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

“Yep,” Ricky said, examining the blaster, and to my surprise, he seemed like he knew what he was doing.

He caught my look of shock and explained.

“What? I had one of these back on Earth for protection.”

“Right,” I said, gripping the solid piece of steel in my hand. It was heavy with a fat grip and a short barrel.

“Safety on, off,” Stacy said, showing me the switch on the right side of her weapon. She pointed to another switch on the left. “Stun and kill. We want to try and capture her to see if we can get more information.”

“Stun it is,” I said, mirroring the two-handed grip on the weapon I saw Arun using.

“And don’t stun me,” Stacy said to me with a half serious, half joking grin. “Actually, don’t walk behind me at all. Let’s go.”

With two pairs of suits at the evaluator, it left the eight others, including me, Ricky, Arun, Stacy, and Iris, to travel across the giant room.

“There is movement behind the far turbine,” Iris said to Stacy, who had taken the lead.

Stacy sent four suits to flank from the right and another four from the left. We were going to go straight up the gut.

“Using the cameras in the room, you’re going to see through the turbine to where our cloaked saboteur is hiding,” Iris said.

The view in front of me changed, showing the last turbine on our left as translucent and the outline of a person behind it. The same kind of rippling vibration came from the silhouette of Marcy Knot.

From what I could see, Marcy’s outline was crouched low. If she did have a weapon, I couldn’t see it. I also couldn’t see what she was doing right now.

“Marcy, this is Civil Authority Officer Stacy Wilson,” Stacy said as we made our way forward. “There’s no way this ends well for you. We have tech that allows us to see your every move. You’re already surrounded. Deactivate your cloak and come out with your hands where I can see them. I won’t ask you twice.”

There was no response. The second turbine where Marcy was hidden was still fifty yards from our current position. I could see the form of her turn as she heard her name. Initially, there was no attempt to obey Stacy’s words. Then she shifted, and to my surprise, she stood up, deactivating her cloak like Stacy asked and put her hands in the air.

I traded confused looks with Arun.

I gripped my blaster tighter and made sure to keep my finger off the trigger. I was pointing it at Marcy like everyone else in the room, but I was sure I didn’t need to. There were a dozen barrels pointed at her, and most would be better shots than me.

Marcy was wearing a black cloak just like Maksim’s, and a crimson mask hid the lower half of her face.

“You’re too late,” she shouted over the humming of the turbines. “Do what you will to my body. You are too late to save your precious ship.”

“On your knees!” Arun shouted as we advanced. “On your knees right now!”

Marcy obeyed with her hands still in the air.

“We will all be lost to space, wiping this Eternal experiment off the pages of history.” She was saying all the right Disciple mumbo-jumbo, but her voice was off. It was like she was saying what she knew she should say, without really believing it herself. She was still that nervous, scared woman I had met in Doctor Wong’s office.

I’m not sure what came over me, but I knew Marcy wasn’t the animal Maksim was. I could see it in her body language and hear it in her voice.

“Marcy,” I said, increasing the speed I walked. I came alongside Arun and Stacy in the lead and lowered my weapon. “Marcy, do you remember me? I came in with Stacy to talk with Doctor Wong a few weeks ago.”

“The Eternals must be punished. All who follow them must also suffer. They know—”

“This isn’t you, Marcy,” I said, closing the gap. She was only ten yards in front of me, and she was shaking from fear. Her voice quivered with every false word she spoke.

“What are you doing?” Stacy whispered. “Get back.”

I ignored her.

“I’ve seen killers. I know what people who genuinely want to hurt others look like,” I said as I walked so close to Marcy, I could reach out and touch her. I handed the blaster behind me to Ricky. “That’s not you, Marcy.”

“I-I have to—I have to do this,” Marcy said as tears welled in her eyes, rolling off her cheeks and disappearing into the handkerchief that covered the lower half of her face.

“There’s kids on board,” I said to her, kneeling to look into her eyes. “Little boys and girls who are just happy to sit down at lunch and eat barbeque with their grandma. For whatever sins you think others are committing, don’t punish them.”

I’d spent enough time hurting people. I wasn’t sure if I could get through to Marcy, but I had to try. I knew if the image of that little girl eating her barbeque could get through to me, it could reach anyone.

“You don’t understand. I have to…” Marcy looked up at me, unable to stop the tears. “They have my—my family back on Earth. If I don’t do this, they’ll k-kill them all. I’m so sorry.”

Both of Marcy’s hands were behind her head while she spoke. She lifted her right hand ever so slightly. A small remote with a red button on top was clenched in her fist.

“If you survive this, tell my family I love them, and I did this for them,” Marcy said.

“Marcy, no!” I screamed as I sprang up and tried to reach her before she could hit the detonator.

A suit shouted something out. “We have a bomb next to the turbine. It’s—”

BOOM!

Whatever the suit was about to say was lost in