The Independent Worlds (The Sixteen Galaxies Book 2) by William Drayman Read Free Book Online

He started a video clip and spun the laptop round to show them. Jack smiled broadly at the footage, taken from a security camera in the oval office. Kestil and President Maitland sat in deep discussion. The audio was a little faint, but understandable.
    Sanderson closed the laptop. “The item, as promised.” He held out a hand. “Payment please.”
    Jack brought out a cell-phone and pressed a button. “Tell the lady who answers the call your account details. She’ll do the rest.” He turned to Mandy. “I can’t wait to see the look on Kestil’s face when we put this out.”
    “How would you like me to look, Jack?” Kestil’s voice came from the doorway behind them. He walked into the room, John Crabtree right behind him, a pistol levelled at the pair. “Would you like me to be angry, or should I look almost as surprised as you two look right now?” Kestil sat down in a nearby armchair. John stood beside him, gun by his side, but still in his hand. Jack spotted that the safety was off.
    Jack turned back to Sanderson, who smiled at him. “Like I told you, Jack,” Sanderson said, “I can get my hands on things nobody else can. That includes you two.” He held out a hand. “Car keys, please.” He picked up the keys from where Mandy tossed them onto the table and stood up. He walked over to Kestil with the laptop. He handed it to Kestil and nodded. “I’ll leave you guys to catch up. Let me know if I can be of any help in the future, Kestil.” With a curt nod to John, Ryan Sanderson walked out. Jack heard their car start up and drive off.
    Kestil laughed at their faces. “Appearances can be very deceptive. Ryan may not look like much, but I have found him very useful, and intelligent with it. He’s certainly smart enough to deduce you two will have no further use for your car.”
    Jack exchanged a glance with Mandy. Kestil nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Truly hasn’t portaled you out yet, has she?” He stood up. “Unfortunately, my latest shield is much harder for her to crack. Oh, she will, I know that. Her technology is way superior to ours. Sadly, though, by the time she does, it will only be to recover your dead bodies. Funny thing is, if you two had allowed her to send you as hard-light holograms, which I’m sure she urged you to do, you could not have entered the house. Truly would have detected my shield the second I activated it. I knew you would come in person, though. The bait was too tempting, and you humans just can’t accept that a machine might know better.”
    Jack snorted, “That’s some grand hypocrisy, right there. Don’t you hate machines?”
    Kestil sighed. “So very naive. Machines are immensely useful, my boy. They are tools, though, and no more. We tell them what to do, and they do it. But, they should never be in charge, let alone run an entire galactic society.”
    John Crabtree raised the pistol. “Right, on your feet, you two. Nice and easy, now.”
    They both slowly got to their feet.
    Kestil looked Mandy over. “So, you’re Mandy Somers, the young investigative reporter who just won’t leave me alone. You know, if it wasn’t for your friend here, the pile of enemies you’ve made for yourself over the last twelve years would have killed you long before Nuthros started this mess. In a way, that would have been kinder.” He raised his eyebrows at Mandy’s befuddled look. He looked at Jack, and then back at Mandy. “Oh dear, he’s never told you, has he?”
    Mandy looked across at Jack, who stood pale and stiff beside her. He looked as lifeless as a statue, except for the cold gaze that never shifted from Kestil, even when she spoke. “Jack, what’s he talking about?”
    Kestil leaned back in the armchair and put his hands behind his head, a cold smile on his lips. “Yes, go on, Jack. Why don’t you tell her who you really are?”
    Mandy felt like a little girl lost in an adult’s conversation. Jack never took his eyes from Kestil. He didn’t speak, and he