Read Online Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer) by Chris Hechtl - Free Book Online Page A

you get the code?” he asked, curious.
    She
grimaced. “We had to trade for it of course.” She sighed. “Damn Pyrax pain in
the arses, sell their own mothers.” She blanched. “Don't tell Juanita that I
said that.” She looked around at the others. They all shook their heads
hastily. The Admiral chuckled as they left.
    Sprite
brought up a map of the floor. Junior was on his way back, but a trio of men
were coming just ahead of him. He grimaced. He would have to wait until Junior
got here, he didn't dare go back inside and leave the kid hanging in the breeze
outside his own home.
    “Hey
you! Yes you!” He turned to see the lead bull necked guy wave to him. “Come
over here we want to talk to you,” he snarled. Irons smiled.
    “Sorry,
I can't leave my post.” He indicated the door now at his back. The men snarled
then came over.
    “Who
the hell are you?” the leader asked.  He was bald, with various tattoos on his
head and back of his neck. Another tattoo encircled his right eye. Sprite put
up a warning that these were the same guys from earlier. Not that he didn't
know already.
    “I'm
a boarder of the Valdez family. I am an engineer,” the Admiral replied as he
studied the men with a practiced eye. They were definitely brawlers, used to
using intimidation or raw force to get their way, not science. From the way
each of them moved they had been at it for some time and leaned more on the
intimidation factor over the use of force.
    Junior
rounded the corner and stopped. He started to move forward but then stopped. A
male turned to glare at him. “There's the punk we're looking for.” He turned
and pointed. The others turned. “Don't think you’re going to be here ass wipe,
the Valdez clan is on borrowed time,” the leader gloated as he turned to
Junior.
    Junior
had summoned up his courage or sheer stupidity and had passed through the men
to the Admiral's side. He turned. “What do you want Berneky?” he asked. His
hand was near his hip pocket.
    “Easy
son,” the Admiral said softly.
    “Yeah,
listen to the old man; you don't want to get tossed out a lock now do you?” one
of the hecklers snarled. “We're here for the rent. Either pay up or piss off.”
The leader jerked his thumb up over his shoulder. Junior's face contorted in a
rictus of hate. The Admiral placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
    “Gentlemen,
The exec ordered the Valdez family to get the tug repaired and in space and for
all of your people to help expedite that.” He turned to look at the leader. “We
don't take no orders from the exec,” one of his partners laughed. The leader
turned, shutting his hyena up with a glare then turned back on Junior and the
Admiral. “He's right; we take orders from the Admiral,” he replied, lip
curling.
    “From...”
Junior looked up at the Admiral but he waved it aside.
    “Never
mind that. We're working on the tug now. If we don't run into problems we
should be out in space by tomorrow, and getting the first load of fuel in a
day.” He waved to the lights. “Flicker the lights and grav will you?” He sub
vocalized to Sprite. After a moment the lights dimmed, then flickered. “The
fuel reserves are almost gone.” He looked over to the leader. He looked a
little green.
    “I
played with the plate he is on. Bet he feels a bit sick,” Sprite reported
smugly.
    “As
you can see, we have a crisis to avert.” He waved Sergio inside.
    “Not
so fast smart ass...” The leader grabbed him.
    “Leave
him alone Berneky he's a ...” Junior warned.
    “Shut
up pissant, if I wanted to hear you whine I'd beat you like I did your dad.” He
stared at the young man. Junior had gone white and fallen into a fighting
crouch he was shaking with rage.
    “Your
bitch of a mother is going to get hers, going to get laid good and proper
before we stuff her out a lock,” one of the men jeered. The Admiral tried to
head off the obvious confrontation but he knew it was going south fast.
    “Try
it and