The Covert Academy by Peter Laurent Read Free Book Online Page A

We’re on a heavily modified SWATCH-20. That means “Space Water Air Terrain Carrier Hybrid” by the way. Which, in about fifteen minutes, will pass out of the Earth’s atmosphere at 40 kilometres or so straight up. The trip to the base will take just under an hour and a half.’
    She paused while Joshua stood there gaping. ‘The Academy is real. It was founded first in Japan during the early days of World War Three. They struggled to maintain secrecy so they moved out into the Pacific.’ She chuckled, ‘Heh heh... Japan was apparently a crowded place back then.’ Serious again, Sarah continued. ‘Since day one we’ve been dedicated to disrupting production and, eventually, the destruction of all drones through guerrilla warfare,’ she smiled. ‘It’s a slow process.’
    Joshua nodded, ‘And the General’s eye?’
    ‘Yes, we want to tear apart that prize iPC device you found,’ Sarah admitted. ‘But more than that, I saw how you did against those Confederates today. You were quick, creative, and even merciful. Qualities I’m sorry to say we lack,’ she paused for the big finale. ‘I’m planning to fast track your application to join us.’
    Joshua sat down, head in hands, too awestruck to speak. Sarah gave him time to think. Slowly, he looked up into Sarah’s eyes.
    ‘I don’t want to join your little club,’ he said. ‘I’m not in this for you, I just want to get paid for my trouble and get back to my life.’ Sarah’s eyes lost focus for a few moments.
    Someone else is talking to her again... that or she really is nuts , thought Joshua. She seemed to snap out of it and said in an entirely non-confidential tone, ‘Not much of a life you’ve got there, Josh.’
    ‘Joshua, ’ he corrected her.
    Sarah pushed ahead. ‘Your father died in a food riot in Milwaukee, your uncles and aunts gunned down by the imploding U.S. Army during the war, your mother starved to death shortly after the economy collapsed,’ she paused after each one while someone fed her the lines. She looked only as sympathetic as was possible from having heard similar stories like this many times before. ‘And... a sister. You have a sister. Had. Taken to the Colonnade, six years ago.’
    She stopped and a genuine look of pity came over her face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘That’s why you were there today.’
    Joshua swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. ‘I’ll find her,’ he said.
    ‘Even after six years in the Colonnade?’ she put the question to him as delicately as possible. She knew his sister was better off dead.
    He didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer that question if he tried. The silence stretched on and the room became awkward. ‘I think I’d like that pudding now,’ he said.
    Sarah chuckled. ‘Oh wait, you might want to...’
    As Joshua stood to retrieve his bowl, the ship’s engines cut out, and Joshua floated up to the ceiling with the sticky pudding splattering on his face. He looked down at Sarah pathetically, then his face broke into a huge messy, sugary grin.
    Sarah let loose and laughed out loud. ‘ Okay, let’s get you cleaned up and somewhere to rest that isn’t on the roof.’
     
     

Chapter 8
     
    Having shown Joshua to the shower and a spare cabin, Sarah climbed up the last rung of the ladder to the cockpit. She slumped into the copilot’s chair.
    ‘Hey, you holding up over there?’ Richard glanced over.
    ‘Hmm?’ she sleepily replied.
    ‘I mean, can you hold that up for me? That panel there, yeah. It keeps falling on that secondary comm button.’
    Sarah swivelled around, gazing over the banks of lights and panels. She propped up her arm to hold the offending item. Wit h the other hand she pulled another kiwifruit from her pocket, perfectly undamaged, and held it out for Richard. He grinned. ‘Cheers. So how’s our passenger? Or should I call him recruit?’
    ‘He won’t decide that easily, it’ll take more than the promise of three hots and a cot,’ said