The Broken Cage (Solstice 31 Saga Book 2) by Martin Wilsey Read Free Book Online Page A

There were additional, useful items—a small cook pot, a kettle, a set of plates, spoons, and forks, as well as a ladle.
    The Fly arrived at that location and began a standard pattern search; and, in less than a minute, it found what it was looking for.
    There was a door, flanked by two windows. It was built directly into the hillside. It was well-hidden. Only from a close position, directly in front of it, would it be noticed. She would have passed right by it. A high stone outcropping on the hillside made its roof.
    The door was big enough for a horse to pass through. The roof was grass, rock, and vegetation. The windows were about a meter square and each had four panes. It was closed up tight, with nowhere for the Fly to enter. There were stone-colored curtains, behind the windows, below the eaves. It faced the south, and the low sun was the only reason the windows and door were not shadowed.
    Rand had the Fly survey the best path for her to take. Tomorrow, she would go there herself, on foot. After that, she dispatched the Fly to a forest village called Pine Bow that was on the new map data. It would only take a few hours to get there, and it was the closest population on the new map. She needed more data. Maybe she could find some there. Moving may be a greater risk, for now.
    ***
    Again, she slept in the cockpit, with all the gear packed, in case she needed to run. The men that followed her could not damage the spider in any way. None of them had particle beam weapons like the others she had killed. For a few minutes, she thought about the six men she had killed since she arrived on this planet. She took the survey ship contract, so she would not have to kill men anymore. Hostile species on some primitive planets was all she had, till now, on this job.
    The weapons the last four possessed could not do anything to harm the EM. She was only at risk outside of it. So, that night, she slept inside the EM with AI~Poole keeping watch. The HUD was dimmed and gave her the illusion of sleeping under the stars. She enjoyed that. She even used one of the blankets. Its light scent of wood smoke added to the illusion.
    The next day, after a small breakfast, she donned her pack and rifle, and also wore the gray and green cloak and hood for additional camo. The autumn chill in the morning air up here made her start to think longer term.
    The Fly shadowed her as she moved to the shelter. The infrared view showed that there was a herd of deer in the brush, not far away. She suddenly wished she had one of the crossbows. That was a perfect solution for extending food sources.
    How is this so much like Earth?
    She reached the door to the shelter and realized that it was specially made to be concealed from above. The Fly looked directly down at her as she stepped under the eve in front of the doors. She seemed to have disappeared. No visual. No infrared. Nothing.
    The latch mechanisms were simple. The sliding bar didn’t lock, but it held the door tight. A mouse would be hard pressed to enter. It was made to look highly rustic, but on close examination revealed that the craftsmanship was superb.
    Inside, was a single, large room, about five meters by ten meters. Vast slabs of stone precisely fit together to form a roof with no columns in the center.
    The floor was flagstone; and, there was simple, heavy wooden furniture. There was a table and chairs for six, and bunks, lining the back, for six. There was no bedding, but the planks were better than the ground. There was also a hearth and a good supply of firewood. The fireplace had a large, iron pot and kettle hanging there.
    She didn't remember seeing a chimney.
    “Poole, please use the Fly and find the outlet for this chimney.”
    It took a few minutes, but a circle of rocks that covered a grate was discovered.
    “Well, I’ll be damned.”
    She quickly set a fire in the hearth. Once it was going strong, she went up to have a look. It looked like a campfire. If you flew over and looked