Assault or Attrition by Blake Northcott Read Free Book Online

eclipsed the whites. She leaped from the bed and stepped
back, clasping a hand over her mouth.
    “What?” I
shouted.
    The color
drained from Brynja’s face. She stared blankly at Kenneth’s body,
dazed and unfocused. I offered her a seat but she refused to take
it, waving it off absently with one hand.
    “What did he
say?” I asked again, lowering my voice. “Is he all right?”
    “He’s just
repeating the same words over and over,” she said softly. “He wants
us to pull the plug.”

Chapter Five
     
    I made my
way to the rooftop with Brynja in tow , who was buried beneath
one of Kenneth’s brightly colored ski jackets. Not the most
fashionable choice of attire, but it was a better alternative than
catching frostbite. My jet wasn’t permitted to remain on the
hoverpad since incoming emergency aircraft could arrive at any
moment, so Mac circled overhead until I sent him a signal that I
required a pick-up. A moment later the jet landed, and the entrance
ramp lowered to invite us aboard.
    “Moxon!” Mac
greeted me with a wide smile and a pat on the back, peering over my
shoulder at the blue-haired girl who accompanied me. “The man
wanders into a hospital and comes out with some arm candy. I guess
this trip wasn’t a total waste of time after all.” He offered to
take Brynja’s jacket as he flashed her a grin. “I’m Captain
MacBride, but most people call me ‘Mac’. What do I call you,
sweetheart?”
    Valentina, who
was resting comfortably in the cabin, glanced over the top of her
book – just long enough to roll her eyes at Mac’s abrasive first
impression.
    Brynja shook
her head and refused to respond.
    “So Mox, is she
DTF?” Mac asked, making no attempt to lower his voice. “You gonna
introduce her to the mile high club once we take off?”
    Brynja’s lips
curled into a seductive smile and she stepped towards him.
    Fearing for
what might happen next I stepped in the opposite direction.
    She leaned in
and placed both hands on his chest. “There is a club I’d
like you to join: it’s called the mile down club.”
    “Sounds hot,”
he replied without missing a beat, “Tell me about it, Blue.”
    “Once we get a
mile in the air,” Brynja breathed, slow and smoky, “you set this
bad boy on auto-pilot. Then you and I sneak downstairs...and once
we’re alone, I smash you in the face and throw you out the cargo
door.”
    Brynja shoved
Mac hard against the cabin wall, turned, and stomped towards the
seating area, heading directly for the bar. She helped herself to
the spiced rum, twisting off the cap and gulping straight from the
bottle.
    Valentina
glanced at me and smiled wider than I’d ever seen. “I like
her.”
    ***
    It was less
than an hour into the flight and we’d all settled in. Valentina
had retired to a private room for a nap, and Brynja, who had
borrowed some of her clothes, looked measurably more comfortable.
Business casual wasn’t her style, but at least the white dress
shirt and pleated pants seemed to fit.
    I assumed that
Brynja would want an opportunity to rest, or at least lie down, but
she was unnaturally energized. Sitting at one of the cabin’s
interactive tables she incessantly opened holo-screens, scanning
and scrolling through four windows at once. She read articles,
activated video clips, and searched every newsworthy simulcast from
the last three months. It was as if she was trying to fill her
brain with every bit of data that she’d missed out on, and couldn’t
consume it fast enough.
    My wrist-com
blipped to life as I was pouring myself a drink, signalling an
incoming call. The name ‘Jacob Fitzsimmons’ blinked into view and I
accepted the transmission. Appearing on the holo-screen was a
narrow, thin-haired man with a boldly aquiline face, clad in a
meticulously tailored charcoal suit – the only color I’d ever seen
him wear. Fitzsimmons was always direct, never one to waste a
moment of time; so as per usual, there was very little small talk.
My lawyer