Read Online Time Siege by Wesley Chu - Free Book Online Page B

cannon and the other an exo-chain.
    â€œAre these guys really necessary?” asked James.
    Hubbs shrugged. “You know how it is, can’t trust anyone these days, can we? You blue with this?”
    â€œBlue,” James replied.
    Exo-chains were the bane of exo wielders, and moderately rare due to the fact that exos were expensive and not common in regular armies. Once an exo-chain was attached, it prevented the wielder from activating his exo. If the exo was already on, it prevented the creation of new coils and leashed the wielder to the chain’s length.
    James didn’t trust Hubbs to be completely unarmed, but he had little choice in the matter, especially since he was here for a favor.
    The exo-chain, a red lasso made of energy, struck his body with a jolt and latched onto him. Hubbs, holding on to the handle, led him into a small waiting room. He signaled for James to sit on a settee and walked to a small bar on one end of the room. He took out a decanter and two glasses. “Whiskey drinker, right?”
    A shudder coursed through James as his body suddenly tightened. His mouth dried up and he found himself having trouble formulating words. One drink could very easily slip into a binge. He shook his head. “I’m on the job.”
    Hubbs paused and then looked back at James. At his hands in particular. He nodded. “I appreciate a man who can keep them separate.” He poured himself a glass of a dark red liquid and brought a glass of water to James. He sat down on the couch opposite him and leaned back. “What can I do for you? Looking for work? I run a top-notch operation. We can always use another Tier-1.”
    â€œI’m actually recruiting.”
    Hubbs looked surprised. “A couple months out of the agency and already growing an operation? Color me impressed. Didn’t think you had the entrepreneurial chops. Funny, thought I would have heard of a new player in this exclusive market.”
    â€œI’m not working the market.” James mulled over the next thing he was going to say. “I need things salvaged.”
    â€œWhy don’t you just do it your…” Hubbs stopped. “You miasmaed out, didn’t you? How badly?”
    â€œNext jump, perhaps. The one after, definitely.”
    â€œI see.” There was an awkward silence, and then Hubbs slapped his knees with his hands enthusiastically. “Very well then, a client. Even better. Tell me what you’re after and I can give you a quote. Can’t guarantee I’ll be the one jumping, though. I am expensive.”
    James took a deep breath. This was the part where he expected to get thrown out of the room. “That’s the thing, Hubbs. I’m not hiring. I’m recruiting for a cause.”
    He told the ex-chronman as much of the story as possible without giving away the details, glossing over Elise and Sasha and focusing on how they might be able to cure the Earth Plague. He watered down the conflict with the Co-op and avoided telling Hubbs how little resources the Elfreth actually had, especially that they couldn’t keep a salvager on retainer. Instead, he tried to appeal to Hubbs’s concern for humanity’s greater good. Hubbs was already wealthy. What could he acquire to fulfill his life even more? Why not fight for a cause? Why not create a legacy that would outlive him?
    James knew early into his pitch that he had failed. He watched as Hubbs’s eyes glazed over and his face seemed to melt. James continued anyway, the words tumbling out of his mouth faster and faster. “When we succeed,” James concluded, “you will go down in the chronostream as one of the most important and influential people in history. What do you think?”
    There was a pregnant pause. Hubbs didn’t move from his spot. He didn’t reach for his drink. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. He just stared at James good and long before he finally spoke. His