I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Author:Pittacus Lore
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

IT’S A STRAIGHT SHOT ACROSS THE WATER TO Niagara Falls. There’s nothing for us to avoid, no military bases to steer clear of or other warships in the way. We just have to move. A child could probably plot a course there. And so once I’m finished I stand around my terminal, pretending to look busy. The captain isn’t on the bridge. I wonder how the other Mogadorian leaders have reacted to the fact that we’re leaving our post.

Jax-Har is acting on his own, against a direct order from Beloved Leader. For the first time since I was folded back into the Mogadorian army, I feel like others around me might be questioning the chain of command, even if it’s in a small way. It’s at once thrilling and terrifying. And of course, the bridge is silent. What could the other officers be thinking?

So many frustrating questions float through my mind that I don’t notice Mirra until she’s standing beside me.

“Follow me,” she says, and is walking away before I have the chance to ask what this is about.

I follow, though. I have to. Not just because she’s a senior officer, but because maybe I’ll actually get some answers if I talk to her.

As we approach the door to the bridge, Denbar enters. He looks surprised to see us.

“Where are you two going?” he asks.

Mirra ignores him, walking forward. Denbar keeps talking.

“The captain specifically requested that Officer Saturnus plot—”

“You’ve completed your assignment, correct?” Mirra asks me, turning around, putting Denbar between us.

I nod. “That’s right.”

She tilts her head back and looks down at Denbar over the tip of her nose. “Scans detected an anomaly in our geo-mapping systems earlier this morning. It’s probably nothing, but I’m having Officer Saturnus double-check the hardware to ensure everything is in working order before our mission. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with the captain. Or I can leave Saturnus here, and if something goes wrong later, you can explain to the captain why our systems failed yourself.”

Even I can’t tell if this is true or not. I start trying to recall everything I know about geo-mapping, just in case.

Denbar looks taken aback for a few seconds, but that quickly morphs into something else. His eyes narrow, and a glint of teeth show through his lips. He glances at a nearby monitor.

“We’ll be heading out soon.”

“I’m aware,” she says, turning on her heel and leaving.

Denbar’s glare then falls on me. I shrug, and he walks off in a huff.

I meet Mirra in the hallway.

“That egotistical little kraul,” she mutters under her breath as she continues walking, not looking at me. “Still can’t handle that high command appointed me as his superior.”

She moves so fast that I have to double my normal pace to keep up. Eventually she takes a sharp right, heading into an elevator that leads down to the belly of the ship where many of our vital systems are housed. As a top-ranking officer on the warship, she’s one of the few people with access to such a place.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.