The Malice by Peter Newman

Author:Peter Newman [Newman, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780007593187
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-05-19T07:00:00+00:00

One Thousand One Hundred and Thirteen Years Ago

The island is shy, only visible from the shore on a clear day. There has not been a clear day for three centuries now. Mankind makes his own clouds that hang low and heavy, squatting just above the waves, hissing out from rows and rows of metal pipes that sprout like grey grass. Undersea tubes connect the island to the mainland. There are three in total, each divided into two chambers, allowing traffic to flow back and forth. One carries people, another materials. The third is reserved for important items, living or otherwise.

An angry sky flings rain and lightning around the island. Massassi glides through it all, fearless. For her the clouds are easy to read, their bunchings and rollings giving ample warning as to where the next strike will be.

She makes towards the buildings clustered on the island’s crown. Six spires carved along the lines of the natural rock finished with iron and gold. They are well-weathered, hard lines smoothed into something more appealing. Between them is a disc, big enough to land a carrier mech. Scorch marks mar its surface, testament to the long relationship between land and storm.

She tips her glider towards it but the winds are strong, shaking the wings on her back. Three times they grab her as she tries to land, spinning her towards the heavens. But she comes back for a fourth time, ready even for a fifth or a fiftieth, and the elements part for her, overcome.

Jump boots absorb the shock of landing, slipping on wet stone. She leans forward, surfing the momentum, tiny waves spraying up either side of her feet.

Opposite, an oval door groans open. In its light, a man stands, one hand raised against the rain. His eyes widen as he sees the apparition emerging from the darkness.

‘Ah!’ he cries, hopping backwards as she hops inside, wings folding at her back.

They move like dancers, hurried steps matched, legs moving together, until his back meets a wall and Massassi’s palms slap against it, framing his terrified face.

‘Ah!’ he says again.

Her eyes narrow in contempt. ‘You are not one of the masters.’

‘That’s right, I’m not. I just manage the sanitation units. Please don’t hurt me!’

‘Take me to the masters.’

He complies. She does not even need to compel him. As they weave their way deeper into the complex, her small hopes waver. Perhaps these will be just like the others. Perhaps she is alone in all the world. A freak. A queen amid the worms.

She is led to a laboratory where brains float in tubes, arranged by size and then by normality. Electrical pulses wash over them, regular, matched by soft beeps that issue from a monitor. Light from the screen illuminates a man’s face. To Massassi, he looks old and unimpressive.

She pushes her guide out of the way. ‘You are a master of thought?’

The man looks up, blinking surprise. ‘Hmm? What? Who are you?’

Jump boots activate on minimum power, sailing her across the room. ‘You are a master of thought?’

He straightens, chin jutting forward.

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.