Fractured Consortium (Star Scrapper Book 7) by J.N. Chaney & Matthew A. Goodwin

Author:J.N. Chaney & Matthew A. Goodwin [Chaney, J.N. & Goodwin, Matthew A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2024-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

15

“Hands up,” a woman barked from behind one of the flashlight beams, but mine already were. I knew when we didn’t stand a chance, and this was certainly one of those times. Though I didn’t look at her, I could feel Lara’s gaze boring into the side of my head.

Right now, she was thinking that if I hadn’t shown up, she would already have accomplished her goal. And that might be true. But it can be equally realistic to believe that she would’ve made her way inside the building and been killed immediately.

At least, if nothing else, we were still alive. For the moment.

“I’m trying to override the maglift controls,” Ned informed me. “Maybe I can drop a box on some of these Dragons and you can escape.”

I looked at Lara, seeing the determination in her face.

I knew that the only way we were leaving here was if she had confronted Tailong.

“Don’t bother,” I whispered.

“Hank,” Ned said seriously. “If you allow yourself to be captured, there is a very high probability that you don’t come out of this building alive.”

He was right. This gang would have no problem putting a few bullets in us, loading us into one of these containers, and shooting our bodies out into space.

“I demand to see Tailong,” Lara announced to the shadowy figures behind the lights. “He’ll know what this is about.”

In a heavily accented voice, somebody called back, “He wants to see you. Come with us.”

They pressed in around us and began guiding we three intruders toward the factory. In the same way that I was surprised by the fact that they only used a chain-link fence to keep out intruders, I was also shocked by the fact that they didn’t disarm us. But I supposed it was part of the honor and pride thing. Perhaps it made them seem even stronger to have us completely defeated this way than declawed.

Thinking that might be the case, I was marched forward into the factory, watching as the yellow light from inside the hanger doors grew in front of us. Within, thousands of miserable people worked on assembly lines. Even before reaching the opening, the smell was overwhelming, like walking into an armpit.

Rows upon rows upon rows of people in clothes in various states of decomposition glistened with sweat as they sat in front of folding tables set with what looked like vices. The sound of bullets being dropped into boxes was like a metal rain that replaced the natural one as we stepped through the threshold. My eyes moved upward to the stacked scaffolding, which allowed more and more of these people to fit within the space.

“Sanguine Wyvern is one of the largest employers on Projekten, and now we see why,” Ned said. “What is astonishing is the way they present themselves to the public. Gangs have a rich history of doing charitable work or trying to present themselves publicly as one thing while acting completely different behind closed doors. But this definitely takes the cake.

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