Free The Price of Discovery by Leslie Dicken

house. So far, all systems go.
    â€œGood, try the next one.”
    A row of lights blinked along the bottom half of the craft. Drakor walked the perimeter of silver vehicle, checking each light individually. He could barely see if these were on. He’d need true darkness to gauge their functionality.
    He came around full circle and opened his mouth to call to Brundor, but a noise caught his attention. Drakor could hear a vehicle’s engine and it wasn’t the shuttlecraft.
    â€œBrundor! Get out!”
    â€œWe just started. There are three more buttons to go.”
    â€œGet out! A vehicle is heading our way. The shuttlecraft is in full view.”
    The engine rumble grew louder and Drakor’s heart slammed inside his ribcage. “I’ve got to make it invisible! You need to get out.”
    â€œWhat’s the code? Let me do it,” his brother called from somewhere inside the cockpit.
    In the next instant, he hadn’t a choice. Greg’s truck came into view, kicking up the usual dust and dirt. Drakor fumbled for the crystal screen, entered the code and backed away from the craft. A second later, it vanished.
    With Brundor still inside.
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    Erin swallowed the last of her lousy and very cold coffee. She watched Rita smile, chew her gum, and flirt her way into Rockford’s good graces. It didn’t matter that the door to his glass enclosed office was shut. Body language told its own story.
    Her boss opened his door and ushered Rita out. They laughed with an ease that made Erin nervous. She bit her lip and resisted the urge to sprint to the bathroom.
    â€œMs. Price,” Rockford turned to her, “your turn.”
    Erin swallowed, grabbed her spiral notebook and followed him in inside. He sat in behind his desk, the brown pleather chair squeaking loudly under his weight. She pushed the door closed and edged toward the open seat.
    â€œGo on, sit down.”
    She carefully lowered herself to the seat. Meetings like this always made her nervous. Especially when Rita went before her. How could she compare with her? Rockford knew Erin’s history and had given her the chance, but she could always see the doubt lurking in his gaze.
    â€œWell, what have you got for me?” he asked in his raspy, over-smoked voice.
    â€œSir?”
    â€œA story, Ms. Price. Do you not have the start of a story?”
    â€œUh…” She glanced down at her notes, which were basically just a listing of the odd things she could gather from Drakor, Ankra and the house. It didn’t amount to much of a story right now. And so far she had nothing really to connect them to her strange John Doe.
    He coughed and then cleared his throat. She glanced up at his red, beefy face. His small eyes stared at her. “Ms. Dixon informed me that she told you of my plans for next month.”
    Erin nodded. “Yes, she said something to me about it.”
    â€œSo you know that one of you will have not only the front page, but also a full spread if your story makes the grade.”
    She nodded again. “What about the one who doesn’t make it?”
    Rockford shifted his chair and reached for today’s paper. He held it up to her. “I don’t need two big egos around here.” He flipped through to one of the back sections. “But I have an opening for a fact checker.”
    The blood hummed in Erin’s ears and her throat tightened. She would not go backwards. Evan already did enough damage to her career, she wasn’t about to let Rita send her tumbling downhill again.
    â€œAm I making myself clear, Ms. Price?”
    â€œI understand, sir. What is the deadline?”
    â€œI want to see a rough draft in three weeks.”
    â€œThree weeks?” She scanned her meager list. There wasn’t enough here right now to caption a photograph. Maybe she should find another story? Maybe there really wasn’t anything unusual about Drakor. And yet, she could not