The Last Marine Read Online Free

Illness-free. All the people walking the street had someplace to be, a job, a home, and a specific place on the tiers of the new U.N. society. No one limped, no one needed canine assistance, and no one wore holey, dirty clothes. There were no street performers, panhandlers, or police, just brightly dressed society members hurrying to do their part for Utopia.
    Sister Agnes pulled up to the loading dock. “We’re here.”
    Prudence jerked her head in the other direction. New York spaceport was massive, over three times the size of the historic JFK International Airport. Two-story glass buildings surrounded three sprawling launch pads. Yellow-and-white lines dotted the tarmac and spaceport employees roamed the area in hover-carts and on foot. Only one ship was docked— Genesis V . It wouldn’t leave port until midnight. But, with a little luck, she’d be able to board now, and Randolph wouldn’t think to look for her here until she was long gone.
    She scooted to the opposite side of the car and leaned forward long enough to kiss the Sister’s cheek. “Thank you for the ride.”
    “Go with God, child.”

 
    Chapter 3
     
    She shouldered her bag, slipped out of the car, and stared up at Genesis V . The ship was old and wore the battle scars of a decade’s worth of space flights. The ship stood almost fifty stories tall, yet only one floor of the craft was designated for passengers with purchased tickets. The rest of the ship would be filled to bursting with exiled humans.
    Prudence wound her way through the crowd and purchased her ticket. She didn’t have enough for a private cabin, nor even for a semi-private cabin. The bulkhead was full and for long, heart-pounding moments, she didn’t think anything she could afford was available. Her hands started to sweat and she wiped her palms on her jeans.
    The cashier turned back to her after checking the flight log. “I’ve got one pod left down in the barracks. You’ll have one roommate from what I hear, but no one else wanted the pod.”
    “Why?”
    He snorted, dragging his hand down his chubby face. “Can’t say why. I need to sell the ticket, lady.”
    “Can you tell me if it’s safe?”
    “The pod is in perfect working order. Now, do you want it or not?”
    She wet her lips. What was she doing? She couldn’t afford to be picky. “I’ll take it.”
    After she had her ticket grasped in her hand, she used the last of her money to purchase lunch and spent the afternoon sitting on the floor in the terminal, people-watching. Every time someone raised their voice, she jumped, thinking she’d been found out. But when 11:30 PM rolled around, they allowed paying passengers to board the ship. She went straight to her quarters, which turned out to be a room used to transport prisoners, and let herself in.
    The whole room was white and stainless steel. Two pods were in the room and one sat in an upright position. There were no windows and only the one door.
    She approached the horizontal pod. The life-links lay in a neat bundle to one side and she sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the Sisters of Charity for helping her research how they all worked. Down here in the barracks, there would be no stewardess to help her hook up.
    The door opened so hard it hit the wall and bounced back, startling her. She stared wide-eyed as a man stumbled through, Blue Helmets on either side. He was bound at the hands and feet with shackles connected by a short chain, which severely restricted his mobility. Once inside, he stopped and glanced up.
    Griffin Jude Payne.
    She should have known. His sentencing had been this morning and Randolph wouldn’t have wanted him hanging around until the Apollo flight next week.
    They must have permitted him a shower; droplets of water clung to his clipped, blond hair. And he didn’t wear prison garb. They’d supplied him camouflage cargo pants and a pea-green tee. It wouldn’t do for the general public to realize the U.N. shipped convicted felons