Read Paranormals (Book 1) for Free Online Page B

for that, I thank you." He drew a breath. " However ... the carelessness of your most recent tests — in which you showed no concern for the safety of your colleagues — cannot be overlooked, or tolerated. You blatantly disregarded safety protocols, and two members of your team are now in critical condition because of it. I would say I was sorry, Richard, but I would be lying, and we both know it. You are dismissed, Mister McLane, and that is final ."
     
    Richard McLane stood silent for a moment, and Joseph could never have predicted what happened next in his wildest dreams: Barking an inarticulate curse, McLane literally sprang at him across his desk. McLane’s security escorts dragged him away quickly enough — the only part of McLane that actually touched his intended victim was his spittle — but the stunning display left Joseph trembling like a kitten in a dog kennel. He fumbled for composure as McLane strained to free himself from the guards’ hold.
     
    "Get him out of here," Joseph said, wincing at the feeble sound of his own voice.
     
    "You’ll regret this, Davison!" McLane growled as the guards dragged him from the room. "Do you hear me?! I promise you! I swear you’ll—!"
     
    The door closed. Joseph drew deep breaths in an effort to relax as he shook his head. Maybe more had been loosened in McLane than just his conscience ...
     
    PCA
     
    Joseph’s Lexus purred to life. He eased out of his private parking space, slipping into drive and exiting the executive lot. The security guards nodded at him cordially as he passed the checkpoint.
     
    Lord, give me the days when we didn’t need this kind of security.
     
    But those days were long gone, the days when the name " Davison Electronics " was more than just a cover ... the days before the paranormals.
     
    Joseph knew that his was far from the only company converted — he just happened to love his. He built Davison Electronics from the ground up years before he ever heard the term "paranormal," but the P C Agents who approached him three years before had a way of framing their promises of large sums and patriotic duty into an offer he could not refuse. And so, Davison Electronics shifted from developing new and improved microchips and DVD-ROMS to developing new and improved tazers, containment facilities, neural scramblers, etc, etc, ad infinitum.
     
    Still, he supposed it wasn’t all bad. Working with those neural countermeasures had opened up incredible possibilities in the field of cybernetics — while they were trying to find ways to fight, say, rogues with mind-control, they’d achieved new levels of linking mechanical devices to the synaptic pathways of the brain. In exchange for his overall cooperation, the government had given him the green light to pursue these areas on the side ... so long as he remained on the cutting-edge of anti-paranormal devices, of course.
     
    The political trading had been worth it. Joseph’s aunt had been legally blind since he was a small boy, and these days she could barely perceive light from dark. Under Joseph’s close guidance, Alan Russell, his right-hand man, spearheaded a project to develop artificial eyes. The final tests were expected to be complete by year’s end, and Joseph planned to give his aunt a Christmas gift she would never forget! For a long stretch there, they had trouble finding the perfect synthetic retinas, but, ironically, the problem had finally been solved by simply borrowing from the weapons division ...
     
    With a startled blink, Joseph realized that he was home. He experienced that unsettling I-don’t-remember-the-last-few-miles feeling as he pulled into his garage. He nearly drove into the motorcycle propped up to one side and he shook his head. To top off his day, his wife’s sister and her family were visiting for the weekend. Given a choice, Joseph would have rather submitted to a root canal than entertain Carol and her annoying husband and son, but he didn’t want to