Read Intermix Nation for Free Online Page B

courage and follows a
group of visitors through the gates of hell.
    Nazirah looks around, trying to figure out
what happens next. Nikolaus told her to seek out Solomon, the chief
of security who also happens to be a rebel spy. But Nazirah has no
idea how to find him.
    Luckily, she doesn’t have to wonder for
long. A tall, muscled man, with closely cropped hair and several
earrings in each ear, walks stiffly up to her. He scans her face.
Nazirah is unsure if she should speak and reveal herself, so she
remains quiet. The man inclines his head slightly and walks away.
Nazirah considers the potential ramifications for only a moment,
before chasing after him.
    He walks through a heavy iron door, not
bothering to hold it for her. By the time Nazirah manages to wrest
it open, he is already turning a corner down the hallway. Nazirah
sprints after him, trying to keep up, because she would rather be
with this complete stranger than get lost in the prison alone. She
catches up, panting, as he begins climbing a staircase. Nazirah
notes gratefully that his strides have slowed.
    “Excuse me, Solomon…”
    He gives Nazirah a sharp
look as they exit the staircase, cutting her off. Apparently,
Solomon is not a big talker. They walk through another corridor and
he finally stands in front of a single door. Here goes everything , Nazirah
thinks, as she enters the room.
    The person standing before her is definitely
not Adamek Morgen. For starters, he’s a full head shorter than
Nazirah. He has light brown skin, sparkling eyes, a huge smile, and
a miniature red fez on his head.
    He is also literally hopping with
excitement.
    “Oh, Miss Nation!” The small man clasps his
hands around one of hers, shaking it enthusiastically. “What an
unexpected delight to see you here this afternoon! I was expecting
your surly brother to walk through my door, and instead I get this
lotus flower!”
    “Uh … thank you,” Nazirah replies. “Not to
be rude, sir, but who are you?”
    The man does not look insulted in the least.
He extends his small frame forward into a bow so deep his nose
nearly brushes the floor. “Solomon Salaahi, at your service,” he
tells her with a flourish.
    “ You’re Solomon?”
    “Expecting someone taller?” Solomon smiles
knowingly, as Nazirah’s face flushes in embarrassment. “Please
follow me,” he says, leading her through another door.
    The next room is circular, with security
monitors of every prison cell lining the walls. In the center of
the room, there is a large circuit panel, with hundreds of gadgets
and buttons. The blinking neon lights make Nazirah dizzy. Solomon
waves his hands emphatically as he walks, clearly proud of his
life’s work.
    “This is my office and home away from home,”
he says richly, “otherwise known as the control room.” Solomon hops
onto a small chair, cranking a lever in the side. Slowly, he rises
up to meet Nazirah’s height. Beads of sweat form on his brow from
the exertion.
    “It’s very … interesting,” Nazirah says,
looking around.
    “Thank you kindly,” Solomon says. He is
momentarily distracted as his sleeve catches in the armrest. “As
you can … obviously tell … this is an extremely sensitive matter
requiring immediate action. We thank you for coming here on such
short notice, even though the journey is long and tiresome. I trust
you have found the Deathlands charming though, yes? Are they not
something?”
    ‘Charming’ isn’t exactly the word Nazirah
would use. Her face is still itching from all the dust. “It’s
definitely something,” she mutters. And then, honestly, “It’s
captivating.”
    “Wonderful!” Solomon claps his hands
together. “I will let you get to it, then. Have no fear, Miss
Nation. My trusty servant Olag here will escort you to Mr. Morgen’s
interrogation room.” Solomon indicates the surly man who brought
Nazirah here, now standing quietly to one side of the room. “His
tongue was cut out as a child, so he does not speak,