Marsquake! by Brad Strickland, THOMAS E. FULLER Read Free Book Online Page A

born in Britain.”
    “Born there, raised in America.”
    “He doesn’t like South Americans, either,” Jenny muttered. “What started the fight was his nasty comments to Lisa Lopez, and she’s as nice as they get.”
    “Well, at least nobody’s fighting now,” Sean said. It was true. Since the nine prisoners had been freed, they had at least managed to get along with everyone.
    “Right,” Jenny said. She snorted. “Wonder whose crazy idea it was to let those troublemakers out of jail early.”
    Sean felt his face turning hot. “Uh … well, as long as they don’t fight.”
    Jenny shot him a quick glance. “I’m sorry. It was Amanda, wasn’t it? I keep forgetting you’re her adopted son.”
    Sean shrugged, wishing he could think of a way to change the subject.
    But Jenny did that on her own. She said moodily, “You know, if everyone in Marsport had been brought up the way the Asimov Project kids were, as orphans, I think we’d all get along better. Stick toyour own kind, Rormer says. Huh. Wait until you don’t
have
anyone to stick to, then see how you like it!” She sighed. “Any word yet on who the team leaders will be?”
    Sean shook his head. “Haven’t heard. I hope we get Mpondo, though. I’d hate to be stuck with Ellman.”
    “That wouldn’t be fair,” Jenny agreed. “Not after we’ve had to put up with him all through exam week.” She still had not forgiven Ellman for the little lecture he had given them about not letting extraneous matters distract them from study. Although, as Sean had pointed out, everyone’s grades had come down some, Jenny felt he was talking directly to her. Not even Nickie Mikhailova’s cheerful remark that her own grades had come down almost exactly one point, from a 3.99 to a 3.0, had helped. Nothing bothered Nickie, whose outlook was an odd mixture of fatalism and optimism. “Did terrible this term, so next term has to be better,” Nickie had said.
    But it was no use pointing out to Jenny that her drop in grades was far less than some other students’. She took everything personally.
    “I wish we could do more than just take pictures,” Sean muttered.
    Jenny sighed. “Not much for an adaptive-biology specialist to do,” she said. “And you don’t even
have
a specialty.”
    “Don’t start on that,” Sean said. Mickey still occasionally scolded Sean for not having settled on one course of study. Sean couldn’t help it—he was interested in everything.
    People all around them were standing up and moving, and Sean said, “Looks like we’d better get back to the briefing room. Wonder what we’re going to learn about this afternoon? The superiority of the Rormer family and how we should all be like them?”
    “Probably,” Jenny said with a grimace.
    They went downstairs and back to the briefing room. The other twenty-eight team members came in singly or in groups, and they all found seats. Rormer was in the audience now, waiting with the rest of them.
    Then Amanda came in, and Sean’s heart lifted. He hadn’t guessed she would be a team leader, but if she were, he couldn’t ask for a better one.“Hey,” Jenny said beside him, but he shushed her.
    Amanda went to the lectern and then looked around the room. “Team Nine,” she said. “Very good. Well, I have you to address, and then one other, and we’ll be all set. Your group represents thirty out of three hundred explorers. I want you to do your jobs well, but take absolutely no chances. In the three weeks since the major quake, we’ve had only minor tremblors. Dr. Wu is concerned that the fumarole field continues to outgas carbon dioxide—hot carbon dioxide, at that—but we have no indication that anything like an eruption is likely. Still, caution is called for, and I’m sure you will bear that in mind. Each team has been assigned a leader, and it’s my job to introduce yours. I’m sure you all know him already.” She nodded toward the door.
    Sean turned and looked back, and then