Read Online Lana's Comet (Outer Settlement Agency) by Lyn Brittan - Free Book Online Page A

he pointed from the tablet to her face. “This involves her too? Oh man, you’re in deep.”
    Cyprus took a step, hands curled into fists at his side. “Shut up and get out.”
    But none of this seemed to faze Vin. He shot her another toothy smile and his shoulders shook with laughter. “I am not judging this. If my brother wants to service a woman—”
    “I’m going to kill you.”
    “– on his desk to start his morning, who am I to stand in his way? Are you going to introduce us?”
    “No.”
    Cyprus snatched the omnitablet and dropped it on the desk. She took a deep breath and stepped from behind him. “I’m Dr. Lana Kagen.”
    Vin bypassed her extended hand. To her horror, he saluted. “Trainee, Lana Kagen. This is getting better by the minute. I checked the files of both people in your room, Doc. In case you were involved with Ms. Yoshisumi’s disappearance. You left behind a profitable employer for this and it raises questions. Mind telling me what I’ve just risked my career for?”
    “It’s rather complicated.”
    “I see. Listen, I understand that I’m just a simple security director, barely able to walk and talk at the same time. And I get, truly I do, that I’ve interrupted a very important business meeting about this very serious and, as you say, complicated issue but—”
    “Meash Two is attempting to control the galaxy by bioengineering a disease to which only they have the antidote.”
    “Oh. Right. Shall I save this as ‘that thing I didn’t hear’ and move on with my day?”
    “Not exactly. I mean—”
    “Lady, either you’re crazy or the universe is. This is so out of my purview.”
    “Out of...you’re top level security!” She looked from one brother to the other, brain clearly incorrectly reporting everything he’d just said. Meanwhile Cyprus rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air.
    “Just saying,” Vin continued. “I don’t get paid enough to handle that.”
    “I’m here because I can’t do this on my own.”
    “You’re here so my brother can eat—”
    Cyprus’s face turned a muddy, angry red and he pointed to the door. “Leave. Now.”
    “All of this...you two are serious, aren’t you? Aww, shit. Look, fix it.” The man turned, but didn’t leave just yet. “Rough translation, I’m kicking this up to my superiors. You get a week to sort this out, prove what you say is true and submit it to OSA.”
    “Or that, brother?”
    “Or I will. We can’t sit on this.”
    “They’re still months, maybe years out,” she offered.
    “I don’t care. Maybe you can’t read it in my features, but I know what those bastards can do.” Vin pulled out his omnitablet and started typing. “Meash logistics qualifications don’t transfer over without upper level approval. Congratulations, you just got upper level approval. You’re skipping simulations and going straight to the two-day space training. Take the unlocked tablet. Use the time to make all the connections you need to bring this to light.”
    For the first time since Vin’s entry, Cyprus looked at his brother with soft eyes and unclenched fists. “You don’t need to get involved with this.”
    “You got me involved. You leave this afternoon. And, would you look at that? Because of scheduling conflicts, I’m putting you down as her onboard facilitator.”
    “I can’t abandon the rest of my recruits.”
    “You won’t. They’ll need a day to recover. That gives you just enough time to come back and hit the ground running.”
    “Wait.” Cyprus paced in the small room, arms crossed, chin resting on his fist. “I’ll note that we’re trying something new and testing it on Lana. They’ll record everything we say, so we’ll have to communicate via Yoshisumi’s omnitablet.”
    “We could do a loop on the dark side of—”
    Vin’s clicking tongue cut her off. “Too suspicious. You literally have to save the world and pass a flying test. And not in that order.” Vin’s head dropped and