Forager by Peter R. Stone Read Free Book Online Page A

gaze, but instantly regretted it. Now I was gonna pay for today's list of misdemeanours.
    "Not only did your team have weapons – which by itself can get you a three year prison sentence – but you disobeyed my direct orders today and put my squad and your team at risk," King growled in my face. "Give me one reason not to lock you up right now, Jones."
    I had gotten away with blue murder today and I knew it, but one wrong word now could put me away for years. "My sincerest apologies, Sergeant, but had we left when you said, Councillor Okada and his translator would have been killed. We wouldn’t have known about Hamamachi's attempt to trade with us. As soon as I saw their big black cars, I knew something important was going down."
    "The results never justify the means, Jones."
    "We did save your life, Sir," I added somewhat hesitantly.
    "Which was only placed in jeopardy by your disobedience and recklessness!"
    "As I said, I'm sorry, Sir."
    "Just make sure you never pull a stunt like that again, you hear me?"
    "I won't, Sir."
    "You'd better not. Now get out of my sight." Having said his piece, King strode away to join his fellow Custodians.
    I watched him go, mystified by his inexplicable behaviour. A Custodian would never let off someone who had committed such blatant misdemeanours with nothing more than a verbal dressing down.
    I rejoined my work mates and Michal grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. "What's wrong with you today, Ethan? You wanna get locked up or something? Why King hasn't already done so, I don't understand."
    "I just couldn't let the Skel kill those Japanese," I argued.
    "I'm not talking about that," Michal said. "I'm talking about you giving lip to King."
    "Hey, don't cramp his style." Leigh laughed as he slapped me on the back. "He gave that Custodian what's what, he did."
    "Be more careful, okay?" Michal said as he shoved Leigh back with a hand on his face.
    I nodded, and the five of us turned to make our way home. As we walked away, I looked back one last time to see if the Japanese girl would glance at me again. To my surprise, she was watching me, concern etched on her face. I wondered if I should wave or something, since I'd probably never see her again. Not knowing what to do, I returned her stare until she was out of sight.
    "Hey, let's head back to my pad and watch the box and play cards," Leigh suggested. Like me, he had worked long enough to be able to rent a two-room flat. No one owned property in Newhome – it was all rented from the town council.
    The others all replied in the affirmative to Leigh's invitation, but having the rest of the day off afforded me an opportunity to do something I was rarely able to do – and that was to see my twelve-year-old sister during the daytime.
     
    * * *
     
    An hour later, I was behind the block of flats in which my parents lived. I had a small bag on my back. I checked carefully for Custodian patrols. If they caught me scaling up the back of the building and creeping into a woman's bedroom, I would be in a world of trouble. No male was ever permitted in a woman's bedroom, except her husband, and then only on nights when he…well, where my parents were concerned, that wasn’t a thought I was gonna entertain.
    Seeing no Custodians, I began the ascent to my family's third-floor flat. Using balcony floors and railings, I could climb quite quickly, hauling myself up from one floor to the next. Of course, if anyone looked out their back window at that moment they would see me. The same applied to the inhabitants in the next block of flats, since the buildings were built close to one another.
    I reached the third story and clambered over the railing covered with doonas – my mother always hung them out to air them. I threaded my way through the clothes horses covered with drying garments.
    I slipped into the women's bedroom, since the door was never locked, and quietly closed it behind me. Waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I could hear