"Sharon Green - 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 nickname means High Percentage Risk
Agent and isn't handed out to every male with big muscles or every female with
a pretty smile. Radman had never heard the nickname, but he didn't have to.