Incursion by Paul Rix

Author:Paul Rix [Rix, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: P&J Books
Published: 2019-12-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Professor Anna Kozlovsky was unpacking a small crate in the main science lab when Redmayne entered. He watched her for several moments, noticing, now that she was wearing jeans and a crew neck shirt, how slim she was. She was moving slowly and deliberately as she carefully picked up items from the crate.

"Can I help you with that?" he asked. "I know it takes a few days to adjust to the effects of gravity. You need to be cautious while your central nervous system and muscles adapt. Don't lift anything too heavy."

She was about to decline his offer but then changed her mind. What was the point in struggling? "As you're here you may as well make yourself useful. Can you lift those boxes onto the counter? And be careful, they contain very delicate instruments."

As Redmayne stepped forward to oblige, Kozlovsky moved away, keeping a safe distance between the two of them before sitting wearily on a stool. He wasn't surprised by her action as he was sure that some of the crew would have warned her to stay away from him. He wondered how different she may have been if she was unaware of the terrible things he'd done. "Alex said you were ready to see me. Is that to brief me on the experiments I'll be working on?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I knew this was a mistake. Your ego precedes you. Let me make myself clear one more time. You will be working for me and helping me gather the results of the experiments. If you find that difficult to accept, then I suggest you speak with Commander Koenig who no doubt has far more interesting tasks for you to undertake."

Redmayne was weary of the menial jobs that had been given to him and the way he'd been treated over the last twelve months. The prospect of working in the science lab again was a welcome relief. Hopefully, it was the first step in cementing his usefulness to the Russians. "There's no need to do that, Anna," he replied. "I am more than happy to assist you in any way. And to learn from you, of course."

"Let's stick to Professor Kozlovsky, Mister Redmayne. Informality and familiarity are not productive to establishing strong working relationships."

"In that case, please call me Doctor Redmayne, Professor."

There was an awkward silence as Anna weighed up whether Redmayne was worth the effort. In the end she asked, "Has anyone spoken to you about the experiments I'll be conducting?"

"You've got to be joking! No one tells me anything. I'm sorry to admit I don't even know what you specialize in."

Anna nodded. "That's probably a good thing as the work is highly confidential. I've been leading a skilled group of scientists on a classified project to develop a particle beam device, primarily as a form of defense in response to the knowledge that we are not alone in the Universe. President Usimov and his generals were rightfully fearful that the Russian Federation was unable to defend itself effectively against an alien attack.

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