Read Online Skyfall by Anthony Eaton - Free Book Online

there is nothing.
    Only cold. Endless, impenetrable cold, which no matter how deep she goes simply plunges away from her, with her, into her, on and on into the white.
    And she is alone here.
    Slowly, she looks around, searching the hard, distant horizon for … anything. Any sign of something different, something new or strange, or warm.
    Nothing.
    She walks on. She walks for… days? Seasons? Time slips into the horizons and she walks, even though she can’t feel herself – there’s no sense of her legs below her, or her arms at her side.
    The only sensation is the cold.

From the ramp at the entrance of one of the rec towers, Gregor watched Lari and Kesra follow Zot across the jostling common.
    â€˜What do you think?’ A short, thin, sinewy-looking girl emerged from the shadowy foyer and stood beside him. Her face was encased in a tight, dark mask of semi-opaque material that blurred her features together. In the shadowy, noisy darkness of the res-rec dome she blended in perfectly. Her voice had an edge to it.
    â€˜It went well,’ Gregor replied. ‘He’s ours, whether he knows it or not.’
    â€˜Will we get anything useful from him, though? From what I’ve heard he doesn’t want anything to do with his father or their family field.’
    The girl spat the last two words as though it hurt her tongue to even say them.
    â€˜I know the rumours. It doesn’t matter. Even if that’s true – and having met the boy, I suspect it probably is – we still have the younger child of Dernan and Eyna Mann in our pockets. Think about it, Jem – that kid’s been privy to everything. Just think of the secrets that must be locked away in that head. He probably doesn’t even know they’re there.’
    â€˜Then why wouldn’t you let me get them out of him? That would have been fun.’
    â€˜Not yet. For the moment we have other, more important objectives.’
    Gregor turned to face his companion, reaching out and running a single finger slowly down her smooth-masked cheek.
    â€˜Don’t worry. When the time is right, I’ll let you persuade that little copygen to tell us everything we want to know, but for the moment it’s best if we think of young Larinan as a sleeper. We’ll keep tabs on him until his value to us increases. Then we’ll use him when and where it suits us best.’
    â€˜And the girl?’
    The burned man threw a grim smile at his companion.
    â€˜Was fine. She’s a long-term project.’
    â€˜She seemed scatty to me.’
    â€˜I’m not worried. We chose her carefully. She’ll do what’s required.’
    â€˜And if she doesn’t?’
    â€˜Then you can have her to play with, too.’
    It was hard to tell through her mask, but the girl might have smiled.
    â€˜So, what happens next?’
    â€˜Now? We continue as planned.’
    â€˜We’re still going ahead, then? With tomorrow’s … disruption?’
    â€˜Absolutely.’ Gregor studied the girl closely. ‘Why do you ask? I thought you of all people would be keen to—’
    â€˜I am, but …’ She hesitated. ‘Word came down this morning, early. Something’s happened in DGAP.’
    â€˜Shi!’ The scarred man’s eyes narrowed. ‘Do we have any idea what?’
    â€˜Nothing. Just suspicion. You know how sketchy our penetration is in there, but the Manns were in well before the start of first shift and haven’t been seen since.’
    â€˜Both of them?’
    â€˜Yeah. The father arrived around 0300 and two of our boys saw the son leaving his apartment soon after.’
    â€˜Anything on the webs?’
    â€˜Nothing. But they’ve amped up security in the DGAP building, too.’
    Gregor pushed back his cowl and scratched his bald head, a thoughtful expression on his face.
    â€˜They haven’t done that in years.’
    â€˜I know. I told one of