Read Online The Traveler by David Golemon - Free Book Online

from Romania at the same time she had met Carl. She never thought the frail-looking old woman was so in touch with the people Carl worked for.
    Anya was still hesitant to step inside the elevator even with a death sentence held over her head if she didn’t.
    â€œAnd where is home now?” she asked as Farbeaux’s smile grew as he held the doors open. “I met with Dr. Compton in Washington when he debriefed me, that is why I’m here. So, where is home now?” she persisted.
    â€œWell, that’s a loaded question, especially for one such as myself who is not adequately informed.”
    â€œThat doesn’t answer my question, Colonel Farbeaux.”
    The doors slid closed after she stepped into the elevator.
    â€œAll I can say is I hope you are comfortable in the high desert of America.”
    â€œYou mean—”
    â€œThat’s right, you, like myself, have been shanghaied so to speak by a real Boy Scout. A man that is now being briefed on this outrageous investigation of yours.”
    Anya Korvesky smiled when she saw the concerned look on the face of the Frenchman. The name that caused the man considerable consternation and the only moniker to ever make Henri Farbeaux frown in such a way as he was now.
    â€œColonel Jack Collins,” she mumbled with a smile starting to cross her red lips.
    The elevator started down with a confused Anya Korvesky and a French antiquities thief who had yet to become resigned to his rather disturbing fate.
    â€œYes, we are going into the barren desert to see Mr. Wonderful himself.”
    ST. JUDE’S CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
    After the director had explained to Jack Anya’s quest for information inside the Israeli archives system, the task he had been performing for the past months of finding the new specialized manpower for the replacement personnel at Group became crystal clear. As the president finished his sandwich with a pleasurable sigh, he rubbed his hands together and looked at Niles.
    â€œNow that Jack knows we can also fall outside of the accepted rules of engagement, I received a partial list of personnel you wish to offer positions to. All have checked out security-wise with the exception of two.”
    Niles opened his briefcase and brought out two file folders. The first he opened and handed to the president.
    â€œThis Xavier Morales.” The president raised his eyes and looked at Jack.
    â€œNot my choice,” Jack said.
    Niles had to smile as he knew what was coming, and he knew his old friend was going to be skeptical at the least and furious at the most.
    â€œThe man listed here is picked to head the most advanced computer center in the world, picked over the thousands of qualified men and women in this country, including thirty-two staff members already on Group roles. And this”—he looked at the photo of the young Mexican American youth paperclipped to the file—“is the man, or boy, that you chose?”
    â€œAs I said, Mr. President, I didn’t choose him to run the comp center and Europa.”
    The president just raised both brows while he waited.
    â€œEuropa herself chose the kid, not me.”
    â€œOkay, you mind letting me in on the damn joke?”
    Niles shook his head and then looked at Jack and decided he would bail him out on this one.
    â€œTwo years ago, Pete Golding”—Collins and the president saw the hurt come into Niles’s good eye as he spoke the name of the former computer genius who had been murdered the previous month—“suspected that Europa, the most sophisticated computing system ever created, had been hacked. Not hacked for evil purposes, but hacked just to see if it could be done. This kid was the one responsible and Europa herself was the one that tracked him down. She insists this kid is the only qualified candidate out there. It’s like she refuses to accept anyone else. This name always leads her list of