The Lethal Agent (The Extraction Files Book 2) by RS McCoy Read Free Book Online Page A

Ares.
    “He’s a miner from the Martian Mining Corp.”
    “How did he get there?” Michael watched the green man walk to the end of the hall where the vid switched to some sort of kitchen area. The man sat and pulled off his mask, his skin darker than even Michael’s.
    “Some sort of malfunction in a nav system on a surface pod. His group got way off from the zone, and then he got separated. Details are still coming in. The point is, this is a major interference. You’ve got a meeting with PC in ten.” Abigail stood and crossed her arms.
    Michael pushed from his office chair and tried to work up enough energy to be half as perturbed as she was. He didn’t have time to think about a single colony. There were bugs in the minds of his researchers, killing them one by one.
    “You’re staring off again. What’s up with you?” Abigail’s heels clicked while he shuffled along.
    “Just thinking.”
    “Are you shook up about what Dr. Arrenstein said? About the bugs?” Her voice was a whisper over the busy corridor.
    “I don’t know what I think about it. Let’s get this done first.”
    What was going on with his facility? Things had been so organized until recently. He’d known every corner, every researcher, and every support staff member. LRF had been his through and through.
    Now, he felt as if he didn’t know anything. As if he’d been blind for so long, he’d forgotten how to see. And this business with the colony? He didn’t need any other distractions.
    The Planetary Colonies wing was located in the center of the LRF. A short walk brought Michael and Abigail to the door where Dr. Ramos waited.
    “Thank you for coming so quickly, Dr. Filmore.” The researcher extended his hand. Michael shook it firmly and followed him into the conference room.
    The other two PC Scholars were present, already seated and waiting. One, Dr. Travis Earhorn, had hair so white Michael doubted it had ever held color, though he looked to be somewhere in his forties. The other, Dr. Sal Perkins, had light hair and eyes. Amongst Scholars, he was one of the friendliest, though that wasn’t saying much. Still, Michael liked him better than most.
    “Good morning, gentlemen,” Filmore said as he sat, Abigail in the chair beside him. In her lap, she answered a few ecomms, accomplishing more in a few seconds than he had all morning. “What’s the current situation?”
    Dr. Sal Perkins began. “At approximately 2100, an unknown individual was observed on the exterior of the Ares Colony. The adult male made the first observation and notified the female. She used the emergency airlock to grant him access into the colony.” The holograph changed to a pair of ID photos, one of a large, blond man and the other a pretty brunette woman.
    “Why didn’t the male grant him access?” Michael listened as Abigail took her notes.
    “The male never received the emergency access training. He was the third male, and the training was deemed unnecessary. She was the only one on board who knew how to access the panel.”
    “You trained her to bring in outsiders?”
    “No, Director. We trained the female on access of the doors so that at such a time as the expansion is approved, she can instruct him on how to access the exterior portion of the colony. Now that seems unnecessary, of course.” Dr. Ramos sounded more than a little offended.
    “What did you train her to do for an outsider?” If the female had broken protocol, that could be an easy fix. She and the stranger could be removed, and another female could be selected to take her place.
    “We gave her no instruction. It was considered too unlikely to warrant training,” Dr. Perkins answered, cutting off Ramos.
    “All right, so you don’t give her any training. She lets in a stranger, a miner, correct?” Michael rubbed his chin with his hand, trying to recall the simple details Abigail had conveyed to him only minutes ago.
    “Yes, this behavior falls within her character profile. We