Yesterday's Tomorrow: An Oz Garrett Novel by Paul Rix

Author:Paul Rix [Rix, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: P&J Books
Published: 2021-06-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

O'Brien was stunned at the sight of Takahashi being dragged into the command room. He'd heard gunfire coming from the central core but had assumed only Trask's guards had fired. Her face was contorted in agony and she was breathing rapidly as she clasped her left shoulder.

"What have they done to her?" he demanded of Delta as he rushed across to assess Takahashi's wounds.

"Two armed individuals shot at my soldiers. Interestingly, they approached from the rear. Tell me who they are and why you lied to me."

O'Brien ignored Delta, instead, brushing his fingers through Takahashi's hair and whispering, "It's okay, Saki. It's Luke. I'll take care of you."

He couldn't tell if she was aware of him. Her eyes remained tightly closed and her expression didn't change. He tried to move her hand away from her shoulder but she was having none of it. He tried again, this time slowly prising her fingers away.

"I want to know who shot at my squad," Delta insisted, raising her voice to make her point. "They think it was a man and a woman. Was it Garrett and your captain?"

"How would I know?" O'Brien snapped. "I didn't have time to see either of them. I assume your thugs killed them."

Delta's eyes narrowed. "Who else is down at that end of Britannic?"

"There is no one else. Can you let me see to Sakura before she dies as well?"

Commander Stone returned through the hatch. "I heard shooting. Is anyone hurt?"

One of the soldiers gave Stone a wry smile, as if being shot was a badge of honor to be worn with pride. "They fired ancient projectile weapons. The kinetic power was enough to send me along the corridor, but the shielding absorbed the full force."

"Where did they find the weapons? I recall no armaments were allowed on Project Exodus ships other than small hunting weapons." Delta kicked O'Brien in the side with her toe. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I've told you all I know," O'Brien insisted, rubbing his side from the stinging blow and avoiding eye contact.

"If you want to tend to your patient, I need you to be honest with me. Or you can watch her die. I don't have time for any more of your games."

O'Brien knew Delta wasn't bluffing. He'd seen enough to know she'd have no qualms about allowing Takahashi to die a slow, painful death. "One of the chambers activated when we opened it," he said in a low voice. "The colonists had begun the revival process when I left to come here."

"That's better," said Delta, with a smile that a snake would be proud of. "Did you see many weapons? Did the chamber contain military personnel?"

"Of course not," O'Brien replied. He knew that knowledge of Trask's presence could only complicate matters. "All PEAs are civilian vessels. We are peacefully looking for a new home."

O'Brien felt Delta and Stone staring at him, ripping his flimsy lies apart. They had already caught him out once. He had never been a good liar, but the stakes were incredibly high.

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.