Astra: Synchronicity by Lisa Eskra Read Free Book Online Page B

people like to
think. I've never once seen a legitimate case of it. With a quick
scan I should be able to see if anything is wrong."
    The two stared back at her, half expecting
her to bolt back into the shadows she descended from. Instead, she
took a few steps toward an overturned barrel and sat on the edge of
it. She held out her wrist. "Do it."
    Dr. Jones popped the biometric scanner off
his belt and tapped through the menus. In addition to reading her
ID chip, the device would be able to detect any recent injuries
that might have caused true amnesia. He walked toward her and spoke
in a pleasant tone. "I'm Doctor Jones. Aside from your memory, has
anything else been bothering you?"
    "My feet hurt for a while," she said quietly.
"But not anymore."
    The doctor checked them over, but aside from
minor scratches and dirt, nothing appeared to be wrong with them.
When he finished, he pressed the scanner against her wrist. After a
few seconds, it twittered. "Your name is Amii Martin. Age:
thirty-three. Citizenship: United Europe."
    He held the biometric scanner up in front of
her. "I'm going to put this on your chest to scan your vitals and
see if I can figure out what's wrong."
    She stared at it for a few moments, more
interested in the device than her present condition. "Okay."
    He tapped a few buttons on the screen before
kneeling down next to her. "You're going to have to open up your
coat a little bit so I can put this against your skin."
    Without much of a thought, she obliged, not
flinching at all when the cold device touched her skin. After a few
deep breaths, she looked down at it. "How long does it take?"
    "About a minute," he said with his attention
returning to her face. "Is it just personal memories that are gone
or is it everything?"
    "Personal. I feel like my life started
yesterday. I know this is Kivara. I know—"
    "Who's the President of Chara?"
    "Thomas Scheidecker, a former admiral in the
Allied Fleet. He won the election of 2308 with 55 percent of the
popular vote."
    Dr. Jones nodded. "Impressive. I'd always
thought half the people on Pisa didn't know and the other half
didn't care."
    "Get your bloody hands off her!"
    The booming voice rattled the nearby tin
walls and made every one of them jump. Before anyone could blink,
Rashad and his three other officers had their weapons drawn. When
the man in the dark overcoat appeared from the murk, Rashad
breathed a sigh of relief. It was the man they'd come for.
    Carmen took a few menacing steps forward.
"Identify yourself!"
    "At ease," Rashad said. "He's the one we're
here for."
    She shared a tense glance with Lieutenant
Washington. "You mean, he's—"
    "Yes." He dug his hands into his deep
pockets. "Dr. Xander Adams." He spoke with a heady Euro accent. A
disheveled mop of hair framed his leathery face, worn through with
deep wrinkles that never faded. His bright blue eyes stood out in
the darkness, enhanced by the xenon emissions pouring down on him.
Years in exile had given him a tall, lean build, yet Xander
possessed the sort of commanding presence that made him seem
bulletproof.
    "Aren't you wanted for six counts of treason
by the Pan-Asian Union?" Sibo inquired.
    "Seven, actually, but that's irrelevant right
now. You, doctor, I presume." He pointed at Jones. "Step away from
her. She's my responsibility."
    "Actually," he said, "she just became mine.
She doesn't know who she is."
    "Well, I can tell you that. Her name is Amii
Martin, and she's my assistant. When the PAU moved in on us, I lost
track of her. I could only assume she'd already found a route away
to the city. Obviously, she did. She does have a pilot's license;
there must be records of that somewhere."
    Rashad turned around and signaled for his
crew to get ready to move out. "Alright. We're taking you
both."
    Dr. Jones offered Amii his hand, but Xander
hurried over and pulled her away before she had a chance to take
it. "Wanking doctors."
    "I'll be running a detailed scan of her when
we get back to the