Free The Pearl Wars by Nick James Page A

“Dead?”
    Henrich nodded. “Dead and gone.”
    A chill ran down Cassius’s spine. He’d seen people killed before. Even tortured. But something about the video stuck with him. The efficiency of it. The silent feed.
    “And still they try.” Henrich shook his head. “I guess if you’ve lived outside the Net so long you’ve gotta have more than a few screws loose, huh?”
    Cassius kept his attention on the display, watching as the dust faded to reveal a pile of bodies. He didn’t respond.
    “ That’s why you don’t mess with Madame,” Henrich said proudly. “Or the Unified Party, right Stevenson?”
    Cassius nodded, turning back to the draining Pearl. Maybe he shouldn’t go snooping through the research files after all.
    –––
    Cas sius walked the hallway in silence. Before he could take the last few steps to Madame’s office, her door swung open. A brown-haired boy stepped out, a determined frown on his face. Their eyes met for a moment, but the boy pushed past Cassius without a word and took off down the hall. Cassius turned to watch him round a corner and disappear.
    He was young. Too young to be in her office.
    Cassius caught the door before it shut entirely and slipped into the office. Madame sat behind her desk, speaking on a headset.
    “I understand, Prime Minister.” Her voice was calm, though she spoke through gritted teeth. “Yes,” she answ ered. “I know it is a larger fee than you’d prefer, but you need to understand what we’re dealing with. Shippers are crossing the Skyline more and more frequently. It’s as if the treaty means nothing to them.”
    She flipped the headset outward so Cassius could hear the Prime Minister’s voice. It was muffled, but he could still hear the man’s thick cockney accent. “If they’re breaking the law, why not arrest them?”
    Madame sighed, bringing the headset back to her ear. “If it were up to me we’d do more than arrest them, but the President is fearful of a war. We need Pearls, Mr. Hughes. We’re not crammed together on an island like the Commonwealth. We’re spread out, surrounded by miles and miles of Fringe Towns. Granted, it gives us more landing space … greater access. But Fringers are teaming with Shippers, and the Unified Party must have Pearls to stay strong. My terms remain fixed.” She paused, motioning for Cassius to take a seat beside her desk. “Fine,” she muttered, and flipped off the headset, giving a great sigh.
    “Cassius.” She removed the earpiece and glanced over to him. “You’re early.”
    “Who was that?” He motioned to the doorway.
    She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “That boy,” he replied, “that just left your office.”
    She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, don’t you worry about that.”
    Cassius turned back to the door. He was worried. Madame never let students into her office. Cassius was the exception. The only exception.
    And that’s the way it needed to stay.
    Madame opened a drawer beside her and pulled out a small black bag. “Prime Minister Hughes wishes for more leniency from the Unified Party.” She set the bag on the table. “It seems the European Commonwealth has fallen on hard times. They’re attempting to mimic Canada’s Polar Cities in Scandinavia. He reckons the project would move faster with Pearl Power.”
    Cassius knew that the Polar Region, with its Arctic Ocean, was the most stable and desirable area on the planet. It would be in the Unified Party’s interest to keep the Commonwealth from building there.
    Madame leaned forward in her chair. “It’s not my fault their piddly little country is low on landing space. I upped the fee to eight million euros per Pearl. He is not a happy Englishman.”
    Cassius smiled. Pearls targeted land, and North America was one of the biggest chunks of civilized land left. A large percentage of Pearls fell in Unified Party territory. And with the recent purchase of Africa’s landing