The Minus Faction, Episode One: Breakout by Rick Wayne Read Free Book Online

dragons.
    Men like John.
    It didn't matter if he had done anything. He was on a list. And to any lanyard-wearing case worker who didn't know him from a hole in the ground, it was always better to be safe than sorry. That's how they got people to give up their freedoms and to take other people's away. Make it about safety, and never ask for more than a tiny bit at a time.
    Advance file to next stage.
    So this was it. The beginning of the end of a long, legless run. They'd get him. He knew. It was just a matter of time. But John was ready.
    Almost.
    He had one last mission. One final objective. And he was going to see it through. John Regent always completed the mission.
    No excuses.
    John wiped his face with his good hand. He took a deep breath and put it away. For the unborn.

T Minus: 050 Days 15 Hours 31 Minutes 36 Seconds
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Esmeralda Gonzales was more pregnant than any woman had a right to be. She carried a baby and a load of bad news and bore both with grace and good deal of pride. She was going to be a mother, and she was going to be happy, even if she had to do it alone.
    She sat in the bright foyer of the hospital and watched John Regent approach from a bank of elevators. Angled glass stretched to the height of four floors overhead and cast the sunlight in all directions. It was like being inside a giant sculpture of a waterfall.
    Esme waved as he passed the information desk. She had only met Captain John once before, but she felt she knew him well. Her husband hadn't shut up about his new friend. She'd heard all Regent's stories secondhand.
    "Captain John." She smiled. She struggled to rise from the waiting room chair.
    "Don't get up." Regent raised his hand as he stopped and took Esme's grasp in a firm but awkward finger-shake. "You look tired."
    Esme gave a look as if to say it's expected . She wore the clothes of a woman who cleaned floors for a living. She had dark hair, a plump face, and broad shoulders that reminded John of a wide river, wise and strong. But she was worried.
    "Thank you for coming down." She spoke with the spice of a lifelong bilingual.
    The TV on the wall switched from scrolling weather forecasts to footage of the Chinese nuclear disaster. Smoke rose from a city near the coast. When the plume reached the clouds, it bent like a broken limb as the prevailing winds carried radioactive dust out over the mainland. No one knew how bad it would be.
    Esme saw John looking. "It's horrible what happened. Those poor people."
    John nodded. "Gabe's checked himself back in."
    Esmeralda turned from the disaster. "He called, said he was being admitted, but I didn't believe him."
    "That's understandable. After everything."
    "I want him to get help." Esme felt her stomach.
    "How's the baby?"
    The young mother smiled. "So good. I went for a checkup this morning. The doctor says another two weeks. I don't think I will make it!"
    "You're gonna do great."
    Esme kept her smile but the rim of her eyes froze in a panic as she turned her gaze to the side. "I'm not ready yet. We've been so busy. Dealing. And work. I have to put the baby first now."
    John knew what that meant. He waited for the rest.
    "Will you look after him?"
    "I may not be around for very long, but I'll do what I can."
    "He needs help, Captain John. I told him I can't be with him anymore. Not until he's better. Not now that the baby's here."
    John nodded. Esmeralda Gonzales had been patient enough. Gabe was a lucky man.
    Esme rubbed her belly. She gave Regent a weak smile. "I just wanted to thank you. In person."
    "It's no problem. I didn't do much."
    "Yes, you did. I don't know how, but you brought him back." Esme looked at Regent with her head tilted to the side. "Thank you. So, so much. Thank you."
    "Am I interrupting?"
    The voice came from behind him, but John knew it. He'd seen her around. Ayn.
    "No." Esme looked up.
    Ayn stood behind the captain with one hand on his chair.
    "I have to go to work. I just wanted to say thank