Machinations (Olly versus the Mechanoids Book 2) by Frank Carey

Author:Frank Carey [Carey, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-15T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Zoe was livid as she stormed out of the cargo bay and headed to the Bridge with Alecia in tow. "Ali, what the hell were you thinking? Olly is a Class 1A psychic. He could have turned your brain to pudding with just a single thought!"

Ali giggled. "He wasn't so tough. Hell, I threw him across the dock like a discarded rag doll. I'm surprised he's still alive."

"And there lies the rub. Not only is he alive, he's aware of your existence and knows your capabilities. Not only him, but the Venlantens as well. They've probably already scanned him for your psy fingerprints, which means they know I'm involved." She stopped and turned so that Ali ran into her. "I don't like being found. People seem to go out of their way to foil my plans when they know they're mine."

"Sorry, Mom. I thought you wanted him to let go of Iona."

"We were working on it. All I had to do was retune the shields so they would block him. You jumped the gun, young lady, and nearly got yourself killed. No more grandstanding, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Zoe visibly calmed. "I want you to go downstairs and help the research staff catalog the parts the strykers retrieved from Elven Industries..."

"But Zoe!"

"Go! Don't make me tell you twice."

"Yes, ma'am." Ali headed to the lower levels while Zoe continued to the Bridge.

"What the hell happened out there?" Iona asked via her robot mobile body.

"Ali thought she would help us by putting herself in harm's way."

"Forget to add common sense to the mix before you popped her into the oven?"

"Don't ever talk about my daughter that way," Zoe said in an "I mean business" voice.

"Don't get uppity with me, Tralaskan. You and your get are alive only as long as the two of you are useful to me."

"Forgive me, mistress. I mean no disrespect."

"See that you don't. Now, what is your progress with my retrieved parts?"

"I have Ali checking them against the inventory list you so graciously supplied. We have most of them..."

"Most? We need them all. Each contains a piece of the missing database. What is missing?"

"Ali will confirm, but I think part 00-0124/a has not been retrieved yet."

"Did the worm give us a location for 124/a?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was sold to a group of miners in the Olgath system about six hours from our current position. Mistress, shouldn't we wait until we confirm the piece is actually missing?"

"Why wait? I'm getting bored," she said as she dropped into hyperspace and headed toward the Olgath system. "You are dismissed. I will call when I need you."

"Yes, mistress." Zoe almost choked on the words as she walked off the bridge. Seething, she headed down to the storeroom where Ali and the strykers were taking inventory of the parts they had retrieved. When she arrived, she found a stryker--Tomlinson--held against a bulkhead by Ali while the other members of his team aimed weapons at her. "Ali, what has happened now?"

"He thinks I'm a freak," she said, her violet eyes glowing.

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