Harbinger Read Online Free Page A

make sure her captor was still unconscious.
    Finally, she found the override, but when she tried to activate the subroutine, the ship’s computer responded with, “That function is not available at this time.”
    “Why not?”
    “Security lockdown has been activated.”
    Perfect. “Disengage security lockdown.”
    “That command requires authorization.”
    A flicker of hope flitted through her being. Javin frequently programed back doors into operational programing. “Javin Aidentar, authorization prime-61947-alpha.”
    “Your bio scans do not match that authorization. I have notified prime leader of your attempt to use his identity. The ship is now in level two lockdown.”
    Shit! The only consolidation was the notification was going to a dead man. She turned from the hatch and looked around frantically for some sort of weapon. The pulse was temporary and Danvier was sure to wake up pissed.
    Vox teleported back onto the ship before she found anything useful.
    He held up a small, alloy device. “Is this the right—” He spotted Danvier and lowered his arm. “What did you do to him?” Not waiting for her explanation, he rushed to Danvier’s side.
    “I didn’t hurt him, badly. I just knocked him out.” She suddenly hoped her words were true. She’d never used the emergency pulse before. It could have been stronger than she realized.
    Vox touched Danvier’s temple and light erupting around his fingers. Danvier groaned, stirred then opened his eyes. “What hap—” He sat up suddenly, his angry gaze zeroing in on her. “You vicious little bitch.”
    “Either of us would have done the same.” Vox helped his friend to his feet before turning to Haven. “No one is going to harm you. You don’t need to be afraid.”
    “Speak for yourself.” Danvier muttered the threat under his breath, but Haven heard. Shouldering his way past Vox, the harbinger returned to the front of the ship. Haven wisely stayed out of reach. He slipped into the pilot’s seat and brought the shuttle to life with a few hand motions and a voice command.
    Vox motioned her toward a seat half a second before Danvier set the ship in motion. She didn’t have time to fasten her straps before the ship banked sharply and left Stockton far behind.
    “Before I take off, we should probably make sure I grabbed the right gizmo.” Vox held up the alloy device so Haven could see it. “Is this the right one?”
    She shrugged, still frustrated by her failure. “How should I know?” Wait. Take off? Was Vox going to leave her alone with Danvier? “I didn’t know the thing existed until Bynar told me about it.”
    “How does it work?” Danvier asked.
    “I. Don’t. Know.” She cleared her throat, determined to sound more composed than she felt. She didn’t want Vox to leave. Danvier was less likely to strangle her with someone watching and the harbinger made his anger clear with every staccato movement of his body.
    Vox motioned to the access terminal still active in front of the seat she’d occupied earlier. “Find out.”
    With an exaggerated sigh, she moved back to her original seat and pushed her fingers into the control matrix. She was supposed to be figuring out another way to escape, not answering their freaking questions. Danvier returned to her side, glaring down at her, watching every move she made. His suspicion was warranted, of course, but that didn’t make it less annoying.
    Now that she knew what the device was called, locating detailed information was much easier. “Okay, here’s an overview.” She expanded the document with a sweeping gesture. “They need to install it in their sensor array, between the power supply and the first relay. It will allow them to track the ‘random modulation in the transponder signal’.”
    “But that has nothing to do with covert shields.” Danvier rested his knee on the seat next to hers so he could lean in and see the display more clearly.
    Awareness tingled down her spine, but she