Epic: Book 03 - Hero Read Online Free Page A

immature . Scott couldn’t help but agree.
    The fact that they were getting a new medic meant Clarke might have had enough. There was no reason for a unit as small as theirs to have three medics. In fact, their initial stock of three medics had been deceiving. Svetlana and Galina had been stalwarts, but Varvara had been placed as the EDEN equivalent of an intern, to be trained by the two veterans. But she had never been trained—or she had never assumed the responsibility of learning. Scott had a feeling the latter was true.
    Within minutes, Scott stood at Clarke’s door. It was not terribly far from his own, but it felt like enemy territory. He grudgingly knocked.
    “ Come in,” Clarke answered immediately.
    Scott pushed the door open and stepped inside to find the captain seated behind a stack of papers on his desk. Scott pitied the bureaucracy that must have come with captainship. Every time he saw Clarke’s workspace, it was overrun with documentation. It must have driven the fastidious captain insane.
    Clarke addressed Scott as soon as he entered. “I saw on the indicator that you were in Confinement. Would you be terribly distraught if I asked why?”
    Scott clasped his hands behind his back. “Personal reasons.”
    “ Personal reasons? What personal reasons do you have to be in Confinement?”
    Scott refused to feel interrogated. He held the manila folder behind his back and maintained his erect posture. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
    Clarke’s authoritative stare lingered, as if he was determining whether to pursue his questioning. After a moment his curiosity died. “Tomorrow at 0700, we will be receiving an additional medic.”
    “ I already know.”
    Clarke looked genuinely surprised. “Oh, really?”
    “ Yes sir.”
    “ And how, might I ask, do you already know?”
    Avoiding eye contact, Scott focused on the wall and said, “It was relayed to me by Delta Trooper Ryvkin.”
    “ And how did he come to know?”
    “ Through Dostoevsky.”
    Clarke leaned back in his chair. “I see.” Silence overtook the captain’s quarters. A wooden clock ticking on the mantel was the loudest sound in the room. Finally, the captain went on. “And what else of my business are you aware of?”
    “ Nothing, sir.”
    “ I see—once again.”
    Clarke was being coy with his words. It was a British trait—one that annoyed Scott irrationally. His focus remained on the wall.
    Resuming his strict tone, Clarke said, “It shall be your task to meet our new medic in the hangar.”
    That caught Scott off-guard. He had never been surprised in the past when he’d been asked to meet new arrivals, but he was surprised to be asked now. Before, he’d been a soldier of EDEN. Now he was part of The Machine. “I don’t think that’s the best course of action—”
    “ I couldn’t care less what you think.”
    Scott was perplexed. Never mind the fact that Clarke had been snide, what bothered him was Clarke’s determination. Why would anyone unaffiliated with the Nightmen send a Nightman to pick someone up? “I assume someone else will be coming?”
    “ No, lieutenant. You’ll do this alone.”
    “ With all due respect, sir, I think someone else would be more suited—”
    “ This isn’t a suggestion, lieutenant.” Every time Clarke called Scott by his rank, it was laced more intently with gibe. “In military, we call this an order .”
    Scott hated Clarke’s sarcasm. He wanted to punch him in the face. “As you wish, sir.”
    “ Thank you, lieutenant. You’re dismissed.”
    Scott turned to place his hand on the knob. Before turning it, he said, “Who am I looking for tomorrow?”
    “ Svetlana Voronova.”
    With that revelation, Scott froze. His eyes opened wide. He turned back around. “What?”
    “ Her name is Svetlana Voronova.”
    Scott’s fingers relinquished their grip. He took several steps back into the room. “You mean Svetlana Voronova, as in…?”
    “ Yes, lieutenant.”
    “ The same medic