Free Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) by Matt Verish

Book: Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) by Matt Verish Read Free Book Online

Tags: adventure, Action, Space Opera, Artificial intelligence, Space Exploration, firefly, dark matter, icarus

Terracom 3 is lost.> CAIN announced .
    “What have you done?” Emmerich’s rage was on full display as she struggled to fire her weapon.
    “Not me,” was all Cole offered, and it was clear from Emmerich’s expression that she understood the severity of her situation. She cast aside her sidearm and charged Cole.
    The two collided, but their second dance was a much different story. Even with her injured shoulder, Emmerich was a force to be reckoned with. He could feel the tight cords of muscles in her lean arms as they grappled, and her sense of balance kept her from being knocked over. An elbow to the ribs, a backhand to the temple, and a fist to the gut... She had not slacked from her training since leaving Military.
    Neither had Cole. Despite his throbbing head, he was younger, taller, carried more mass, and was all around stronger. He wrapped his arms around her torso and placed his foot upon the console, giving a mighty shove. Both of them stumbled across the bridge and they slammed against the ground. Emmerich rose faster than Cole, and she turned to run.
    Oh, no you don’t!
    Cole grabbed her ankle and twisted with all his might. She cried and pitched forward, one hand bracing her fall. There was a snap, followed by a shriek, and Cole knew she had broken her wrist. She writhed, cradling her arm to her heaving chest. She made no attempt to stand.
    It was Cole who rose, his world spinning like a centrifuge. “Don’t make me throw up on you, Inspector,” he said, clutching his roiling stomach. He stumbled to the back of the bridge to bar Emmerich’s escape, though he was fairly certain she would remain huddled against the wall. He could also see that she was favoring the ankle he had grabbed.
    “What to do with you....”
    “You son of a bitch,” she gritted. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
    Cole shrugged. “You’re right. I don’t.” He looked out the viewport to where it was still dark. He hadn’t the slightest idea what sort of pandemonium was occurring. “I can thank you and the good doctor for that.”
    Emmerich shook her head. “No. You don’t understand.” She managed to get herself into a half hunched sitting position, though her head was bowed in agony. “You’ve sided with her .”
    “You left me no choice.”
    Emmerich met Cole’s hard stare, her cold eyes now filled with fear. “Dartmouth’s going to free the Singularity.”
    Cole wondered if she hit her head harder than he thought. “The center of a black hole?”
    The back of Emmerich’s head pounded into the wall she had managed to press up against. “Her father.” She swallowed. “I can’t believe she’s really going to do it.”
    Lin’s father’s name is the Singularity?
    OcuGuest347 : Prepare the ship for launch. We are boarding.
    Cole ignored the request and offered no response. You better not be screwing with me, Doc.
     CAIN announced .
    “That little bitch planned this all along,” Emmerich said and faced Cole. “Her aim may seem noble, Musgrave, but she’s about to unleash the plague.”
    Cole knelt beside her and collected the sidearm. “Forgive me if don’t entirely believe the words of the woman behind an attempted genocide.”
    Emmerich scowled.
    “That’s what I thought,” Cole said, standing. He examined the weapon and saw that it was again charged and operational. He shook his head, beyond relieved CAIN’s attempt to deflect the EMP blast had partially failed.
    The door to the lift opened, and Cole watched as Lin burst onto the bridge, her eyes were wide with panic. Forester was slow to follow her, his calm demeanor a stark comparison. He glanced down at Emmerich, impassive. Lin ignored the inspector completely and strode directly up to Cole. Her Rook hovered up beside