MBryO: The Escape Read Online Free Page A

the star gods you are alright!” she breathed out loud with relief.
    “Do not worry Melara,” Joshua calmed her gently. “You have gotten us safely away from MBryO’s security patrols.”
    “For now,” William agreed. “But the drones will not give up until they find us.”
    Melara carefully tried sitting up and dangling her feet off the side of the bed. She could feel the tug of her strained muscles.
    “Who are you and where are we?” she demanded, looking at their odd looking rescuer. She remembered seeing others with his brown coloring in the Terran barrios of old California back home.
    Barriosi were kept under guard, their movement severely restricted by Terran drones. It was a throwback to the Xenaclon Wars when the Barriosi sided with the Xenaclon in their attempts to annihilate all other humanoid life.
    Melara had been assigned to the Barriosi guard during her early days at the Terran Guard Academy. She had stood guard outside one of the many fences that had been erected to contain the dark peoples inside. The barrio was a city within a city; self-supporting and independent of Terran interference. No one was allowed in and no one came out of the gates to the barrio.
    “I am Pax Vitar,” Pax told her awkwardly. “And, this…my home…Nyla 6.”
    “Where in Zander’s-tar-pit is Nyla 6?” she asked swinging her legs to the heaving floor.
    “Lyiada Galaxy,” he returned, placing an arm around her slim waist and helping her to the door.
    The panels slid open once more and Pax led them across the empty reception area into the waiting elevator. They ascended to the next floor of the bunker. This time the elevator opened onto the foyer of the bunker’s residential complex. Three hallways branched off in different directions. A multitude of doors led to empty living quarters. Pax led them past the unmanned security cubicle to the first door on the right.
    The curious group found themselves in a spacious apartment with recessed lighting. It was beautifully carpeted and furnished in what the old Terrans used to call earth tones.
    “Stanley?” Pax yelled as soon as they entered the apartment.
    Pax was assisting Melara into a padded recliner when the golden skinned life-sized robotic butler glided into the room on the wheels attached to his vacuum base.
    “Zander’s-tar-pit!” Ian exclaimed telepathically.
    “You mustn’t curse, Ian,” Melara reproved the youngest empath.
    “Why not? You do!” he returned with the logic of youth.
    Melara grimaced ironically. His excitement reverberated through the minds of humanoid present.
    “You don’t have to shout!” William reproved him.
    “Isn’t he a beaut?”
    “You called sir?” Stanley’s voice had been programmed by his creator to sound as elderly as his tuxedo clad body looked. His black bow tie was crisp and his pleated white silk shirt was immaculate. A monogrammed salmon colored tea towel was draped over one bent arm.
    “Visitors, Stanley. Bring burgers and root beer.”
    The robot’s curious expression depicted a modest amount of surprise at the verbal request.
    Usually Pax waited on himself or typed his commands on the small mobile com unit attached to his wrist. The miniature computer unit had many capabilities not the least of which was keeping time. Pax could virtually control the entire bunker from it.
    “Burgers and root beer it is, sir.”
    “Can I go watch him?” Ian begged silently.
    Pax barely nodded his assent before the boy shot through the swinging louvered doors after the retreating robot.
    “Be careful,” Melara called after him.
    “What is this place?” Sasha pushed back a strand of milky blonde hair from her forehead. Out of consideration for Melara, she spoke out loud. Melara’s throbbing headache could be felt by all of them. The foursome agreed not to put any more psy-stress on her until she was better.
    With a wave of his hand Pax indicated the couch and chairs grouped around several low tables. He waited until they