Orbs Read Online Free

grenade that should have killed him. The skin was weathered and scarred from the burns that had consumed his face after the explosion went off. Even without the scars, he would have been frightening, but his appearance wasn’t the only thing that intimidated his opponents. Rumors of his brutality were widespread, even outside the company.
    Emanuel brought the cup back to his lips and took another sip, cringing at the bitter taste. His eyes flicked from the table to the corner of the room, where two NTC soldiers stood, their rifles strung over their shoulders and their red goggles emitting the familiar glow of the world’s most powerful security and science firm. Their eyes may have been hidden, but their stoic faces radiated intimidation.
    He wasn’t sure why Dr. Hoffman had elected to show off the company’s muscle. After all, the room was packed with Dr. Winston’s team and the support staff who would be monitoring them from a facility in Colorado Springs. And once the Biosphere doors closed, the only thing that could open them was Alexia. No one, not even Dr. Hoffman, would be able to persuade her to open the doors early. It was a safeguard programmed to protect the Biosphere mission at all costs. The rules were clear—no communication with the outside unless absolutely necessary.
    Dr. Hoffman began the presentation, pacing to the center of the room, where he scanned the crowd imperiously.
    â€œFor the sake of everyone else in the room, I’m going to start with a brief introduction of the Biosphere team. We should all know who we’ll be watching.” Dr. Hoffman smirked. “In the front row we have Dr. Holly Brown,” he said, turning to the petite blonde, who smiled brightly and waved. “First in her class at Johns Hopkins with a doctorate in psychology. Dr. Brown, you’ll be in charge of monitoring your team’s mental and emotional health.” He paused and scannedthe crowd. “Ah, there you are, Mr. Roberts,” he said, pointing next at the young, curly haired programmer. “Timothy Roberts, the infamous ex-hacker. Recruited by MIT at seventeen, kicked out at nineteen, and recruited by the federal government at twenty. Isn’t that correct? I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”
    The programmer rolled his eyes but managed a nod. Dr. Hoffman quickly paced over to the next team member.
    â€œNext we have Saafi Yool, the team’s engineer. Mr. Yool was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering. I understand you are a refugee from Somalia,” Dr Hoffman said, looking down at the slender man whose long legs sprawled all the way underneath the chair in front of him.
    â€œThat is correct, Dr. Hoffman,” he said with a warm smile.
    â€œWelcome, Mr. Yool,” he said, moving on to Emanuel. “Here we have Dr. Emanuel Rodriguez. As the team’s biologist, you may be the most important member,” he said with a quick wink.
    Emanuel took another sip of coffee and continued to stare forward, unmoved by Dr. Hoffman’s antics.
    â€œAnd last, but certainly not least, is the team lead, Dr. Sophie Winston. Graduated from Princeton with a PhD in particle physics, and now one of the world’s leading experts in solar weather. I am told that if it weren’t for her work during the 2055 solar storms, the results would have been much more severe.”
    â€œI’m not sure about that—” Sophie began to object before Dr. Hoffman cut her off.
    â€œThank you for being here, Dr. Winston,” he said, locking eyes with her for several seconds before moving back to the center of the room.
    â€œThank you for the opportunity,” Sophie replied, trying to conceal any disdain in her voice.
    â€œWith the formalities out of the way, I’ll cut right to the chase. Those of you who know me already know I am not big on small talk. We are all here