Read Epic: Book 03 - Hero for Free Online Page A

bit longer, to satisfy my own bullheadedness. I’d like him transferred to a low-end holding cell. He’s taking up space here we can use.”
    “ Yes sir.”
    “ Keep up the good work.” Without another word, Archer strode past the guards, straight out of the security checkpoints. There was no need to linger. He’d heard what he’d gone there to hear.

4

    Sunday, November 6 th , 0011 NE
    0455 hours

    Novosibirsk, Russia

    Scott scarcely slept through the night. He couldn’t remember what time he’d gone to bed, but he remembered every hour since. It was 0102 when he’d rolled over and first stared at his clock. It was 0128 when he rose to wash his face. He got a drink at 0244, and rolled over on his stomach at a quarter past three. When the clock read 0450, he completely gave up.
    As he left his bed, he searched for some kind of distraction. He fiddled through his desk drawers. He rewashed his coffee mug. He looked for any type of diversion at all—for any excuse not to think about why he couldn’t sleep. But every task ended with a name. Svetlana Voronova.
    Even after deciding she didn’t matter, her image forced itself into his mind. What was she thinking? Why was she coming back?
    He grabbed his toothbrush and turned on the tap. After rinsing the bristles, he applied toothpaste and furiously brushed. All the while, he stared into the mirror.
    She wouldn’t even recognize him. Not because of the grizzled stubble he bore, nor because he’d become more toned since becoming a fulcrum. She wouldn’t recognize the look in his eyes. The last time she saw him, he’d been a decent man.
    Did she even know what he was? Did she know what he’d become? How was he supposed to greet her? He recalled the last words she’d spoken. Don’t let them change you. He knew he’d failed. He’d become what she’d warned him against: another soul lost to The Machine.
    It was 0506 when he finished brushing and washing. It felt as if two hours had passed. It was barely ten minutes. “This is crazy.”
    He knew how he had to act. Like a professional. Like a commanding officer. Like the man assigned to bring her inside. That was the only option he had.
    By 0515, he had already donned his black jumpsuit; the crimson triangle shone over his heart. He fought with his hair to little avail. Moments later, he stepped out the door.

    The hallways were always cold, regardless of the heating vents in the walls. They never seemed to warm well enough. For the first time in a while, the chill bothered him.
    Why would anyone come back to this place?
    For the life of him, he couldn’t find an answer. He knew why he couldn’t leave. This place had created him. As cold and as miserable as it was, it was his own. Where else could he go? Back home? He rarely spoke to his brother anymore. Who would he see? Who would want to see him?
    That was the difference between Svetlana and him. She had escaped. She had a home to return to. She had people who loved her. For her to return to Novosibirsk made no sense.

    Outside it was dark and the ground was covered in the night’s snowfall. Even on the sidewalks, a crunch followed each of his steps.
    He wasn’t sure what to do with his time until 0615, when the Fourteenth would abandon their room for their morning workout. It was still an hour away. He wouldn’t go to Room 14 until they were gone. He didn’t want to see them, and he was sure they didn’t want to see him either.
    The frigidity bit at his teeth. He’d grown used to chapped lips and dry skin; it didn’t bother him as much as it used to. But the initial bite was always hard.
    His early departure from his room afforded him time to grab breakfast. At least it was something to do. The cafeteria was still empty when he walked in. The morning crowd usually came at six o’clock. That was about when the Fourteenth would arrive, too. He would stay in the cafeteria until 0600, then he’d work his way around the back of the barracks. He could avoid