Read Project U.L.F. for Free Online Page B

would know there had been a breach of security. No, he was underestimating Mannheim. They had never been discovered yet, and this had to be partly due to Mannheim’s discretion. It would be all right after all, he told himself.
    He took a sip from his coffee, holding the cup with a shaking hand. His nerves were not put at rest as easily as his mind appeared to be.
    What could he do? He had often thought about it and he always came down with the same two answers. He could admit to the cover-up all those years ago, but that would certainly result in his dismissal and disgrace. The thought horrified him. He was too proud for that.
    The other option was elimination. But how? If he took the task upon himself and was then caught and convicted, the outcome would be worse than if he simply admitted to the cover–up, which would surely be exposed during the following investigation anyway.
    Alternatively, he could hire someone. He still had contacts in the forces that could put him in touch with ex-military personnel now making a living as hit-men, assassins and bounty hunters. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. While he did not doubt such individuals their expertise, the thought that the hit could go wrong bothered him greatly. Any attempt to eradicate Mannheim would have to be precise, without error, and impossible to link to himself, and that was something that simply could not be guaranteed.
    A new notion began to dawn in his mind. What if Mannheim was ousted from his post? Surely their secret would leave with him. God knows, there had already been numerous investigations into the management at the IZP. Something suspicious was going on, zoological parks were closing in all the neighboring states but the IZP was expanding all the time. People already suspected something underhanded was taking place; they just hadn’t quite put their finger on it. Yet.
    It was not as crazy an idea as it sounded. Certainly there were other people in management positions at the IZP who were hungry for the top job. People who had been denied the possibility of furthering their careers because of Mannheim’s long rule. Perhaps the most unlikely, and popular, of these pretenders to the crown was Wyatt Dorren.
    Wyatt never claimed to be interested in Mannheim’s position, but among the staff he was respected and considered suitable for the job. He already headed a division and had proved his ability as a manager. He had never forgotten his roots at the zoo, and his staff liked him. To him they were colleagues and not underlings.
    Leonardson had only met him on a couple of occasions, but he liked the man. He seemed to carry an air of authority that was well above his station but not out of place. He had watched Mannheim when he was in the presence of Dorren and it was obvious that Mannheim realized the real threat that the other man posed to his position. Your turn to squirm, you bastard, Leonardson had thought. Now you get to see how it feels under pressure.
    What would Mannheim do with that information? Again the thought came back to haunt him. He wouldn’t send a team of trappers. No, he wouldn’t be that stupid. That was professional suicide. More to the point, what could he do with that information? If he sent any craft to the planet then the people in the know would not accept coincidence as a valid argument—he would be found out. The information was useless to Mannheim. He could do nothing. The realization eased Leonardson’s mind a little. Perhaps, this time, he was leading Mannheim on a wild goose chase to a dead end. He liked that idea.
    There was a rap at the door and a young man walked in. “First order of the day, sir,” he said, placing a small chip into Leonardson’s hand with a smile. Leonardson looked at it, his brow furrowing. “Er…memo…sir” said the other man, with the smile again, although this time not quite so convincing.
    “Oh right, thanks. Sorry, Corporal, I was miles away.”
    “That’s okay,