Read Online Atrophy by Jess Anastasi - Free Book Online

did she really want to know? Zahli swallowed over a sudden tightness in her throat. And did she really want to know?
    Rian glanced at where she stood next to Tannin’s knee so she moved closer until her hip touched his leg. No doubt asking for Rian to do Tannin some more damage, but her brother was going to have a fight on his hands to kick Tannin off this ship. She didn’t want Rian to know about what had happened to her, because she couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t go on a furious rampage and blast half the compound into dust.
    Rian rested his hand on the hilt of his sheathed knife. “Not yet. I wanted to find out why this scumrat decided to sneak aboard my ship first. Kira, hook him up to the emotion resonator and neuron scanner.”
    Kira sighed and took out a cloth to wipe the blood from Tannin’s wound before pressing the MRD against his skin again. “What for?”
    “So as soon as he tells the first lie, I can stab him in the other shoulder.”
    Anger pricked Zahli and for half a moment she seriously considered smacking her brother upside the head. He could be so flip at the stupidest times. “Rian, this isn’t funny.”
    “Who said I was joking?” He took his knife out and flicked it handle over blade.
    She glared at him then snatched the weapon from mid-air and slammed it down on the hovering diagnostic-cart, causing the other instruments sitting there to clatter together.
    “Stop being a jerk. Tannin needs our help.”
    Rian made a face. “ Tannin ? And just why are you so eager to help him, Zahli? You know what’ll happen if we get caught assisting his escape? We’ll all end up living on Erebus. Are you really asking the entire crew to risk their lives for a convicted killer?”
    Tannin shrugged away from the doc’s administrations, putting himself half in front of her as he stood. “Just because I was convicted of a crime doesn’t make me a killer. Besides, even if I had killed someone, I wouldn’t be the only one standing in this room who’d done that, now, would I?”
    Callan unholstered his nucleon gun as Rian stepped forward, getting right in Tannin’s face.
    “You’re pushing your luck, scumrat. I’d be well within my rights to dump your dead body out my cargo hold before I launch from this hole of a world.” Rian bumped Tannin back a step, but Tannin came right back at him again.
    At this rate, they’d be pummeling each other in another second. Stupid macho idiots . Zahli slid between them, pressing her back against Tannin’s chest as she shoved at Rian’s shoulders. “Fighting is not going to solve this.”
    Tannin glanced down at her, his expression unreadable, then he sat back down and took the cloth Kira held out to him. “You want to hook me up to your machines to see if I’m lying or not, go ahead. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
    Rian stepped back and nodded at Kira, who turned to bring the emotion resonator and neuron scanner online.
    “You don’t have to do this.” She glanced up from where he was running the damp cloth over his repaired skin, but he wasn’t looking at her as he concentrated on wiping the blood away.
    “Yes, he does,” Rian said from where he’d taken up a stance next to Callan.
    “It’s all right, Zahli, I don’t mind.” His gaze caught hers and the intensity of his green eyes did something unsettling to her pulse for a second.
    “Ready when you are, Captain.” Kira tapped at the crystal display set in the bulkhead above Tannin. He moved back on the bed and crossed his arms, seeming to close himself off.
    “How did you get onboard?” Rian demanded.
    Tannin sighed quietly, the emotion resonator showing his despondency. “I volunteer in the spaceport clerical office, doing various administrative tasks. When you landed yesterday, your clearance codes were sent to the colonel marshal. He left the office for a time, and I took the opportunity to copy the data onto my commpad.”
    Rian braced a foot against the diag-cart. “All right then, tell