Blaedergil's Host by C.M. Simpson

Author:C.M. Simpson [Simpson, C.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mack 'n' me 'n' odyssey, mack 'n' me, c.m. simpson author, c.m. simpson, blaedergil's host, Science Fiction, dark science fiction, SF, dark sf, novel, series, adventure, Action, Space Opera, paramilitary science fiction, paramilitary sf, thriller sf
Publisher: C.M. Simpson Publishing
Published: 2021-01-19T22:00:00+00:00

23—Delight on Deck

“What the—” Mack started, as Pritchard grabbed me, but Pritchard continued with the lift, releasing me in a throw that propelled me into Mack’s chest. Mack went down, and Pritchard had drawn a small needler from inside his ship’s suit, and darted us before we could untangle ourselves.

“You need Delight on deck,” he said.

I knew what Mack wanted to say, even though he was in no fit state to say it. Hell, it was exactly the same thing I wanted to say: No. Fucking. Way.

“You need her,” Pritchard told us. “First, because Odyssey will have all your hides if she’s still locked up down when they get here—and, believe me, they are coming—and, secondly, because she’s been on this station before, and you,” he said, addressing me directly, “need her with you, if you’re going to survive going through the ducts.”

He paused, and we both stared at him.

“Actually, you’re going to need her if you’re going to get into the ducts, or through the maintenance hatches, or did you think she’d visited in an official capacity?”

Now that he mentioned it...

I ran the station’s security files, trying to match Delight’s face to the records they had for visitors. Pritchard tilted his head, and shot another glance towards me.

“Two years, two standard months, three days, four hours and thirty-seven minutes ago, to be precise.”

I followed his time frame, and couldn’t find a record for anyone matching Delight’s description entering the station... not via the usual routes, anyway. What I did find was a small glitch in the security footage where Delight’s face came up as a partial match for a maintenance worker that ducked into a corridor and completely vanished—from the scans, and from the station records.

I wondered how long the stuff in Pritchard’s dart would take to wear off, and felt Mack shift beneath me. Well, of course Mack would recover before I did. Of course, he would.

“He has more body mass than you do,” Pritchard said, and I finally understood that he was reading my mind, and was probably in my implant, along with everybody else.

I wondered why I couldn’t see him there, and he let his presence become clear. I sighed, feeling my muscles start to tingle as feeling returned. I should be mortified, or outraged, or something, but I just didn’t care. I didn’t even feel numb. Was it bad that I was starting to accept the chance I would never have another private thought, ever, again?

Was it?

I sighed, trying to shift my weight off Mack’s chest, and feeling Mack’s hands on my shoulders as he lifted me to one side.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t just put you in the pod beside hers?”

Pritchard didn’t move. He continued to lounge against the door to my room.

“Because you need both me and Delight on our feet, and on your side,” he said, simply. “We’ve already gone out on quite the limb to keep Cutter, here, from a breath-takingly short-lived trip amongst the stars—and she’s not out of the woods, yet.

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.