Read Online Secret Histories 10: Dr. DOA by Simon R. Green - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Simon R. Green
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lost time.
The airship lurched again, and Molly and I clung desperately to the silver bars. I armoured down to keep Molly company.
“I think we need to get to the control room,” I said. “See how bad this is, and what we can do to help.”
“Really?” said Molly. “After everything they’ve done, let them crash!”
“Not everyone on board is necessarily guilty,” I said. “I doubt most of them even knew about the angel. Probably just ordinary working stiffs.”
“You and your conscience,” said Molly.
The room steadied for a moment, and I quickly headed for the door. Molly stuck close behind, holding on to the back of my belt with one hand, in case things got a bit unsteady again. I could hear running feet approaching before I even got to the door, and when I looked out into the corridor, it was full of armed guards. Who took one look at me and immediately opened fire. I ducked back inside the room and armoured up. Molly yelped briefly as the hand she had holding on to my belt was pushed aside by the enveloping armour.
The door sprang open and the first guards charged in, opening fire again the moment they saw me. I stood between them and Molly, not moving. Bullets slammed into my armour, and it absorbed them all, effortlessly soaking up the massed firepower. With my old armour, thebullets used to ricochet, but that could lead to unfortunate incidents with innocent bystanders. I don’t know what my current armour does with the bullets it absorbs; I’ve never quite dared ask. More and more guards burst into the room, targeting me with their various weapons. The sound of so much gunfire in the confined space was deafening. And I just stood there and took it all. Staring calmly at the guards through the featureless golden mask that covered my whole face. That always freaks people out.
One by one the guards stopped firing, and lowered their weapons. In the sudden echoing quiet, the security men looked at one another, and then reluctantly looked back at me. I raised one golden fist, and grew heavy spikes out of the knuckles.
“Run,” I said.
And they did.
They’d been gone only a few moments before two men and a woman came charging into the room. Young business types, in smart power suits. They didn’t even look at me, all their attention fixed on the broken silver cage. One of the men actually moaned. The woman finally looked at me and Molly. Behind the understated makeup, her face was pale, but her mouth was still a flat, stern line.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m a Drood,” I said. “Who are you?”
“We’re Cassandra Inc’s Management,” said the woman. “What have you done?”
“Let the angel go free,” I said. “You had no right to hold it here.”
“We bought that angel!” said one of the men. “We paid good money for it. It’s ours!”
“You let it go?” said the other man. “We were going to be rich!”
“We didn’t imprison the angel,” the woman said carefully. “We just bought the man, with the angel already inside. We made a deal with it.”
“But did you intend to keep your side of the bargain?” I said. “The angel didn’t think so.”
“It was just business,” said the woman.
“Didn’t you think of all the damage you were doing with your predictions?” I said. “When you interfered with the Droods, you put the safety of the world at risk.”
“It was just business!” said the woman. “What gives you the right to interfere?”
“You messed with my family,” I said. “No one gets to do that.”
The woman looked at the two men. “Do something!”
They looked at each other, and ran back out the door. The woman went after them, bitterly calling them cowards.
“We didn’t even get their names,” said Molly.
“Do you care?”
“You let them go. I would have turned them into frogs.”
“My family will see that word gets out that they’re responsible for all the trouble Cassandra caused,” I said. “Those three will be on the
The airship lurched again, and Molly and I clung desperately to the silver bars. I armoured down to keep Molly company.
“I think we need to get to the control room,” I said. “See how bad this is, and what we can do to help.”
“Really?” said Molly. “After everything they’ve done, let them crash!”
“Not everyone on board is necessarily guilty,” I said. “I doubt most of them even knew about the angel. Probably just ordinary working stiffs.”
“You and your conscience,” said Molly.
The room steadied for a moment, and I quickly headed for the door. Molly stuck close behind, holding on to the back of my belt with one hand, in case things got a bit unsteady again. I could hear running feet approaching before I even got to the door, and when I looked out into the corridor, it was full of armed guards. Who took one look at me and immediately opened fire. I ducked back inside the room and armoured up. Molly yelped briefly as the hand she had holding on to my belt was pushed aside by the enveloping armour.
The door sprang open and the first guards charged in, opening fire again the moment they saw me. I stood between them and Molly, not moving. Bullets slammed into my armour, and it absorbed them all, effortlessly soaking up the massed firepower. With my old armour, thebullets used to ricochet, but that could lead to unfortunate incidents with innocent bystanders. I don’t know what my current armour does with the bullets it absorbs; I’ve never quite dared ask. More and more guards burst into the room, targeting me with their various weapons. The sound of so much gunfire in the confined space was deafening. And I just stood there and took it all. Staring calmly at the guards through the featureless golden mask that covered my whole face. That always freaks people out.
One by one the guards stopped firing, and lowered their weapons. In the sudden echoing quiet, the security men looked at one another, and then reluctantly looked back at me. I raised one golden fist, and grew heavy spikes out of the knuckles.
“Run,” I said.
And they did.
They’d been gone only a few moments before two men and a woman came charging into the room. Young business types, in smart power suits. They didn’t even look at me, all their attention fixed on the broken silver cage. One of the men actually moaned. The woman finally looked at me and Molly. Behind the understated makeup, her face was pale, but her mouth was still a flat, stern line.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m a Drood,” I said. “Who are you?”
“We’re Cassandra Inc’s Management,” said the woman. “What have you done?”
“Let the angel go free,” I said. “You had no right to hold it here.”
“We bought that angel!” said one of the men. “We paid good money for it. It’s ours!”
“You let it go?” said the other man. “We were going to be rich!”
“We didn’t imprison the angel,” the woman said carefully. “We just bought the man, with the angel already inside. We made a deal with it.”
“But did you intend to keep your side of the bargain?” I said. “The angel didn’t think so.”
“It was just business,” said the woman.
“Didn’t you think of all the damage you were doing with your predictions?” I said. “When you interfered with the Droods, you put the safety of the world at risk.”
“It was just business!” said the woman. “What gives you the right to interfere?”
“You messed with my family,” I said. “No one gets to do that.”
The woman looked at the two men. “Do something!”
They looked at each other, and ran back out the door. The woman went after them, bitterly calling them cowards.
“We didn’t even get their names,” said Molly.
“Do you care?”
“You let them go. I would have turned them into frogs.”
“My family will see that word gets out that they’re responsible for all the trouble Cassandra caused,” I said. “Those three will be on the
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