Read Online Ellie Quin - 04 - Ellie Quin in WonderLand by Alex Scarrow - Free Book Online
Authors: Alex Scarrow
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rolled his eyes, ‘utterly ridiculous and completely pointless. But it was
his
turn to choose the conditions of the game not mine.’
Ellie turned to him. ‘A game?’
He nodded. ‘Hmmm. Yes of course, a game; a war game to be precise. Although…’ he looked at the mess of dead candy-bars and jelly beans, ‘…this does look really quite childish. It’s actually quite embarrassing.’
Ellie made a face. ‘This is horrible. All these things were alive…and they were what?…
forced
to kill each other, because of a
game
?’
‘Not forced. They really
wanted
to kill each other,’ replied Shelby. ‘Of course that’s a behaviour pattern you have to engineer in, otherwise,’ he smiled, ‘you’re not going to get much of a fight out of them, are you now?’
Jez nudged one of the dead Sugar-Beanies with her foot. A thin, child-like arm flopped lifelessly to one side and a short sword clattered from the grasp of its mitten-like hand, onto the ground.
‘I think I'm going to be sick,’ muttered Ellie.
‘You said
his
turn.’ Jez looked at him. ‘Someone else? Who’s that? Not your pet monkey, Frasier?’
Shelby shook his head. ‘No, obviously not Frasier.’ He grimaced, clearly angry with himself for letting
something
slip. He sighed, sensing they were going to pester him with further questions. ‘I play against my colleague.’
‘Another technician?’ said Ellie. ‘Another one of your maintenance team?’
‘Yes.'
'Well?' Jez hunched her shoulders. 'Where the hell are the others, anyway? We've only seen other
products
so far.'
Ellie nodded. 'You said earlier there was a team of twelve of you?'
Shelby froze. His brow knotted for a moment. 'You asked who I was playing war games with?
He just skipped that other question
.
'He's called Graham. Although he like to call himself Gray. I think he thinks that sounds cooler. Hmmm, he's an annoying idiot, by the way. I’m almost certain he’s not taking our war games seriously anymore. Almost certain.’
'So is this
Gray
around?' asked Jez. 'Nearby? Can we meet him too?'
Shelby curled his lip. 'You won't like him. He's a complete moron.'
Jez had a barrage of questions about 'Gray'. Clearly she was encouraged that Shelby wasn't the only male specimen on the facility. But Ellie was quiet. Wondering why Shelby seemed so reluctant to talk about the others.
CHAPTER 10
Deacon touched the rewind icon on the floating holographic display projected from the tablet. The footage of Harvest City's port - it's main thoroughfare - ran quickly backwards. He stopped it and then studied the still, grainy image.
The data-cam carried a wide angled image of the busy avenue, looking down on traders and their stalls; passengers, tourists and freighter crews squeezing past each other going about their business buying in necessities and luxuries. This particular cam had been covering the section of the thoroughfare where he and his hitman had been waiting for those girls. The hitman's name was
Karl
. Deacon had finally bothered to ask them their first names now that it looked like their contracts might need to be extended a few more weeks.
He paused the video.
This one,
Karl
, the ex-marine seemed to be the most competent of the two. Deacon narrowed his eyes as he touched an icon on the hovering display and the video ran forward.
Hundreds of heads began bobbing once again, a lazy river of foot traffic compressed into a slow moving choke-point as the thoroughfare narrowed between the supporting struts of a vast bulkhead. Slow movement from everyone, pressing impatiently and irritably past each other. But then - there it was again - the flicker of someone moving quickly down the left hand side of the main passage, pressed up against the wall at the rear of the stalls on that side.
The two girls.
On the video, Deacon could see himself on the other side of the thoroughfare and the river of people. There was his reaction, as he caught a glimpse of the girls trying to sneak
his
turn to choose the conditions of the game not mine.’
Ellie turned to him. ‘A game?’
He nodded. ‘Hmmm. Yes of course, a game; a war game to be precise. Although…’ he looked at the mess of dead candy-bars and jelly beans, ‘…this does look really quite childish. It’s actually quite embarrassing.’
Ellie made a face. ‘This is horrible. All these things were alive…and they were what?…
forced
to kill each other, because of a
game
?’
‘Not forced. They really
wanted
to kill each other,’ replied Shelby. ‘Of course that’s a behaviour pattern you have to engineer in, otherwise,’ he smiled, ‘you’re not going to get much of a fight out of them, are you now?’
Jez nudged one of the dead Sugar-Beanies with her foot. A thin, child-like arm flopped lifelessly to one side and a short sword clattered from the grasp of its mitten-like hand, onto the ground.
‘I think I'm going to be sick,’ muttered Ellie.
‘You said
his
turn.’ Jez looked at him. ‘Someone else? Who’s that? Not your pet monkey, Frasier?’
Shelby shook his head. ‘No, obviously not Frasier.’ He grimaced, clearly angry with himself for letting
something
slip. He sighed, sensing they were going to pester him with further questions. ‘I play against my colleague.’
‘Another technician?’ said Ellie. ‘Another one of your maintenance team?’
‘Yes.'
'Well?' Jez hunched her shoulders. 'Where the hell are the others, anyway? We've only seen other
products
so far.'
Ellie nodded. 'You said earlier there was a team of twelve of you?'
Shelby froze. His brow knotted for a moment. 'You asked who I was playing war games with?
He just skipped that other question
.
'He's called Graham. Although he like to call himself Gray. I think he thinks that sounds cooler. Hmmm, he's an annoying idiot, by the way. I’m almost certain he’s not taking our war games seriously anymore. Almost certain.’
'So is this
Gray
around?' asked Jez. 'Nearby? Can we meet him too?'
Shelby curled his lip. 'You won't like him. He's a complete moron.'
Jez had a barrage of questions about 'Gray'. Clearly she was encouraged that Shelby wasn't the only male specimen on the facility. But Ellie was quiet. Wondering why Shelby seemed so reluctant to talk about the others.
CHAPTER 10
Deacon touched the rewind icon on the floating holographic display projected from the tablet. The footage of Harvest City's port - it's main thoroughfare - ran quickly backwards. He stopped it and then studied the still, grainy image.
The data-cam carried a wide angled image of the busy avenue, looking down on traders and their stalls; passengers, tourists and freighter crews squeezing past each other going about their business buying in necessities and luxuries. This particular cam had been covering the section of the thoroughfare where he and his hitman had been waiting for those girls. The hitman's name was
Karl
. Deacon had finally bothered to ask them their first names now that it looked like their contracts might need to be extended a few more weeks.
He paused the video.
This one,
Karl
, the ex-marine seemed to be the most competent of the two. Deacon narrowed his eyes as he touched an icon on the hovering display and the video ran forward.
Hundreds of heads began bobbing once again, a lazy river of foot traffic compressed into a slow moving choke-point as the thoroughfare narrowed between the supporting struts of a vast bulkhead. Slow movement from everyone, pressing impatiently and irritably past each other. But then - there it was again - the flicker of someone moving quickly down the left hand side of the main passage, pressed up against the wall at the rear of the stalls on that side.
The two girls.
On the video, Deacon could see himself on the other side of the thoroughfare and the river of people. There was his reaction, as he caught a glimpse of the girls trying to sneak
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