Christopher G Nuttall [The Em The Thin Blue Line (v5.1) (epub

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.The unemployment rate on Earth had been over seventy percent.Most of the workers had gone into dead-end jobs that had barely paid a living wage, then lost half of their income to taxes.And, no matter how the Government tried, it couldn't look after everyone.She pushed the thought aside as the elevator stopped at the correct floor, then opened the doors.Belinda stepped outside, glancing around with interest.The walls seemed closer than the walls of Earth, painted in an eerie dark style that left shadows everywhere.Belinda felt a chill running down her spine as she contemplated the effect, wondering why it was tolerated on a world like Terra Nova.Anything could hide within the shadows, anything at all.But then, maybe that was the point.The residents didn't want to see anything that might hurt them.Shaking her head, she walked down the corridor until she found the correct door.There was nothing on it, apart from a number; no name, no ID card.there wasn't even a buzzer.She hesitated, then tapped firmly on the door.There was no response.A second tap brought nothing, not even a whisper of sound from inside the apartment.Cheal might be asleep or he might be elsewhere.Or he might be feeling paranoid.She rather doubted anyone would open the door to a visitor, now that night was falling over the city.The vast majority of the population would have locked their doors by now.There was no way to know without entering the apartment for herself.Belinda hesitated, then reached for her multitool and pressed it against the lock.Breaking and entering wasn’t the best way to introduce herself, she suspected, but she couldn’t think of an alternative.There was a click as the lock opened, allowing her to enter the apartment.It was dark inside, but her implants allowed her to see through the shadows.Someone was talking in the distance, the faintly-tinny sound suggesting that it was a viewscreen or – perhaps – a datanet program.Belinda hesitated, listening carefully.No one seemed to have heard the sound of her entering the apartment.And that was worrying.He lost his partner, she thought, remembering how badly she’d reacted to losing her teammates.She might well have considered suicide if she hadn't known it was a form of giving up.He might have killed himself – or drunk himself into a stupor.Or.“Freeze,” a voice snapped.The lights came on at the same instant.They would have blinded her if her implants hadn’t adjusted instantly.“Put your hands in the air!”Impressive, Belinda noted, as she obeyed.She didn’t normally keep her implants stepped up – they tended to pick up more sound than could be easily processed – but Cheal had managed to come up behind her, without being heard.There were few Marines who could have done it better, all Pathfinders.Very impressive.“Put your hands behind your head, then get down on your knees,” Cheal ordered.“Interlock your fingers as you move!”Clever, Belinda thought.She obeyed, after considering her options.Cheal was too close to her for his own safety, although he would have been safe enough if she hadn't been an enhanced human.But knocking him out would have made it even harder to convince him to listen to her.He must have been woken by my knocks and hidden himself behind me.“Lie down,” Cheal ordered, after a moment.“Hands behind your back.”She grunted as she obeyed, feeling his gun pressing into her back.Moments later, he had snapped on the cuffs and searched her roughly, but professionally.He didn't take advantage of her apparent helplessness to cop a feel.Belinda smiled as he rolled her over, then stared down in disbelief.Whatever he’d been expecting to see as he nabbed someone he’d thought was a burglar, it hadn't been her.“You?”“Me,” Belinda confirmed.He was professional.Surprised or not, he kept his gun firmly pointed at her head.Clearly, he didn't have any great confidence in his cuffs.“And we do need to talk.”Cheal looked at her for a long moment.“Very well,” he said, finally.“Talk [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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