Read City Of Tears for Free Online Page B

stasis?”
    He smiled. This was bound to turn her crank in the wrong direction. That’s why he’d avoided the question the first time around. “You’ve been in stasis for just over a cycle.”
    “A cycle of what?”
    He didn’t really expect it to be that easy, but he’d had to give it a try. “Ontariese completes a turn every thirty-six hours, so an Ontarian cycle is roughly equivalent to eighteen Earth months.”
    The information set her in motion. She crossed the room and returned to the table before she spoke again. “I was in stasis for a year and a half?”
    “Yes.”
    “Your eyes swirl like mine. Is that a common characteristic on your planet?”
    Her anxiety confused him. He’d expected anger and confusion, but she seemed terrified. “Saebin, everyone on Ontariese has eyes like ours. The colors vary, but they all swirl. Everything Hydran told you was a lie. He was keeping —”
    “What happened to the occupants? The ones with eyes like ours?”
    “They were brought through the portal. Most of them are still on Ontariese. Is there someone in particular you want to find?”
    “Right after I teleported, an overwhelming sense of danger surged through me.”
    “That’s not surprising. This is a pretty inhospitable location, and you’d never teleported before.”
    She shook her head, stopping directly in front of him. “I heard her voice when I first awakened. I know she’s here. We must find my handler.”
    “Your handler was one of the occupants?” He tried to keep the shock from his tone and failed. “I thought she was an employee.”
    “She was an occupant of ward A before she offered her services to Dr. Hydran.” Saebin looked away from him, her expression tense and wary. “She was not the only one who realized it was easier to cooperate than … You still don’t understand.” She tossed back her hair and crossed her arms over her breasts. “She’s a cybernetic engineer. She helped design my implants as well as my body armor. If what you say is true, she has had eighteen months to further her research and find a new market for her products.”
    Lyrik stood and instinctively placed his hands on her shoulders. She didn’t flinch or twist away. “What’s her name, or distinction? Detailed records were kept of all the occupants.”
    Dread unfurled within him as she continued avoiding his gaze. “I was not allowed to know. She gave the orders, and I obeyed.”

Chapter Five
     
    “D-159, comply.”
    Saebin stared into the trusting eyes of the canine and felt another piece of her soul die. Swallowing back bile, she clenched her fist until her nails dug into her palm. Her arm trembled as she aimed her munitions implant at the animal. This was wrong. Senseless. But it was not her place to question her handler.
    “The objective is assassination. Comply.”
    For three days she had refused, and for three days she had not eaten.
    “I can force you to comply, but that defeats the purpose of the exercise.”
    A sting erupted at the base of her spine. The sensation would build in intensity until she killed the dog or lost consciousness. They had been through it all before. The pain built. Her eyes watered, and her hand shook.
    With a tormented cry, she closed her eyes and sent a concentrated pulse into the animal’s brain. It yelped, and then there was blessed silence. She lowered her arm as tears escaped the corner of her eyes. The pain gradually receded .
    She dragged air into her burning lungs and purged her revulsion with a violent shudder. The subtle shuffling of feet. She waited for the orderlies to remove her victim before she opened her eyes. Whining. Dear god, no. She opened her eyes and recoiled. The first dog had been replaced with a similar animal.
    “Repeat the exercise, and do not close your eyes this time. You must be certain you’ve met your objective.”
    Pain darted into her brain and down her spine. The stinging intensified with each second she hesitated. The dog tilted