Free Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure (Fortune Chronicles Book 1) by Kathleen McClure Page A

docks,  wasn’t talking about their long-dead ancestors.
    “This is true,” Martine agreed, speaking only to the surface topic. From experience, Gideon knew the fagin would view Maurian’s underlying loss as something to be dealt with privately. “Though it is also true the Earther’s had a reason for this. Do you know what it is?”
    Maurian’s only response was a single-shouldered shrug.
    Which somehow kindled Gideon’s own anger. “Because,” he said before Martine could speak, “once Fortune was cooked enough to populate, they made sure none of the knowledge that got them off of Earth in the first place touched Fortune. None of the tech, none of mechs. They even destroyed the ships that brought them here.”
    Martine nodded, encouraging him as she asked, “And do you know why they did this?”
    “Because,” he said, again, “if we know we can’t ever leave, we’ll take better care of Fortune than our ancestors took care of Earth.”
    “So the Keepers tell us,” Martine beamed.  
    “And how,” he asked, holding his fagin’s gaze, “do the Keepers think that’s working out so far?”  
    At which Martine’s expression slammed shut and Gideon, ashamed, turned away.
    This time, when he headed for the ladder, she didn’t attempt to stop him.
    Soon enough he heard an undaunted Yribe asking if the Earthers engineered crystal as Fortune’s version the old melted dinosaur bones, and why it grew in so few areas, which led to Martine beginning the primary school edition of the Great Crystal Debate.  
    There, see, he told himself it’ll be okay . The younger ones’ curiosity would cheer the fagin and, for his part, he’d stick to pilfering stores, make sure there was enough food to last the hive out a few days. And during those days he’d stay close to the tower, help with training and — hells, he’d just make it up to her.
    At least, that was what Gideon meant to do.
    In fact, he’d just reached the lower section of the ladder when the attacks began.
    It seemed the Adidans, having filled their slave barges and cargo freighters, and tired of the constant thieving and sabotage, had chosen to level Tesla once and for all.
     
    * * *
     
    Two days later, Gideon woke in a Keeper-aid tent with three cracked ribs and a few new scars to add to the livid gash over his collarbone.
    The Keeper tending his wounds told him he’d been found at the base of a decimated teleph tower. As far as she knew, no one else had been recovered from the area.
    Because of their neutral status, the Keepers were allowed to go anywhere they wished, no matter who was fighting over what, so only a few days after he woke, the entire party set sail up the Folger River, delivering Gideon and a handful of other survivors to the relative safety of Edsel.
    By then, Gideon was on his feet so, after thanking the Keepers who’d helped him, he went in search of a recruiting station where, being so tall for his age, he was able to convince the Infantry sergeant he was old enough to enlist in the Corps.
     
     
     

C HAPTER T WELVE
     
    “YOU WERE DODGING during the Occupation?” the girl said, clearly impressed. “You’re even older than I thought.”
    This time he did laugh, but the laugh was wet and turned to a cough and Elvis, disturbed by his chosen person’s obvious distress, crawled along the edge of the tub to press his head against Gideon’s leg.
    “Good boy,” Gideon stroked the draco’s head. “It’s okay, you did okay.” Yes, he’d be feeling the slices from Elvis’ talons for a month, but it beat drowning.
    He glanced up, saw the girl watching their interaction.
    “So,” he said, “one dodger to another, why did you target me?” Because it should have been obvious to the rawest thief he wasn’t rolling in starbucks. What could he possess that she’d have wanted enough to scale a building in the rain?
    Even as he thought this, her eyes darted to Elvis, then to the floor, and the bruise deepened with her