Free Emergence (Fox Meridian Book 5) by Niall Teasdale Page A

couple of inches shorter than Fox, quite long in the leg. The legs were obvious thanks to a pair of very short shorts, and added to by heeled sandals. She was slim, fairly flat-chested, but her body was toned and fit, supple. She was, in some ways, more handsome than beautiful, but certainly attractive with sharp cheekbones, a narrow pointed chin, and a full mouth. She had a cap of short black hair, dark eyebrows with an intriguing arch to them, and her eyes were a warm hazel-brown.
    She might have been a little annoyed, but Sakura was Japanese: politeness was an instinct. She executed a short, formal bow which Fox copied. ‘Miss Meridian, I am afraid that you have made a wasted journey. Charlie’s concerns are… unwarranted.’
    Iberson had moved to a position beside Sakura, far enough away that Fox knew there had been an argument. Iberson’s face twisted a little: annoyance, frustration. ‘I have sufficient evidence to suggest they are not,’ Fox said. ‘Palladium has moved to a higher alert level. Security has been tightened and will remain that way unless I can verify that there is no threat.’
    ‘Over one email?!’ Palomino burst out. ‘That’s ridiculous! How can you–’
    ‘No. I haven’t seen the email. The fact that it was sent to Miss Sakura’s personal address supports my position, but it’s the LifeWeb posts by the same man which cause me concern. He’s a hacker. Not, perhaps, the greatest ever, but certainly very good. He’s obsessed and has violent tendencies. He warrants closer scrutiny.’
    Sakura frowned. ‘Please, sit down, Miss Meridian.’
    ‘Nishi,’ Palomino began. ‘You shouldn’t be stressing yourself over–’
    ‘Sit down, Brett. We will hear Miss Meridian out.’ Palomino sank onto a chair with an exasperated expression on his face. Sakura waited until Fox had taken one of the sofas before sitting down opposite her, and when Iberson sat down beside her, she shifted a little closer. Some of the argument was forgiven at least and Fox saw Iberson’s eyes brighten a little.
    ‘Miss Iberson seems quite infatuated with Miss Sakura,’ Kit commented silently.
    ‘She does,’ Fox replied, but her attention was drawn to the appearance of a petite avatar with oriental features dressed in a short, kimono-styled dress.
    ‘Misaki,’ Sakura said, ‘these LifeWeb posts Miss Meridian has referred to?’
    ‘I identified the sender of the emails, Minotaur, as a LifeWeb poster named BeastOfKnossos, Nishi-sama.’ Misaki had a stronger Japanese accent than Sakura did and tended to affect a vaguely submissive posture, but she had to be an infomorph of some sort. ‘That LifeWeb account was blocked from posting after it was used to troll several other posters who left negative comments about your work.’
    Sakura nodded. ‘That’s my policy, Miss Meridian. If people want to criticise me, I don’t stop them so long as they remain civilised about it. I won’t tolerate trolls, whether with me or against me.’
    Fox nodded back. ‘Good policy, if you ask me, but Minotaur kept sending emails, yes?’
    ‘That is correct, Miss Meridian,’ Misaki said. ‘I filter both LifeWeb posts and fan emails for Nishi. I only bother her with them if I feel her input is required. For a personal reply, for example.’
    ‘You don’t follow through on potential threats, however.’
    ‘IMC have staff evaluating such issues. I am not required to.’
    ‘My PA did. Kit, would you explain what you found, please?’
    Kit appeared in her formal outfit, adjusting her glasses as she resolved in everyone’s vision fields. Her tail flicked a little and Fox saw Sakura’s eyes widen. ‘Of course, Fox,’ Kit said. ‘Minotaur, posting as BeastOfKnossos, threatened that he would “erase” a user with the account name Musikkritiker, a German national who went on to post several times on his own page regarding the difficulties he was having. His banking credentials were revoked, twice, without his knowledge. His