Laura almost turned around when she saw Bill Taggart walking towards her. He'd been distracted enough at the start that she could have done it, but what if Gilchrist watched her from some private room? She thought about the letters and their secret words, hidden in her apartment. It surprised her to see Bill at the ESC. She thought he was still on Exilon 5.
She gave him a warning look to be careful. But the investigator barely acknowledged her, then carried on towards the turbo lift. The roving cameras spent time in this part of the ESC. She sought them out, but the place was too crowded that she couldn't find them. She changed from a nervous walk to a confident stride and exited out the front entrance.
In her distracted state, the walk to her apartment block in Haymarket took longer than usual. It wasn't until she'd reached the outer door to her block that she heard movement behind her.
The grey skies and dark streets added to her fear. She drew on all of her strength not to turn around. Instead, she fumbled around in her bag for an object that could double up as a weapon.
While she searched, she worked out how much time she'd need to activate the lock on the outer door. It would take her thumbprint to open it, but every step gave the advantage back to her pursuer. She had no idea how close the person even was, but her skin tingled, as if they were nearer than they should have been.
Damn. Nothing in my bag. Her racing mind scrambled for a plan B. She should have known that her move to Level Five would attract danger. She remembered the warning from the man in booth ten: what we retain puts a target on our backs. She braced for an attack from her pursuer.
Laura was about to turn around when a hand touched her shoulder. She froze, a reaction brought on in part by an icy sensation that seeped through the heavy fabric of her uniform.
'Don't try anything. I'm armed and dangerous.' Her voice shook.
She turned halfway around and almost choked on a gasp when she saw who stood inches from her face.
'Wh... What do you want from me?' She stared up at the Indigene named as Stephen in her files.
'I wouldn't be here if I had another choice,' he said. 'I saw you with Bill Taggart just now. I need to speak with him. Can you help me?'
YOU ARE READING
Genesis Code, (Book 1, Genesis Series)
Science FictionCan a troubled investigator rescue humanity from its mistakes? Bill Taggart lost his wife and his last spark of happiness on humanity's new home. Now as part of the team sent to monitor the indigenous aliens on Exilon 5, the investigator hopes to fi...
