Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

“Yes, yes.” Doctor Wong shook her hand half-heartedly. His mind was already racing with the possibilities of a new conquest. He pressed a finger of his free hand on his holo-desk. “Marcy, would you be a dear and get me some of that sniffing caffeine, please? I have a long night of work ahead of me. Thank you.”

I looked up to see Marcy the receptionist staring at us from the glass wall that divided her area from the doctor’s office. She pressed a button on her holo desk. “Yes, Doctor, right away.”

“We’ll leave you to it,” Stacy said, motioning me out of the office and down the hall.

“You feel like we can trust him?” Stacy asked.

“Well, he sniffs caffeine, and that has to mess with his head somehow, but I think he’s telling us the truth,” I said, scratching at my beard. “I think he’ll come through.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence out of the Technology Advancements level and back to the cylinder-elevator waiting for us.

“So what now?” I asked, thinking Stacy had some master plan or some kind of suit protocol to follow. I waited to hear her groundbreaking insight.

“Now we get lunch,” Stacy said as we entered the elevator. “I’m starving.”

We rode the elevator to the closest cafeteria. The door opened in front of us to a bustling sight of Transients from all walks of life waiting their turn in line for a hot meal.

The smells coming from the kitchen area were absolutely mouthwatering. I loved food in all shapes and sizes. From burritos, to burgers, and cake, I didn’t discriminate. What I smelled now was barbeque, and it made my stomach rumble with greedy anticipation.

Stacy led the way to a food carrousel on our left. There was a stack of dark blue trays along with clean plates and utensils. We grabbed ours and fell in line behind an older woman holding the hand of a young girl. The girl couldn’t have been more than two or three, but I was bad at guessing these kinds of things.

She had dark brown hair with a pink bow, a dirty purple jacket, and worn boots. She turned to look up at us with big brown eyes and a smile.

Personally, I didn’t really know how to feel about kids. I mean, they were kids, and this one was kind of cute. I smiled back. Stacy went for a full-on hand wave and laugh.

The little girl smiled back before the line moved again.

Stacy and I found an empty table. My plate was loaded with barbequed chicken and ribs, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and a big glass of water to wash it all down.

Stacy was looking at the little girl and her grandmother again, then turned around toward me.

“Man, I love kids,” she said, opening her napkin and placing it on her lap. “That’s part of the reason I do what I do. There are so many innocent lives put in harm’s way, especially children.”

“Mhm,” I said through a mouthful of potatoes.

“Do you have any kids?” Stacy asked gently, scooping up a pile of her own mashed potatoes and carefully putting it into her mouth.

“Nope, and I don’t really want to talk about it,” I said, grabbing a sauce-stricken rib and tearing into it. The meat hit my taste buds like heaven had somehow managed to enter my mouth.

“That was just a polite question,” Stacy said, clearing her throat and eyeing my hands-on approach to eating with disdain. “I read your file.”

“Good for you,” I said, taking note at how much my eating was bothering her. I may have let some mac and cheese dribble onto my beard just to mess with her. “So what are we going to do next?”

“Nope, no way,” Stacy said, eyeing me. “If you don’t want to talk about your past, I can respect that, but for better or worse, we’re working together. I want to know more about the guy who is going to have my back. You don’t want to get to know me?”

“I know you’re a good liar.” I shrugged. “You had me fooled from the time I thought I was helping you in the alley to when you tased me.”

“You’re going to have to get over that,” Stacy said with an eye roll. “I lie to everyone, so don’t feel bad.”

Stacy lifted her glass of water to her lips and took a dainty sip.

I stuffed my mouth with as much chicken as it would hold and then took another bite.

“You should know that I take my job very seriously, and I don’t plan on failing this assignment,” Stacy said. Her tone changed, hardened for a moment. “I joined the Civil Authority ten years ago. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I get that this is just an event for you because you’re the only one that knows what’s going on here besides me. But this is some serious business.”

“I get it,” I said, reaching for my own water. “I don’t think this is some kind of joke either. I’m going to find whoever thought it was a good idea to put a beating on me and return the favor.”

“That’s all this is to you?” Stacy asked. “Just a chance for revenge?”

I thought about her question. There definitely was the revenge aspect. I looked over at the giggling little girl and her grandmother eating beside her. I thought about what would have happened to her if the Disciple’s plan had been carried out and one of the rabid animals had found her first.

“No,” I said. “I want to find the Disciple to put them down for good so we can have a peaceful run in space before getting to the new colony.”

“Good,” Stacy said, reaching for her knife and fork. She began to cut the meat off the bone of her rib.

It was a strange event to watch. I’d never seen anyone eat as