Ellie Quin Book 3: Beneath the Neon Sky by Alex Scarrow Read Free Book Online

passing moment, when Jez glanced sideways at Aaron in his smart uniform and pursed her lips thoughtfully; giving some notion a fleeting consideration.
    When they returned to the city two days later, and their passengers had disembarked to be processed through the port’s immigration hall, the three of them had collectively heaved a sigh of relief. The whole trip had taken only four days and they had made a clear three thousand creds for their efforts, subtracting all of the overheads such as the fuel, food supplies and the docking fees at the port.
    Ellie un-paused the voice-diary.
    ‘Aaron gave both Jez and me the four hundred creds we agreed on, and another three hundred creds each as a bonus!
Seven hundred creds
for a few days work! We’d never find work that paid like that in New Haven if we spent the rest of our lives looking.’
    Ellie paused the voice-diary again and set it down on the table. She sat back in the quilted couch and looked out of the restaurant window again at the passing street traffic. In the background, she could hear the Crazie-Beanie track being played. She tapped a finger against her cup in time with the beat and mouthed along with the gibbering Beanie catchphrase, whilst Harvey, sitting beside her, slurped a glass of protein-solution through a straw.
    Jez was due to meet them for lunch, but true to form, she was running on Jez-time so was unsurprisingly late. She was out clothes-shopping, and Ellie knew she had probably completely lost track of the time and would show up an hour from now with some hastily concocted tale that would absolve her of any guilt whatsoever.
    Ellie took a sip of her drink and then picked up the diary once more. ‘The creds have been burning a hole in Jez’s pocket since we returned. I’m surprised she lasted this long to be honest. I mean, it’s been three days since we got back, and this IS her first shopping-frenzy. But she’s being good. She’s not spending it all.’
    In one of her more lucid moments since returning to New Haven, Jez had handed Ellie five hundred creds to look after for her, with the explicit instructions that no matter how much she pleaded and begged once
the fever
had gotten a proper grip on her, Ellie was not to give her any more of her money to spend. In fact, Ellie had banked that money, and most of hers, in one merchant’s account. Both of them would need to be ID scanned for a withdrawal to be made.
    She had kept out a hundred creds of her own money for spending too. She had weakened momentarily yesterday and taken herself down to Baldini’s Bazaar to the stall in the main atrium on the ground floor where she had spotted those wonderful knee-high, turquoise pvc boots. Amazingly they were still there. So, successfully haggling the price down several creds, she had decided to treat herself. She ran a hand down the ribbed side of her lovely boots and smiled.
    My little ‘well done’ present.
    Ellie felt only the mildest pang of guilt for spending-out on them. She had worked hard on the shuttle trip; she had worked even harder painting the damned shuttle. The boots, therefore, were a well-deserved and belated thank you to herself for being such a good sport over the last few weeks.
    ‘The plan was that we’d come back to New Haven and rest for a few days then do it all again. But there’s been a change of plan,’ Ellie said, struggling a little not to smile too much as she spoke.
    ‘Aaron needs to take the shuttle across to Harvest City. There’s a faulty component on Lisa that needs to be removed and a new one fitted in. According to Aaron it needs to be done over there because it’s a lot cheaper…but also, there’s another reason. He’s going to see if we can extend the license on Harvey.’
    She cast a glance down at him. The logo on his forehead was beginning to change in hue, very slightly…but enough to show that he was fast approaching the last few weeks of his life.
    ‘The company that engineered him are also based