Read Online Dark Minds (Class 5 Series Book 3) by Michelle Diener - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michelle Diener
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and the feet raised, while one of the drones moved a slim silver wand gently over her bruised eye and cheek.
It put the wand down and placed two small packs on her face with some kind of adhesive on the back. She instantly felt a pleasant warmth seep deep into her bones.
It wasn't enough to make her relax, though.
Something had happened in the med chamber.
There was a hole in the ceiling on one side of the room and medical instruments lay scattered on the floor. There was also a scrape along the inside of the door. A chair lay on its side, damaged, and Imogen guessed the chair had caused the scrape. As if someone had tried to use it to batter their way out.
The other two drones had immediately started picking things up and straightening the room, but they couldn't erase the sense of panic the long, deep gouge evoked.
She hadn't thought herself a coward. She'd fought where she could, cooperated when it was clear it was her best strategy, and she'd survived.
The encounter with the Krik had been different.
She had thought she would die, no matter what she did, and her bravery with Toloco had a nihilistic edge.
But looking at the scrape, remembering the sight of the Krik being casually dragged by his hair to wherever they were disposing of the bodies, she had the sense of being on a tightrope.
There may be a right way to do this, to get out alive, but one wrong move, and the mysterious person or people she was dealing with would think nothing of crushing her.
She took a deep breath. “Why am I here?”
The drone made a tiny movement back and forward, almost as if it was prevaricating, and then it slid back and using its long, telescopic arm, offered her a cup of water. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink since before the Krik had taken her prisoner, and she gulped it down thirstily. Before she got to the last swallow, though, she started feeling guilty about Captain Kalor and the other prisoners.
“Do the others in the hold have water and some food?” She tried to make the final sip last, holding the water in her mouth.
“No.” The drone sounded like a drone, now. Devoid of emotion.
“Will you send them some?” She made the question as respectful as she could.
“Why?” The voice was different again, no longer monotone, but curious.
She blinked. “Because they are stuck in there without anything because of you.”
There was a beat of silence. “That is true.”
“Why are we here, all of us?” She tried the question again. The gel packs on her face had lost most of their heat, and she peeled them off, and then jerked in surprise when the drone held out a tray for her to put them on. When it moved back to throw them away, she slid out of the chair.
The built-in tap where the drone had gotten the water from was above the counter in front of her, and she took her cup and filled it again. When she turned from the wall, all three drones were lined up, watching her.
The cup shook as she brought it to her lips and swallowed.
They had put the shockguns they'd been carrying in the boxes that made up most of their body when they entered the med chamber, but there was something very disturbing about the way their lenses focused on her now. As if she was a particularly ugly bug.
Her heartbeat was deafening, and the water she'd just swallowed sat uneasily in her stomach.
“You need food.”
The words were so surprising, she choked as she swallowed another sip. “So do the people in the hold.”
“Come.” They all turned precisely together, sending a shiver through her, but she followed them out into the passageway and back the way she'd come.
One of the closed doors opened, and she found herself in a comfortable room, with dining tables and chairs to one side, and couches and low tables on the other. A large screen sat on the far wall, but instead of lens feed, like she was used to, it exuded a pale turquoise blue light that gave the room the feel of being under water.
“Sit.” The drones
It put the wand down and placed two small packs on her face with some kind of adhesive on the back. She instantly felt a pleasant warmth seep deep into her bones.
It wasn't enough to make her relax, though.
Something had happened in the med chamber.
There was a hole in the ceiling on one side of the room and medical instruments lay scattered on the floor. There was also a scrape along the inside of the door. A chair lay on its side, damaged, and Imogen guessed the chair had caused the scrape. As if someone had tried to use it to batter their way out.
The other two drones had immediately started picking things up and straightening the room, but they couldn't erase the sense of panic the long, deep gouge evoked.
She hadn't thought herself a coward. She'd fought where she could, cooperated when it was clear it was her best strategy, and she'd survived.
The encounter with the Krik had been different.
She had thought she would die, no matter what she did, and her bravery with Toloco had a nihilistic edge.
But looking at the scrape, remembering the sight of the Krik being casually dragged by his hair to wherever they were disposing of the bodies, she had the sense of being on a tightrope.
There may be a right way to do this, to get out alive, but one wrong move, and the mysterious person or people she was dealing with would think nothing of crushing her.
She took a deep breath. “Why am I here?”
The drone made a tiny movement back and forward, almost as if it was prevaricating, and then it slid back and using its long, telescopic arm, offered her a cup of water. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink since before the Krik had taken her prisoner, and she gulped it down thirstily. Before she got to the last swallow, though, she started feeling guilty about Captain Kalor and the other prisoners.
“Do the others in the hold have water and some food?” She tried to make the final sip last, holding the water in her mouth.
“No.” The drone sounded like a drone, now. Devoid of emotion.
“Will you send them some?” She made the question as respectful as she could.
“Why?” The voice was different again, no longer monotone, but curious.
She blinked. “Because they are stuck in there without anything because of you.”
There was a beat of silence. “That is true.”
“Why are we here, all of us?” She tried the question again. The gel packs on her face had lost most of their heat, and she peeled them off, and then jerked in surprise when the drone held out a tray for her to put them on. When it moved back to throw them away, she slid out of the chair.
The built-in tap where the drone had gotten the water from was above the counter in front of her, and she took her cup and filled it again. When she turned from the wall, all three drones were lined up, watching her.
The cup shook as she brought it to her lips and swallowed.
They had put the shockguns they'd been carrying in the boxes that made up most of their body when they entered the med chamber, but there was something very disturbing about the way their lenses focused on her now. As if she was a particularly ugly bug.
Her heartbeat was deafening, and the water she'd just swallowed sat uneasily in her stomach.
“You need food.”
The words were so surprising, she choked as she swallowed another sip. “So do the people in the hold.”
“Come.” They all turned precisely together, sending a shiver through her, but she followed them out into the passageway and back the way she'd come.
One of the closed doors opened, and she found herself in a comfortable room, with dining tables and chairs to one side, and couches and low tables on the other. A large screen sat on the far wall, but instead of lens feed, like she was used to, it exuded a pale turquoise blue light that gave the room the feel of being under water.
“Sit.” The drones
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