"Sharon Green - Diana Santee 1 - Mind Guest" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

Mind Guest
by Sharon Green

A Diana Santee Spaceways Novel

Chapter 1

Waking up began as a struggle, the sort you strain against with all
your strength and get absolutely nowhere with. I strained and
struggled and found nothing but fog to fight, but by the time I
reached the groaning stage the fog was beginning to lift. I became
aware of what I entailed, then felt the hum that touched deeply but
lightly in my bones. I knew the hum should mean something, but I was
still too deep in the fog to know what.
It took a lot of effort to turn to my left side and open my eyes, and
I couldn't remember why the effort was necessary. All I saw was a
small room, plain metal walls, built-in drawers, and nothing else.
All behind a thin but unbreakable mesh of monostrand, the sort used m
spaceships to protect sleepers from the sudden loss of gravity.
Spaceship.
I had to be on a ship, but where was I going? Was the assignment
finished already? Assignment. What assignment? What the hell was
going on? I put a hand to my head as if that would stop the spasms
going on inside it, but there was still too much fog. Raising my arm
seemed to be a signal for the fog to close in again, and that turned
the switch off on my struggling.
The next time my eyes opened, the fog was all gone. I saw the top of
the bunk section, the monostrand safety net closing the only open
side, felt the throb that meant live but unfiring engines. I was in a
ship, all right, but this time I knew all about it. The assignment
I'd been so worried over even when I didn't remember anything about
it hadn't been finished, not unless you count getting grabbed as
finishing it. I'd walked right into Radman's waiting arms, just as if
I were responding to an invitation he'd sent out. I sat up carefully
on the bunk, trying not to bash my thick head on the metal above,
disgusted with myself and impatient with the dizziness the last of
the drug caused. Radman had used cryosol, and there was no knowing
how long it had kept me under.
I ran my hands through my tangled hair as I sat cross-legged, giving
myself a couple of minutes to take inventory before pressing on to
the harder job of getting out of the bunk. My entire body felt heavy
and without strength, probably a combination reaction from the drug
and the length of time I'd been unconscious, but I didn't hurt
anymore. My clothes were long gone, cut away at Radman's direction
while he stood and grinned and drooled, and naturally not replaced.
He'd pretended to be delighted that it was a female Special Agent who
had been sent after him, but his delight had switched to panic when
one of his men had gotten careless enough to let me almost get one
leg free. 'There were only five of them there besides Radman himself,
and those aren't very comfortable odds against a hyper-A. The