Read Online From Black Rooms by Stephen Woodworth - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stephen Woodworth
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the Corps, like the rest of your kind. But that's what you get for having such a rare and valuable gift, eh?" Pancrit bent until his forehead nearly touched
Markham's, until he stared straight into the kil er's eyes. "Of course, if everyone had that gift, they wouldn't need you, would they? You could go off and do whatever you wanted, truly free for the first time in your life. How's that for a trade, Evan? You give me your gift, I give you your freedom." He paused, cocked his head for a reply. "Do we have a deal?" From the thicket of his beard, Markham's tongue
flicked out to moisten the cracked dryness of his ful lips, and his voice rasped from years of disuse. "I want to see her."
Pancrit grimaced at the kil er's demand, but nodded. Markham bared his teeth in a death's-head grin and wiggled the fingers of his manacled hands. "How about getting me out of these things? As a sign of good faith...
A staring contest ensued between them as Pancrit
assessed the risk of freeing the prisoner before the guards came in to back him up. Stil ...he needed to assert his dominance and win Markham's trust in order for them to work together on the project.
"If you cross me," he warned, "you'l rot in this box forever."
"Think I don't know that? That's the only reason I bothered to speak to you." Markham waved his shackled hands again. "Wel ?"
Pancrit quashed his misgivings and turned toward the ceiling cameras, raising his voice so that the adjacent speakers would receive his instruction. "Release him." A click came from the speakers, fol owed by Ryan's voice. "You sure about that, sir?"
"Yes. I have things under control."
He heard the hydraulic hiss as the clamps on
Markham's wrists and ankles opened, and half turned toward the prisoner. "Now--"
He did not have time to say anything more before the Violet lunged forward to seize him in a headlock.
"I could twist your head off your neck before they ever got in here," Markham murmured. "And it wouldn't make a damned bit of difference to my future." Pancrit bobbed his mouth for the breath to cry out, but the crook of Markham's elbow squeezed his windpipe like a nutcracker. Though he wriggled and tugged at the kil er's arm, the doctor failed to break free.
"Let go of him, Markham," Ryan said from the speakers, a nervous quaver undercutting the authority in her voice. "You'l only make it worse for yourself if you don't."
Yet neither she nor Wil is made any attempt to enter the cel to save Pancrit. Containment is our first priority, he heard her repeat in his mind as his lungs throbbed with trapped air and his vision dimmed from oxygen
depletion.
Markham practical y kissed his earlobe as he spoke.
"Get this straight: I don't care about you or your little pipe dreams. I don't care about the Corps or the Violets or this cel or my own accursed life. Al I want is Boo. And you'd better let me have her. Understand?" As far as he was able to, Pancrit nodded.
"We're giving you ten seconds to back away from him," Ryan announced through the intercom. "Then we're coming in."
"No need," Markham replied, unhooking his arm from Pancrit's throat. "Everything's fine. In fact, the doc and I are partners. Isn't that right?"
The Violet Kil er clapped a hand on Carl Pancrit's shoulder in filial camaraderie, but pinched the muscle as a reminder of the penalty for betraying their al iance. Pancrit massaged his neck, tel ing himself, It's only for the project. After that I can get rid of him.
"Open the cel ," he croaked to the guards. "We're coming out."
5
Familiar Faces
AT THE TIME, NATALIE COULD NOT SAY WHY
SHE TOOK NOTE OF THE man who loitered outside
the Ralph's supermarket when she and Cal ie emerged from their weekly shopping expedition. He seemed to take no notice of them as they wheeled out a cartload of groceries; in fact, he had his back turned to them, so that Natalie could see only his frizzy, shoulder-length black hair and the long, dark overcoat that looked too heavy for the
Markham's, until he stared straight into the kil er's eyes. "Of course, if everyone had that gift, they wouldn't need you, would they? You could go off and do whatever you wanted, truly free for the first time in your life. How's that for a trade, Evan? You give me your gift, I give you your freedom." He paused, cocked his head for a reply. "Do we have a deal?" From the thicket of his beard, Markham's tongue
flicked out to moisten the cracked dryness of his ful lips, and his voice rasped from years of disuse. "I want to see her."
Pancrit grimaced at the kil er's demand, but nodded. Markham bared his teeth in a death's-head grin and wiggled the fingers of his manacled hands. "How about getting me out of these things? As a sign of good faith...
A staring contest ensued between them as Pancrit
assessed the risk of freeing the prisoner before the guards came in to back him up. Stil ...he needed to assert his dominance and win Markham's trust in order for them to work together on the project.
"If you cross me," he warned, "you'l rot in this box forever."
"Think I don't know that? That's the only reason I bothered to speak to you." Markham waved his shackled hands again. "Wel ?"
Pancrit quashed his misgivings and turned toward the ceiling cameras, raising his voice so that the adjacent speakers would receive his instruction. "Release him." A click came from the speakers, fol owed by Ryan's voice. "You sure about that, sir?"
"Yes. I have things under control."
He heard the hydraulic hiss as the clamps on
Markham's wrists and ankles opened, and half turned toward the prisoner. "Now--"
He did not have time to say anything more before the Violet lunged forward to seize him in a headlock.
"I could twist your head off your neck before they ever got in here," Markham murmured. "And it wouldn't make a damned bit of difference to my future." Pancrit bobbed his mouth for the breath to cry out, but the crook of Markham's elbow squeezed his windpipe like a nutcracker. Though he wriggled and tugged at the kil er's arm, the doctor failed to break free.
"Let go of him, Markham," Ryan said from the speakers, a nervous quaver undercutting the authority in her voice. "You'l only make it worse for yourself if you don't."
Yet neither she nor Wil is made any attempt to enter the cel to save Pancrit. Containment is our first priority, he heard her repeat in his mind as his lungs throbbed with trapped air and his vision dimmed from oxygen
depletion.
Markham practical y kissed his earlobe as he spoke.
"Get this straight: I don't care about you or your little pipe dreams. I don't care about the Corps or the Violets or this cel or my own accursed life. Al I want is Boo. And you'd better let me have her. Understand?" As far as he was able to, Pancrit nodded.
"We're giving you ten seconds to back away from him," Ryan announced through the intercom. "Then we're coming in."
"No need," Markham replied, unhooking his arm from Pancrit's throat. "Everything's fine. In fact, the doc and I are partners. Isn't that right?"
The Violet Kil er clapped a hand on Carl Pancrit's shoulder in filial camaraderie, but pinched the muscle as a reminder of the penalty for betraying their al iance. Pancrit massaged his neck, tel ing himself, It's only for the project. After that I can get rid of him.
"Open the cel ," he croaked to the guards. "We're coming out."
5
Familiar Faces
AT THE TIME, NATALIE COULD NOT SAY WHY
SHE TOOK NOTE OF THE man who loitered outside
the Ralph's supermarket when she and Cal ie emerged from their weekly shopping expedition. He seemed to take no notice of them as they wheeled out a cartload of groceries; in fact, he had his back turned to them, so that Natalie could see only his frizzy, shoulder-length black hair and the long, dark overcoat that looked too heavy for the
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