Free Hunt for Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans

cattle?”
    Gervaso nodded. “With a red-hot poker. It’s a sign of bravery.”
    â€œOr insanity,” Tessa said.
    I groaned. “Great. We’re fighting high-tech ninjas who like pain.”
    â€œHopefully you’ll never see them,” Gervaso said.
    â€œIsn’t that the point of ninjas?” Ostin said. “You’re not supposed to see them.”
    â€œLet me get this straight,” Tessa said. “The eight of us are taking on a Starxource plant with extra Elgen guards, the entire Taiwanese army, and a powerful group of ninjas?”
    Gervaso nodded. “Yes, but it could get worse.”
    â€œHow could it possibly get worse?” Zeus asked.
    â€œThere’s a chance that Hatch may be sending his Glows to protect the girl. We will know within a few days.”
    â€œWe’re so dead,” Tessa said.
    No one else said anything.
    * * * 
    That afternoon Gervaso and I practiced my magnetic-bullet thing again. This time it was my idea. After our morning meeting I felt even more motivated to prepare. Fear is a great motivator.
    I experimented with focusing my pulse in different ways to see if I could increase the effect. It worked. Once I knocked a bullet out of range by more than eight feet.
    â€œI can deflect bullets,” I said.
    â€œNot just bullets,” Gervaso said. “If you can deflect something as small and fast as a bullet, you could deflect knives, axes, even Chinese stars.”
    â€œLike in the movies,” I said.
    â€œYes. Just like in the movies,” he replied.
    I just hoped our movie had a happy ending.



The ES Faraday Boardroom
    Port of Callao Harbor, Peru
    T he Elgen board stood at attention as Hatch walked into the room. He sank into his throne-like leather chair, pausing a moment before saying, “You may be seated.” He silently looked around the table, his gaze resting momentarily on each member of the board. Then he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “I will be leaving for Switzerland in the morning. Our bankers are not cooperating with my demands, so I, along with Tara and Torstyn, will be paying them a visit. It’s possible that Schema might be involved.”
    Hatch had sent out a memo to all Elgen that the former chairman was a traitor and criminal and should he still be alive, the reward for his capture was a million dollars.
    â€œBut, sir, wasn’t Schema killed on the Ampere ?” asked Six.
    â€œSo we hoped. But some recovered video footage has led us to believe that he and the other traitors escaped the Ampere beforeit was destroyed. If so, I’m certain he would seek out our bankers, which is all the more reason to pay them a visit.” Hatch paused again, then added, “But that isn’t why I convened this meeting.”
    Hatch stood, his expression growing impassioned. “We are entering a new age, Elgen. A golden age. A renaissance . We are on the cusp of fulfilling our vision. We are close to solving the problem with the MEI technology.
    â€œThis breakthrough came from a place we did not expect. A young Chinese girl named Jade Dragon is the first to fully understand the science behind the MEI since the brilliant scientist Dr. Coonradt. She will teach our scientists how to use the MEI to populate the world with a new species.”
    â€œBut, sir,” Seven said, “our scientists have been successfully using the MEI for years, electrifying rats.”
    â€œ Rats ,” Hatch said, shaking his head. “ Using the MEI is simple. It’s like a child playing a video game. He may know how to turn the machine on and even win the game, but he has no idea how the machine actually works. Until this girl came along, no one, including our scientists, has understood the actual dynamics of how the MEI alters human DNA. This child has figured it out without even knowing the MEI existed. It’s only a matter of time before we have the information