Read Slave Empire - Prophecy for Free Online Page B

so yet, but something warned him
not to, in spite of her injury. The same instinct told him she was
the golden girl child in the prophecy. Over the years, he had
learnt to trust his instincts, and this was probably the most
significant mission he would ever perform. As the ship's commander,
he had no need to explain his actions, or lack of them, to the
crew, although Marcon had looked at him oddly.
    The ship held
orbit now above the city where the girl dwelt, and she was
obviously the target. The crew probably wondered why he did not
order her transferred up, but Atlantean crews rarely questioned
their commanders' orders. Nor did he find any need to explain it;
he would wait until the time was right.
     
    Rayne entered
the Inner City late in the afternoon. She slipped into the shadows
of the towering, shiny skyscrapers and dodged from building to
building. Her chances of finding Rawn were slim to none, but she
had to try. The pain in her legs sapped her, hunger gnawed at her,
and she stopped at taps to drink. The water eased her stomach ache,
but added nothing to her dwindling strength. Twice, she spotted
police patrols and hid in dark doorways until they passed.
    At dusk, she
rested in a ruined office building, on a battered sofa that had
somehow survived the destructive effects of the pollution that
ravaged the planet. She stared out of a grimy window at the dismal
street, raising her gaze once more to the grey clouds that no
longer offered any protection against the sun's radiation. The cuts
in greenhouse gas output had been too little and too late.
    The vast
amount of gas already released wrought irreparable damage on the
ozone layer as it rose into the upper atmosphere. Huge cattle farms
produced massive amounts of methane, and the destruction of the
world's forests reduced oxygen production just as drastically.
    The ozone
layer was almost gone now, making exposure to the sun hazardous,
for even a few hours could cause skin cancer. The acid rain ate
into everything. It soaked into the ground and killed the trees and
few struggling weeds that were left. Once filtered by the soil, it
was safe to drink. Sometimes thick yellow smog would envelope
everything, burn eyes and skin and leave behind a layer of black
soot.
    The
once-beautiful blue oceans were mere legend now. Brown seas foamed
on filthy beaches like a massive sewer. No one lived beside it
anymore, for the stench of rot and noxious bacterial secretions
were strong enough to make people sick. A thick blanket of green
algae covered the sluggish waves. Adapted to the saline conditions,
it thrived on the toxic soup of chemicals and pollutants that
filled it. The sea had turned into the very thing humans had used
it for, a cesspit.
    Rayne sighed
and rose, wincing. The prospect of stumbling through the darkening
city did not appeal to her, but necessity drove her. If she did not
find Rawn, she was not sure she would survive, since she would have
great difficulty running with her injuries and she had to find food
before she became too weak.

 
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Rawn wandered
along a deserted street, glancing into gloomy corners, his hand
never far from his weapon. Since his encounter with the slavers, he
had increased his vigilance. He no longer allowed his constant
worry about Rayne's welfare to distract him, although it nibbled at
his mind like a rat gnawing in the ceiling. Hunger gnawed at him
too. He had not eaten since this morning, when his food had run
out. He stopped for water at a tap in a building, then walked on
until dark, when he found a safe place and built a fire.
    As the night
chill settled through the air, he went to a nearby drapery and
searched amongst the rubbish and dust for blankets and curtains.
Returning to his fire, he settled down for the night.
     
    Rayne built a
fire, but her leather jacket could not cope with the bitter cold.
Although she huddled over it, her back remained cold while her
front cooked. Her supply of combustible material