Read Online Crash Flux 1: Welcome To The Machine by Kevin Battleson - Free Book Online
Authors: Kevin Battleson
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glance, caught by surprise, with no where to turn and no where to run.
Suddenly, the drone sparked, sizzled, and scuttled to a stop, its flame dying and retreating into the things pincer-like mouth. A high, lilting voice called through the vent. “We are the queen’s heralds! Surrender and you will not be harmed!”
Adon whispered, “The serpent queen? I thought she was a myth.”
Raydin yelled down the corridor, “Considering your reputation, you’ll forgive me if I decide to decline!”
The voice replied, “We have orders to take you alive! But if you want to do this the hard way, be our guest!”
Raydin turned the other direction, towards the drone caught on the tracks. It continued to billow flame. Raydin crawled towards it, and Adon said, “What are you doing? We can’t go that way!” Raydin continued on without him until he could feel the stinging heat on his face. Raydin took careful aim, and fired his snake. The dart rocketed forward, the solid wire trailing behind it. It penetrated the drone’s fuel tank, and the synthetic petrol leaked onto the vents floor like it was the thing’s lifeblood. Too viscous to catch on fire, the drones flame sputtered out to almost nothing, then died. Raydin stood on his haunches and awkwardly hobbled over the cooling metal. It burnt his feet, melting his shoes enough to smear a little black smudge behind him. Adon followed, touching his hand against the top of the vent and searing his flesh.
“Ouch!” he hissed. He made his way to cooler climes and said, “What now?”
Raydin said, “This way!” Turning to the right of the next cross-section. In the distance, he saw a small man, less than four feet tall, dressed in archaic clothing with a symbol of two serpents coiled around spider, all of them seemingly trapped in a web. He stood riding on a flat disc that hovered above the vent floor. The man hurled towards them, leveling a disrupter at Raydin. Raydin drew up his left arm and fired his holdout laser, cutting the disc in two and sending the pilot sprawling. Another small man on a flat disc creeped up behind him, trying to maneuver past, and Raydin turned to see another was coming up behind. Raydin shoved Adon's head down, and felt his arm go numb as he took a glancing blow from the disrupter. The second shot struck true, sending Adon to the floor, giving Raydin just enough time to see the face of the man bearing down on him before he fell to the disrupter fire as well.
*
Coquette lay in her bed, holding a holoreader cylinder in her left hand. Displayed was an image of a crude man, sneering at the picture taker with contempt, next to his criminal record. She arched her head back, letting the image seep into her mind, feeling a tingling all over her athletic body, feeling her long black hair brush against her back, a small current of electricity ran through her shoulders as her hair draped over her neck. In her other hand, she held a revolver, pressed between her legs. She set the picture aside and rubbed the cold, hard, metallic object against herself, closing her eyes and sighing. She smiled as she thought of what she would do to her prize, the man in the picture, when he was delivered to her.
The antique wooden door burst open and David quickly turned his head, ducking outside the doorway. She yelled, “Damn it David, how many times have I told you to knock?” David let the door creep open, tugging at the diamond earring in his right ear and staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, Coquette, but the report you asked for is here.” Coquette uncocked the trigger on the heavy revolver and set it aside, letting the sheet that draped her breasts fall to the side as she reached for the report.
She set it onto the end table and read it as she turned her back to David and pulled on her bra and panties. “Excellent. It seems my father’s control over the second estate is slipping more
Suddenly, the drone sparked, sizzled, and scuttled to a stop, its flame dying and retreating into the things pincer-like mouth. A high, lilting voice called through the vent. “We are the queen’s heralds! Surrender and you will not be harmed!”
Adon whispered, “The serpent queen? I thought she was a myth.”
Raydin yelled down the corridor, “Considering your reputation, you’ll forgive me if I decide to decline!”
The voice replied, “We have orders to take you alive! But if you want to do this the hard way, be our guest!”
Raydin turned the other direction, towards the drone caught on the tracks. It continued to billow flame. Raydin crawled towards it, and Adon said, “What are you doing? We can’t go that way!” Raydin continued on without him until he could feel the stinging heat on his face. Raydin took careful aim, and fired his snake. The dart rocketed forward, the solid wire trailing behind it. It penetrated the drone’s fuel tank, and the synthetic petrol leaked onto the vents floor like it was the thing’s lifeblood. Too viscous to catch on fire, the drones flame sputtered out to almost nothing, then died. Raydin stood on his haunches and awkwardly hobbled over the cooling metal. It burnt his feet, melting his shoes enough to smear a little black smudge behind him. Adon followed, touching his hand against the top of the vent and searing his flesh.
“Ouch!” he hissed. He made his way to cooler climes and said, “What now?”
Raydin said, “This way!” Turning to the right of the next cross-section. In the distance, he saw a small man, less than four feet tall, dressed in archaic clothing with a symbol of two serpents coiled around spider, all of them seemingly trapped in a web. He stood riding on a flat disc that hovered above the vent floor. The man hurled towards them, leveling a disrupter at Raydin. Raydin drew up his left arm and fired his holdout laser, cutting the disc in two and sending the pilot sprawling. Another small man on a flat disc creeped up behind him, trying to maneuver past, and Raydin turned to see another was coming up behind. Raydin shoved Adon's head down, and felt his arm go numb as he took a glancing blow from the disrupter. The second shot struck true, sending Adon to the floor, giving Raydin just enough time to see the face of the man bearing down on him before he fell to the disrupter fire as well.
*
Coquette lay in her bed, holding a holoreader cylinder in her left hand. Displayed was an image of a crude man, sneering at the picture taker with contempt, next to his criminal record. She arched her head back, letting the image seep into her mind, feeling a tingling all over her athletic body, feeling her long black hair brush against her back, a small current of electricity ran through her shoulders as her hair draped over her neck. In her other hand, she held a revolver, pressed between her legs. She set the picture aside and rubbed the cold, hard, metallic object against herself, closing her eyes and sighing. She smiled as she thought of what she would do to her prize, the man in the picture, when he was delivered to her.
The antique wooden door burst open and David quickly turned his head, ducking outside the doorway. She yelled, “Damn it David, how many times have I told you to knock?” David let the door creep open, tugging at the diamond earring in his right ear and staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, Coquette, but the report you asked for is here.” Coquette uncocked the trigger on the heavy revolver and set it aside, letting the sheet that draped her breasts fall to the side as she reached for the report.
She set it onto the end table and read it as she turned her back to David and pulled on her bra and panties. “Excellent. It seems my father’s control over the second estate is slipping more
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