Hunting Will by Alex Albrinck Read Free Book Online

computer performed calculations using fragrance matching software the Alomenti had developed decades earlier, a technology Porthos seized upon as a means of tracking suspects. The Leader held Oath reaffirmation meetings with each Aliomenti every three years, and Porthos had become a regular party to those meetings. In addition to the Oath affirmations and scans to confirm all biometric devices were in place and operational, each Aliomenti had to generate Energy to ensure that they’d not gone lax in their work. That, at least, was the story given. In reality, Porthos would carefully note the “scent” he detected from their Energy and, at the conclusion of the meeting, would use a brain-interfacing software program coupled with the fragrance software to match his memories of the Energy scent with a corresponding scent in the outside world. Once transcribed in this fashion, the computer could reproduce the scent on command, letting Porthos know exactly what he was searching for. With over ten thousand Aliomenti in the world, it was impossible for him to know which of the “mental aromas” hitting him at any time was friend or foe. The only exception was the peppermint scent generated by Will Stark’s Energy. He’d never forget that one.
    The fragrance generators in the computer table computed the fragrance, generated a sample, and it misted out toward Porthos. The Hunter inhaled deeply — and gagged.
    Aramis laughed at the reaction. “What’s the scent?”
    Porthos glared at him through his watery eyes. “Spoiled milk.”
    The Leader joined Athos and Aramis as the three men roared with laughter. Porthos flashed a rude gesture at his fellow Hunters — making certain The Leader didn’t see it — and stood to begin his Tracking.
    “Map on wall, orient external display to compass headings.” The walls, which were constructed of thousands of tiny display screens, flashed before revealing the outside world, just as it would look if all of the walls around them vanished.
    Porthos stood and closed his eyes, allowing the tens of thousands of Energy scents to roll over him. Their scientists said that all Aliomenti detected the Energy of others in some fashion, though for most it was limited to merely sensing some additional warmth from someone Energized nearby. A few could sense Energy from much farther away. Porthos’ sensitivity was exceptional, the equivalent to the Energy capacity of Will Stark. He could, when concentrating, detect even the slightest bit of Energy from dozens of miles away, and stronger Energy bursts from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The most critical part of his gift, however, was that each person’s Energy had a unique signature for him, what essentially amounted to a mental “scent,” so that he could find one specific individual with incredible speed. Since he and his fellow Hunters could teleport nearly fifty miles at a time, a far greater distance than most, the team could “outrun” any fleeing Aliomenti criminal. They'd know where the criminals had gone, and would simply continue teleporting after them until the fugitives were drained of Energy.
    Porthos filtered through the dozens of scents of varying strengths, locating the one for the renegade named Clint. He detected it, though it was faint. Porthos turned slowly, for his readings were strongest when facing his target. After a moment he stabilized on a spot aligning with the point of origin of Clint’s Energy. He opened his eyes staring at a spot on the wall. “Computer, mark line of sight to my eyes on map.”
    The computer detected his gaze at the precise point on the wall and his precise location in the room, and connected the two points with a line that crossed the entire planet on the map. The line was transposed instantly to a holographic globe that appeared above the conference table. This was the first line for his triangulation efforts. Porthos glanced at the others. “Be back in a bit.” He vanished from the