Read Online Orphan Star by Alan Dean Foster - Free Book Online Page A

Reaching, he pulled himself up so that he was staring through the transparent pane, and observed with satisfaction that the window was open a few centimeters. Then he noticed the two figures standing at the back of the room. One was fat and sweating, a condition not due to recent exercise. The other was small, blond, and wide-eyed.
    Suddenly they saw him.
    “Don’t let him get me, Daddy,” she said in mock-fright. Opening his mind, Flinx sensed the excitement racing through hers and he felt sick.
    “I don’t know why you persist in tormenting me,” Challis said in confusion, his beamer now focused on Flinx’s shoulder. “I didn’t hurt you badly. You’ve turned into something of a pest. Good-bye.” His finger started to tighten on the trigger.
    Pip was off Flinx’s shoulder instantly. Challis saw the snake move, shifted his aim, and fired. Remembrance of what the minidrag was capable of shook the merchant, and his shot went wild. It struck the wooden molding above the window, missing Pip and Flinx completely. Whatever the molding was made of, it burned with a satisfying fury. In seconds the gap between window and Challis was filled with flame and smoke.
    While the smoke chased the merchant from the room and prevented him from getting a clear shot, it also left Flinx pinned outside the window. He started downward as rapidly as he dared, Pip thrumming angrily around his head and looking for something to kill. Flinx doubted he could make the ground safely before Challis got word to the guards below. Slowly he descended past one floor, a second, a third. On the fourth floor down he noticed that the reflective one-way paneling had broken and been repaired with transparent film.
    Two sharp kicks enlarged the opening and he jumped through—to find himself confronting a single startled woman.
    She screamed.
    “Please,” he begged, making calming sounds and moving toward her. “Don’t do that. I don’t mean you any harm.”
    She screamed again.
    Flinx made violent shushing motions with his hands. “Be quiet . . . they’ll find me.”
    She continued to scream.
    Flinx halted and thought furiously what to do. Someone was bound to hear the noise any second.
    Pip solved the immediate problem. He lurched speculatively at the woman. She saw the long, sinuous, quick-moving reptilian form, mouth agape, rushing toward her on broad membranous wings.
    She fainted.
    That stopped the screaming, but Flinx was still trapped in a now alerted building with next to no prospect of slipping out unseen. His gaze traveled frantically around the room, searching for a large carton to hide in or a weapon or . . . anything useful. Eventually his attention returned to the woman. She had fallen awkwardly and he moved to shift her into a more natural resting position. As he propped her up, Flinx noticed a bathroom nearby. His gaze shot back to the girl. . . .
    A minute later several heavily armed guards burst into the unlocked room. It seemed to be deserted. They fanned out, made a quick inspection of every possible hiding place. One guard entered the bathroom, noticed feminine legs beneath the privacy shield, and hastily withdrew, apologizing. With his comrades he left and moved on to inspect the next office.
    Three offices later it occurred to him that the woman hadn’t responded to his apology—not with a thank-you, not with a frosty acknowledgment, not with a curse. Nothing, That struck him as being strange and he mentioned the fact to his superior.
    Together they dashed back to the office in question, entered the bathroom. The legs were still in the same position. Cautiously, the officer knocked on the shield, cleared his throat appraisingly. When there was no response, he directed the other two men to stand back and cover the shield exitway, which he then opened from the outside.
    The woman was just opening her eyes. She found herself sitting stark naked on the convenience, staring into the muzzles of two energy weapons held in