World War IV: Empires Read Online Free Page B

burden in my own young life. But then again, it gave me the drive to become the man I am now.”
    They reached the end of the docks. Waves rolled in, lapping lightly against the wooden pillars. Delun glanced out at the vastness of the horizon, a few of the islands rising up in the distance. “We are but a small speck of dirt in the time of the world.”
    “When do I get to see my family?” Manuel asked, his eyes squinting from the sunlight.
    “You are a brilliant man, Manuel. What you’ve been able to accomplish will propel us forward decades, and we will continue to build upon what you’ve given us.” Delun turned to the engineer and grabbed the back of his neck firmly. “But I cannot risk your mind falling into the hands of anyone other than me.”
    “But you said—”
    Delun brought his other hand around and in one quick jerk snapped Manuel’s neck like a toothpick. Manuel’s body collapsed on the dock, his head rocking awkwardly in the position where his body fell. “I will take care of your family though. Your child will know me as their father, and your wife will know me in her bed. I promise you that.” Delun kicked the corpse into the water, and it splashed into the waves, where it was carried out to sea.

Chapter 3
    The man on the operating table convulsed, blood dripping from his mouth as he screamed in pain. Even with his arms and legs tied down, Kemena feared that he could still break free. “Hold him!” Two of his comrades did their best to keep him steady, but even with their help, she had trouble pulling the bullets from his leg and torso.
    Kemena had pulled the tourniquets around the wounds tight, doing her best to keep the patient’s blood inside him where it belonged, but the number of bullet wounds was making it difficult to keep it that way.
    Sweat beaded on Kemena’s forehead as her steady hand maneuvered through the ragged and torn flesh. Each dig into muscle and bone triggered another spasm and scream from the soldier, his face turning pale and his lips a light shade of blue. He’s not going to make it.
    “Please, god, stop! Stop it, please! AHHH!”
    Blood stained the entire front of Kemena’s apron and her arms and shoulders; it was as if she wore a crimson dress that slowly dripped to the floor. The muscle under her eye twitched as she felt the edge of the tweezers scrape the metal of the bullet, but just as she grabbed hold, the soldier spasmed in pain once more, and it disappeared behind a layer of muscle. She pushed deeper, finding it again, then yanked it out.
    “Dr. Mars.”
    “Just keep him still.” She moved to the next wound, digging into the flesh, a fresh layer of blood welling up from his skin and spilling over the side of his leg. She removed the bullet quickly before he could spasm once more.
    “Dr. Mars,” the nurse repeated.
    “What?” But when Kemena looked up, she realized the soldier was motionless. She pressed her fingers to the vein on his neck and felt nothing. “Wheel him out and put him with the rest. Who’s next?”
    The other nurses brought in the next patient before she had a chance to wipe her hands. The soldier’s left arm dangled from fibers of muscle and tendon around the shoulder. He was still conscious, looking away from the wound, as if ignoring it would make it any less real. The moment Kemena saw it, she knew it would have to come off. “I’ll need tourniquets and the blade.”
    “Please, no! Let me keep it. I need to keep it.” The soldier begged in the pained voice of a child, lips protruded, eyes red, face wet with sweat and tears. “Save it. Please, save it.”
    “It’s too far detached from the muscle. Even if I—”
    “I know you can!” The soldier’s scream echoed through the small space, fierce enough to freeze everyone in place. Only Kemena walked over to him, examining the wound more closely.
    More than half of the skin and muscle had been torn, and the arm was dislocated from the socket. A portion of the collarbone