The Red Queen by Gibson Morales Read Free Book Online Page B

computer’s cover and located the hard drive. It amazed him to think ancient civilizations used the same technology. More likely though, the know-how had survived among pockets of intelligent people.
    As he retrieved the storage device, he heard a creak. Suddenly the floor gave, taking the desk with it through the ruins below.
    Zubren massaged his shoulder as the commotion died down. Eagerness ran through him. The hard drive was bound to contain data on the history or culture of the civilization from those ruins. If it were enough, he might find insights into the reason why humanity could never win the Crawler War.
    Back atop the ledge, he stowed the rope into the backpack along with the hard drive. That’s when it hit him. His map had fallen into the depths of the ruins with everything else. Double-checking the rope, he noticed the strands loose, ready to tear. No hope to retrieve it.
    After two hours of attempted backtracking, he failed to adhere to any one path in the sewer system. Every part of his legs, from his knees to his ankles, wrenched with pain. He slumped down against the sewer wall, pinched in desperation.
    A groan echoed from the walls, stealing him from his dismay. A faint vibration jutted through his feet and back. He feared an earthquake, but the cold gush of water over him brought annoyance. Springing forward, he noticed the pipe overhead. Wringing his drenched clothes, he found his backpack soaked too. Which meant so was the hard drive. He opened the backpack and sure enough, the hard drive proved waterlogged.
    Any hope of accessing the data required he take it to a specialized tech store. But under the quarantine, only the most vital stores would be open. That excluded a tech store. Panic overwhelming him, he found the nearest escape ladder and climbed up. The gray coming from the tiny opening in the manhole cover meant he still couldn’t be outside legally. But at least it would be dark enough for the possibility of evading the city patrol.
    On the streets, his careworn legs allowed him enough quick strides past several vehicle sweeps long enough to figure out his location. The tech repair shop he located bore a sign explaining it would be closed until the military lifted the quarantine restrictions. He jostled the door handle to no avail. A mass of huddled field operators chattered more than patrolled, but they’d restrain him all the same if they spotted him.
    If he was smart about this, he could get inside, access the hard drive files, and leave before anyone noticed. Stepping back, he shifted all of his weight forward and brought his leg up. His boot met the door with a snap. The impact hurt him more than he expected. He dropped, screamed, and knew in one fatal instant that someone would hear. Down the street, the collection of field operators stirred. Cursing, he fought his way to a stand and hopped on one foot into the building.
    Daggers shooting through his kicking leg every second, he hobbled down a musty corridor, dust fleeting in the air under the glow of his flashlight, and into a room stocked with computer hardware and accessories. Most likely the shop’s in-house computer would have a device to read damaged hard drives. Even one from a long dead civilization. Then he could borrow a working hard drive to transfer the data onto. The field operators wouldn’t find him if he did this quickly.
    The primary computer sat on the desk behind the counter. Zubren pulled out a chair and powered it up.
    “I'll ask that you don’t let your curiosity get the better of you.”
    Zubren swiveled around, his gut clenching, and discovered Lieutenant Maxforth and the Maester he’d spoken with at the Citadel looming over the counter.
    “How did you get here?” he snapped.
    “I'm guessing you’re in such pain, you didn’t hear us,” Lieutenant Maxforth said, his expression unreadable.
    Zubren staggered up and clutched the hard drive.
    “This can only end so many ways,” Maxforth said, putting up a