, and we can provide that here. Put you to work, to counselling, and keep you busy. You’ll know a trade by the time you leave us.’
    Drake said nothing and let out a long, slow breath.
    â€˜Well, it has been nice meeting you, at any rate.’ Doctor Lambros stood. ‘I don’t want to have to repair you again, you hear? We’ll speak again next week, once you’re more settled – and once you’ve seen that there really is no way off the Rig. Try and put all thoughts of escape out of your mind, okay? Promise me now?’
    â€˜I promise,’ Drake lied.
    Doctor Lambros walked him over to the door and opened it. Brand leaned casually against the wall of the corridor. ‘He any trouble, Doc?’
    â€˜Not one bit,’ she said.
    For the first time since meeting her, Drake saw Doctor Lambros lose her smile. She crossed her arms under her breasts and stared at Brand with an expression that, while not hostile, was not friendly. Drake suspected the good doctor did not care for Officer Marcus Brand.
    â€˜Good at escaping, this one,’ Brand said. Drake thought he was enjoying the doctor’s discomfort. He slapped Drake on the shoulder and pulled him out into the hallway. ‘Not so good at running.’
    â€˜Take care, Will. I will see you soon.’
    Doctor Lambros disappeared back into her office and Brand shoved Drake forwards a step. ‘Come on, lad. Back to school.’

6
    Tubes
    Drake spent the next hour or so tapping away at the touch-screen computer in the classroom. He couldn’t move on to the next lesson without completing the first, but they didn’t seem to get progressively harder. He wondered if the majority of the other inmates actually found the lessons at all challenging. Tristan certainly didn’t, as he scribbled his answers on lined paper. All in all he found it a monumental waste of time – but what else, at this point, did he have but time to waste?
    At
1215
, according to his tracker, the device beeped and displayed a new message:
    Lunch: 1230–1330
    Drake’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. Soggy cereal had been all he’d eaten today, and after the poor night’s sleep and the fight in the exercise area, he was running on fumes and heading towards empty. After less than twenty-four hours on the Rig, it seemed that keeping his strength up would be vital for survival and, once he knew how, escape.
    Sticking with Tristan, as the scrawny kid was proving useful in finding his way around and filling in the gaps in his knowledge, he followed the rest of the inmates back down into the western platform. From there it was a jaunt across to a series of walkways stretching back around the outer rim of