The Flux Engine Read Online Free Page A

the safe as well.
    Click.
    Robi sat back on her haunches and took a deep breath before opening her eyes. Hiro Laryn had been the world’s greatest thief. Stealing pearls from a wealthy merchant was too simple a job to attract his notice.
    Still, a girl had to eat.
    Someday I’ll make you proud, Old Man. Someday I’ll be the world’s greatest thief.
    She took hold of the brass handle protruding from the safe door and turned it. The door yielded easily, swinging open without a sound.
    Just as the old man taught her.
    She smiled and set to work.
    The inside of the safe was as orderly as the office around it. File folders stuffed with papers were stacked on a shelf above a neat pile of account books for the business. On the left were several small drawers over an open space that held a stack of cash tied with a string, and a loaded flux pistol. The strangest thing, however was a nearly empty glass of water sitting right in the middle of the space.
    It must have been left there by accident, or maybe Pemberton had been drunk. After all, who locks up a water glass?
    Robi picked it up and sniffed it. No odor, but it might still be alcohol. There was a faint trace of a chalky substance on the inside, like it had been used to dissolve bicarbonate of soda. The perfect remedy for a hangover.
    Satisfied that she understood the glass, Robi set it aside, stuffed the cash into her bag, and turned her attention to the drawers. The first held gold coins in small envelopes, the second had several necklaces of emerald and pearl. In the last, she found a silk bag with two dozen glossy, black pearls inside. Working quickly, she counted out twelve of them into a leather pouch and returned the rest to the safe.
    With the pouch safely concealed beneath her shirt, Robi rose and closed the safe. Or rather she tried to.
    As she rose, she found she couldn’t move her feet. It was if they were stuck to the floor. She wobbled and squatted back down, bracing herself with her hand. The moment she touched the Siamese carpet, she knew something was wrong. It felt wet and slimy. Instinctively she pulled her hand away, but it wouldn’t come. The gooey rug held her fast.
    “By the Carpenter,” she swore, pulling with all her strength.
    Maybe if she could get her weight off the rug, she could just pick the whole thing up and run.
    No good; the bottom of the rug was stuck to the floor.
    Panic rose in Robi’s breast and she began to hyperventilate. The old man’s voice sounded in her ears. Stay calm. Take deep breaths. Think .
    It had to be Pemberton. The clever bastard had laid a trap for thieves and she’d quite literally stepped in it.
    Stay calm. Deep breaths. Think.
    The goop must have been in the carpet all along. Maybe as a powder. It had been activated somehow when she opened the safe. The empty glass. Pemberton must have dissolved something in it that filled the safe with an invisible gas. As soon as she opened the door, it flowed out onto the carpet.
    Great, she knew how he did it but not how to free herself.
    Stay calm. Deep breaths. Think.
    With her left hand, she unlaced her soft shoes. One at a time, she pulled her feet free, carefully putting them down well away from the sticky rug. This left her bending over at an awkward angle with her right palm still stuck.
    She moved her feet into position on either side of the rug and pulled with all her strength. The rug gave a little, but her hand remained stuck fast.
    Panic gripped her again and bile crept into the back of her throat. Pemberton would be back any minute. She’d heard of thieves doing a coyote in similar situations, but the thought of cutting off her own hand just to escape made her sick.
    The sound of heavy feet on the stair froze the blood in Robi’s veins. Maybe if she crouched down, the desk would hide her. Before she could work herself into a better position, however, the door swung open.
    A tall, dapper man with gray hair stood framed in the opening. He wore a maroon suit coat