The Legend of Things Past (Beyond Pluto SciFi Futuristic Aventures Book 1) by Phillip William Sheppard Read Free Book Online Page B

by the
unsurprised looks on their faces.
    Five people manned the information desk in the center of the
floor. All but one of them was busy with phone calls. The free man’s eyebrows shot
up at the sight of Donovan.
    “Brigadier General Knight, sir,” he said, emerging from
behind the counter and almost tripping as he stubbed his toe on the corner. “Ouch—we’ve
been expecting you. I’m Private Cole. I am to escort you to the General. Please,
follow me.”
    “I’m afraid this is where I leave you,” Christina said.
    Donovan said goodbye and followed Private Cole to the
elevators. The Private raised his palm to a sensor on the right, and a red
light, in the shape of credit card, shone from his hand. It was a minimal
security pass—it allowed him to get into things like store rooms, file cabinets,
and, of course, elevators.
    Donovan watched the numbers light up as they ascended. It
was a quiet ride. They stopped at floor fifty-one. The door opened to reveal
another elevator directly across the hall.
    Private Cole turned to face him.
    “I have your access card here, if you’d like to sync Inserts.”
    “Don’t have one,” Donovan said. “But I think my watch will
suffice.”
    Donovan held his wrist next to the Private’s palm.
    “Transfer Brigadier General Knight’s access card,” Private
Cole said.
    Instantly, Donovan’s watch beeped and a white card hovered
above its surface. Then it disappeared. Donovan’s inventory now held a white
access card. He was astounded. His stomach clenched with both worry and excited
anticipation. They must have found the national leader of x5 cells. That had to
be it. Right? No, maybe they had discovered that x5 was worldwide.
    It had to be the world, not just the country, to warrant a
white access card. The way the staff scurried to and fro down below almost
nervously, as if hysteria were just about to break open, affirmed his
suspicion.
    “Thank you, Private.” Donovan dismissed the clumsy solider.
    “General McGregor is expecting you on floor fifty-five, sir.”
    Donovan nodded and the Private vanished behind the elevator
doors. After holding his watch to the sensor on the left of the elevator,
Donovan stepped inside and pressed number fifty-five. Silence engulfed him.
Again, he felt that sensation of nervousness. He wanted to know what was going
on so he could jump into the action. He needed to do something.
    The doors opened to pandemonium. For the first three
seconds, Donovan was only aware of papers and manila folders soaring in the air
like birds. Rows upon rows of desks lined the huge room which spanned the
entire fifty-fifth floor. There were soldiers everywhere, of every rank, all of
them tripping over each other in their haste to reach their destinations. The
ones who were sitting were no less calm—they typed frantically at their
computers, eyes never leaving the screens. Many of them rubbed their temples or
pulled at their hair. Voices rose and fell in loud clamors.
    He grabbed the nearest person by the arm—a little roughly in
an effort to snap her out of the frenzy that had taken over the room. The
woman’s blonde ponytail whipped around as Donovan pulled her to him. She stared
at him, eyes unfocused, mouth gaping like a fish.
    “Where’s General McGregor?”
    She looked toward the back of the room. Donovan followed her
gaze and spotted the General standing behind a desk on a raised platform,
barking out orders at everyone around him. Donovan headed over, dodging
soldiers as he went.
    The General spotted him as he approached.
    “Brigadier General Knight!” he called in a booming voice.
    Donovan shook the General’s hand.
    “Just the man we need.” General McGregor didn’t smile. He
almost never did. But his shoulders relaxed infinitesimally and the creases on
his forehead lessened—the closest to relieved anyone would ever see him.
    The General held up his hand to silence the crowd around
him.
    “Everyone take fifteen. Reassemble here at 1705