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

seen those eyes before. Figuring this part out would have to wait. Suddenly, his hands were around my neck.

I grabbed on to them, trying to pry them loose. He was sitting on my chest, constricting my breathing. I clawed at his fingers around my throat as my vision blurred and the oxygen to my brain slowed.

“Whoever you are, you will not act as a voice to our oppressors,” the man said in a thick Russian accent. “You who stand with the defilers will all suffer the same fate of ash and blood.”

I doubted that even if my head weren’t swimming, I would have been able to make sense of the biblical-like words coming from his mouth. This guy was two sandwiches short of a picnic.

“Let him go, or I’m going to paint your brains all over this room,” Stacy said, appearing in the mist behind him. She held her blaster to the base of his skull. “Slowly, let him go.”

The Disciple’s eyes were massive, as if he were thinking of holding on to my throat and sacrificing himself right there and then. Something made him think better of it. He released his grip on me and slowly raised his arms on either side of his body.

“Took—” I coughed before finishing my thought. “Took you long enough.”

My throat felt bruised. My lungs were on fire, and the spots in front of my eyes were just barely clearing.

“I want you to stand up and lace your fingers behind your head,” Stacy told her prisoner. She took a step back to create distance from herself and her target. “Do you believe me when I say if you try anything, I will not hesitate to pump your body so full of blaster rounds, no one will be able to identify your corpse?”

“I do,” the Disciple said, following her directions. He stood on his feet, alleviating the pressure on my chest. He interlaced his long fingers behind his head. “But you should also know there will be consequences for you. If not in this life, you shall pay for your crimes in the next.”

“Well, I guess I’ll take my chances with that,” Stacy responded.

I slid out from under him, rising to my feet. In my right hand, I still held the device he had used to cloak himself.

“You’re a real piece of work,” I said, staring into his crazed eyes. “The only thing you have to look forward to is a cell here on this ship and another one once we land. I’ll request you get the one with no windows, just the hole in the ground. You know, for trying to spread rabies to the animals and poison our water.”

“The blood of the innocent is the only thing that can renew the truth of our history,” he said, grinning. “You will see this in time. You’re marked for something much greater than you think. I can see it.”

At that moment, a pair of suits entered my peripheral vision. As soon as I turned to see who was coming around the corner of the machine to my right, I knew it was a mistake. My eyes came off the Disciple for a split second.

The pair of suits were just doing their job, coming to help. Sent by Iris, I was sure they really had no idea what was going on.

The Disciple took advantage of the momentary distraction. He pivoted, snapping out with a left kick behind him.

Stacy’s blaster went off as she was knocked backward. The Disciple’s foot connected with her gut. Her blaster skidded on the floor, lost somewhere in the chaos that followed.

16

This Disciple freak of nature had gone through some hard-core training before coming onto the Orion. As soon as he kicked Stacy, he bolted for the exit.

I had planned on reaching out and grabbing him, but at the same time the shot rang out from Stacy’s blaster, a burning pain jolted through my left shoulder. I looked down, and it took me a moment to realize the rogue round had grazed me.

I was more pissed off than anything else as I directed my attention back at the escaping Disciple. The Disciple pounded one of the suits in the face with a vicious right hook, sending him to the ground. The other wasn’t so lucky as the black-clad Disciple twisted his neck around with a sick pop.

Each act took no more than a second. In two heartbeats, he was off again, running for the elevator. The bodies of the two suits lay slumped on the ground under my feet as I took off, leaping over them.

No, not again! I screamed in my head. Not this time!

Somewhere behind me, I heard Stacy’s footsteps and knew she was close behind. Right now, I was singularly focused on taking down the Disciple in front of me.

We made two lefts, retracing our steps back to the elevator. The Disciple made it to the closed doors of the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly for it to come. Unlucky for him, he didn’t have the holo card Stacy did to expedite its arrival.

He turned as he heard me coming, assuming a defensive stance with his knees bent and his hands near his face.

Finally, a fight I would be used to. I slowed my progress, rolling my shoulders. I stretched my neck from side to side preparing to engage in the exact event I was best at in this world. We began to circle one another. Our fighting styles were different but just as effective.

I turned to my training and we went at it. Now that I could actually see my opponent, the fight wouldn’t go so well for him. I think he was surprised as I dodged his first two attacks and laid into his face, making it my personal punching bag. I broke his nose with my next left.

“You will burn with the rest of the non-believers,” he said with a sneer. “You will—”

I’m not sure what he was going to say next.