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

level fell away to the ocean. In front of us, the level continued on in a slight curve as it followed the shape of the ship.

Just like the exterior of the ship, the level was darkened with smoke stains and scorch marks. I couldn’t even tell what the level we were on had been before.

Elon looked down at his data pad. “We’re in a storage level now. The prisoner cell block should be one more level above us.”

I was going to suggest we look around for supplies since this was the storage level and all, but there was nothing here. Everything had either been destroyed in the fire or fell off into the water and was carried away.

“One more level up, then,” Stacy said, heading to the edge of the Orion and climbing up.

I followed behind, and Elon brought up the rear.

We were now two stories above the water. The level we were on already looked different from the open floor plan of the storage level below us. This one had cells set into the wall to our right.

Three meters to our left, the level fell away to the ocean once more.

The cells were also burned. The idea that the prisoners were burned alive invaded my thoughts. That would have been a hell of a way to go. Although, when I remembered that Maksim was trying to kill one hundred thousand people on board the Orion, I didn’t feel so bad anymore.

“Maksim was in cell zero, zero, two, and the Warlord thug who tried to kill Ricky when we first began our journey was held in cell zero, zero, one,” Elon informed us. He consulted his data pad one more time then looked up with a nod. “Let’s get some answers.”

I traveled down the line of cells to my right. There were only nine altogether. I guess whoever designed the Orion didn’t imagine more than nine people could get into much trouble in a planned six-week trip. Boy were they wrong.

All the cells were fashioned the same way, a small square room with a metal door and square peephole.

I looked into the flamed-out cells as we passed. All the doors were closed. From cells nine to three, we saw the same thing: empty rooms ravaged by fire.

I held my breath, looking into cell number zero, zero, two where Maksim would have been. Whether it was right or wrong, I hoped to god I saw a blackened corpse lying on the ground. The alternative was sure to cost more than a few lives.

Part of me already knew what I would find. Maksim was a survivor like I was. Maybe we were more alike than I wanted to admit. I looked into his cell. It was empty.

Stacy reached for the darkened metal knob and swung it open. The barrier that was trusted to keep the monster inside came open as easily as unscrewing a lid from a loosened can.

We all stared into the empty cell. There was nothing there besides the blackened soot that fire brought. How he managed to get out was a mystery to me, but apparently not Elon.

“I should have thought about this before,” Elon said under his breath. “The cells have a safety feature that if a fire is detected in the prison block, the doors are opened so they don’t burn alive.”

“Because we couldn’t have that,” I said.

“So, he’s out there,” Stacy answered back. “It was him you saw, Dean.”

“Arun is already taking every precaution,” Elon reassured us. “As soon as Dean brought back the news that Maksim might still be out there, we treated the situation like he was. This is only confirmation.”

“Should we see what’s behind door number one?” Stacy asked.

I nodded, going over to the next door. I was already mentally preparing myself for the next engagement with Maksim. It was as inevitable as a number one contender getting his championship match.

The next cell, unlike the first, held a dead body. The familiar form of the Warlord whose name I didn’t know lay on the ground of his burned-out room. His body was charred and blackened from the flames, which was strange if his door was set to open when Maksim’s did.

“Something’s wrong,” I said, trying to put my finger on what it was. Something itched at the back of my brain.

“What is it?” Elon asked.

“Well, let’s take a look at what happened here,” Stacy said, reaching for the door.

“No!” I screamed, trying to stop Stacy from opening the door at all.

It was too late.

Stacy opened the prison door in front of us. We heard a light click.

“Oh shi—”

BOOM!

The last thing I remembered was being thrown into the air, the warm embrace of the water, and then my wife’s face.

17

“So, Jonny told me Mr. Dell paid you a visit. He wanted you to throw the fight.” Natalie came into the restroom area with concern in her eyes. “Jonny wants me to talk you into obeying.”

I turned from gazing in the mirror to looking at the woman my heart beat for. I was finding her more and more attractive as the years passed. I loved her now more than when I married her if that was possible.

She wore a black dress with high heels and a simple necklace with a bronze medallion around her slender neck. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

“And what do you think?” I asked her.

“I think Jonny doesn’t know me very well if he thinks I’m going to take anyone’s side besides my husband’s,” Natalie answered. She took a step forward, closing the distance between us. “You’ve worked your entire life to get to this point. I’ve seen the literal blood and sweat you’ve poured into this. You’re not going to throw this fight. I’m not going to let you.”

I stood there admiring her for her strength. Natalie wasn’t petite or skinny by any means. She was only two inches shorter than I was and worked out with me a few times every week. Despite this, in that moment