Neurolink by M. M. Buckner Read Free Book Online Page B

sample if you can. And why don’t you plant your wrist node on the outside hull so I can track you when she closes that hatch.”
    Dominic chewed his lip. “No wrist node. She fried it.”
    “Huh? You let her do that? Don’t think I’m criticizing, but that wasn’t smart.”
    Dominic watched the flat-screen view of the raft. Major Qi seemed to be taking a lot of chances, leaping around on those loose barrels. When she disappeared behind the central mound of junk, it occurred to Dominic that he had no idea how to fly this high-tech little craft.
    He said, “Major, are you all right?”
    Her voice crackled in his helmet radio. “Get down here, Nick. I need you.”
    “Don’t leave your seat,” the NP warned. “Tell her she’s wasting time. You have a critical objective. You should be on your way.”
    Dominic didn’t relish the idea of boarding a wreck in the middle of the ocean, but the major said she heard heartbeats. He swelled his cheeks and blew out a sigh. Then he unbuckled his seat belt.
    “Don’t budge from that seat, boy! Remember why you’re there!”
    Dominic chinned his helmet radio. “Major, do you need a first-aid kit?”
    “Thanks, Nicky. I’ve got it with me. Bring a sack of water.”
    “Son, you’re a fool to waste time with this. What’s the point?” the NP said.
    “These people need a little help. It won’t take long.” Dominic found the water sack in a bin under the console. When he stood up, the craft tilted like a small boat, and he clutched the steering yoke to keep his balance.
    “Hurry, Nick,” Qi’s voice buzzed over the radio.
    Dominic searched for a good place to stow his briefcase, and the NP seemed to guess his intention. “Son, don’t shut me off. Take the case with you. I’m the only one you can trust.”
    Dominic ground his molars and felt his jaw muscle quiver. “You’re watching me on satellite scan. Surely I can survive a few minutes without your advice.”
    When he shut the notebook and snapped the briefcase closed, the sudden quiet felt like bliss. He leaned over the Devi’s flank to see what Qi was doing, and this caused the craft to tip so steeply, it nearly dumped him out. His breath rasped inside his helmet and fogged his faceplate. The helmet narrowed his view like a set of blinders. With great care, he threw his long legs over and slid down onto the barrel raft, which bobbed heavily under his weight.
    “Toss me the water sack.” Qi was propping the old woman in her arms.
    Dominic glimpsed thin gray hair and mottled skin under the shroud of clear plastic. A cheap, disposable mask covered the old woman’s nose and mouth, the kind factory workers used when they handled hazardous waste. Dominic couldn’t believe that was her only defense against the atmosphere. Her lungs must be riddled with toxins.
    He passed Qi the water sack, then boosted the coolant inside his suit, hoping to stop his perspiration. The storm had wadded the raft like a used handkerchief. He could barely see over the mound of scrap in the center. When a wave pitched the whole thing to and fro, he fell between two barrels and sputtered for help.
    In a frenzy, he seized a lashing cord and pulled himself up. Qi paid him no attention. She was feeding the old woman a pill. He started to protest, but then he saw the others. They were not lifeless bodies. They were children. He saw their streaked brown limbs swaddled in plastic. Above their breathing masks, their wide black eyes stared at him in terror.
    An aircar droned overhead, and the children ducked into hiding.
    “Freaker!” Qi hissed over the radio. “Your dear old Da sent his guards!”
    Dominic’s breath echoed like surf inside his helmet, and he had to lean way back to peer at the sky. But there was nothing to see, only cloud cover.
    Qi said, “Your bit-brain spotted us when I opened the cockpit. Freak, he’s planning to arrest these people. We’re undercover. Can’t he grasp the concept?”
    The major had to be getting