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Authors: Jayne Castle
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“You’ll see why if you take the contract.”
If she was wise, she would decline the offer outright, she thought. But she was intrigued in spite of herself. The chance to employ her talent in a new and unusual manner was almost irresistible. Nevertheless, she had to consider her long-term career and her social commitments. She could not afford to be away from her office or from Crystal City for an extended period of time.
“How long would this job last?” she asked.
“Depends. I think we’ll find out real fast whether you can handle the work. If it turns out you can, it shouldn’t take long to come up with the data the lab techs need to create a permanent fix.”
“Are you absolutely certain that this contract does not involve the FBPI or the illegal weapons trade?” she asked. “Because I really do not want to go there again.”
“This is the Underworld we’re talking about. It’s not inconceivable that we might come across some dangerous antiquities, and if that happens, it’s possible the FBPI might step in. It’s also possible that some pros in the illegal artifacts trade might pick up chatter about Wonderland and put out a few feelers.”
“Hmm.”
“But I can promise that you’ll have several layers of protection between you and the FBPI and also between you and any bad guys who might decide to come sniffing around Wonderland. Coppersmith takes care of its people.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Let me be perfectly clear. If I take the contract I would not be one of your people. I’m an independent consultant.”
“Okay, I can respect that. But the company will take responsibility for your welfare while you’re under contract. That’s how we do things.”
Ella tapped the pen against the crystal dust bunny again. She listened to the paranormal echoes fade away.
She had some personal issues with one Raphael Coppersmith but there was no getting around the fact thathis family’s company was a prestigious firm. It would be very nice to add Coppersmith Mining to her list of clients. Also, she would be involved in opening up a new sector in the Underworld. The prospect was exciting.
She told herself not to consider the fact that she would also be working with Rafe.
“I’m probably going to regret this, but keep talking,” she said.
“To date, we have hired four consultants, all of whom claimed to be able to handle paranormal music energy. The results have been . . . disappointing.”
“Define ‘disappointing.’”
“All four nearly got eaten.”
For a split second she thought she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Did you say
eaten
?”
“By dinosaurs.”
She stared at him. Maybe she should take the psi-fever in his aura a little more seriously.
“You’re joking,” she said.
“Unfortunately, no. It looks like, back in the day, the Aliens engaged in some reverse bioengineering in Wonderland. The monsters they created look a hell of a lot like the reconstructions the paleontologists have created from fossils found here on Harmony. We think the creatures the Aliens created were frozen in a state of suspended animation for the past few thousand years.”
“Some sort of living museum?”
“Maybe. But recent paranormal activity on the island has evidently destroyed the mechanism that kept theanimals in stasis. They have begun to wake up and the first thing they do, naturally, is go looking for food.”
“What, exactly, do these creatures eat?”
“Some eat foliage but most are predators,” Rafe said. “The only thing that is keeping them under control at the moment is that they require a heavy psi-ecosystem. That means they can only hunt inside the Preserve, which is an area aboveground on the island that is laced with a lot of strong paranormal energy. And they only hunt at night. Evidently they can’t handle normal sunlight, even the limited amount that reaches the surface inside the Preserve. They go back underground to Wonderland
If she was wise, she would decline the offer outright, she thought. But she was intrigued in spite of herself. The chance to employ her talent in a new and unusual manner was almost irresistible. Nevertheless, she had to consider her long-term career and her social commitments. She could not afford to be away from her office or from Crystal City for an extended period of time.
“How long would this job last?” she asked.
“Depends. I think we’ll find out real fast whether you can handle the work. If it turns out you can, it shouldn’t take long to come up with the data the lab techs need to create a permanent fix.”
“Are you absolutely certain that this contract does not involve the FBPI or the illegal weapons trade?” she asked. “Because I really do not want to go there again.”
“This is the Underworld we’re talking about. It’s not inconceivable that we might come across some dangerous antiquities, and if that happens, it’s possible the FBPI might step in. It’s also possible that some pros in the illegal artifacts trade might pick up chatter about Wonderland and put out a few feelers.”
“Hmm.”
“But I can promise that you’ll have several layers of protection between you and the FBPI and also between you and any bad guys who might decide to come sniffing around Wonderland. Coppersmith takes care of its people.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Let me be perfectly clear. If I take the contract I would not be one of your people. I’m an independent consultant.”
“Okay, I can respect that. But the company will take responsibility for your welfare while you’re under contract. That’s how we do things.”
Ella tapped the pen against the crystal dust bunny again. She listened to the paranormal echoes fade away.
She had some personal issues with one Raphael Coppersmith but there was no getting around the fact thathis family’s company was a prestigious firm. It would be very nice to add Coppersmith Mining to her list of clients. Also, she would be involved in opening up a new sector in the Underworld. The prospect was exciting.
She told herself not to consider the fact that she would also be working with Rafe.
“I’m probably going to regret this, but keep talking,” she said.
“To date, we have hired four consultants, all of whom claimed to be able to handle paranormal music energy. The results have been . . . disappointing.”
“Define ‘disappointing.’”
“All four nearly got eaten.”
For a split second she thought she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Did you say
eaten
?”
“By dinosaurs.”
She stared at him. Maybe she should take the psi-fever in his aura a little more seriously.
“You’re joking,” she said.
“Unfortunately, no. It looks like, back in the day, the Aliens engaged in some reverse bioengineering in Wonderland. The monsters they created look a hell of a lot like the reconstructions the paleontologists have created from fossils found here on Harmony. We think the creatures the Aliens created were frozen in a state of suspended animation for the past few thousand years.”
“Some sort of living museum?”
“Maybe. But recent paranormal activity on the island has evidently destroyed the mechanism that kept theanimals in stasis. They have begun to wake up and the first thing they do, naturally, is go looking for food.”
“What, exactly, do these creatures eat?”
“Some eat foliage but most are predators,” Rafe said. “The only thing that is keeping them under control at the moment is that they require a heavy psi-ecosystem. That means they can only hunt inside the Preserve, which is an area aboveground on the island that is laced with a lot of strong paranormal energy. And they only hunt at night. Evidently they can’t handle normal sunlight, even the limited amount that reaches the surface inside the Preserve. They go back underground to Wonderland
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