Read Online Artemis Slade & The Renegades: Road to Redemption by Art Gulley Jr. - Free Book Online
Authors: Art Gulley Jr.
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my seat. "First you set up some lame Sanction to get me here and test my skills, and now you're telling me that you already knew who I was and what I could do." I stared at her through disbelieving eyes as my mind worked furioulsy to process this jacked up scenario. "If you're so privy to my life then why go through all that trouble?"
Jo nes opened her mouth to speak and for the first time since meeting her I detected a note of uncertainty peeking through her reserved veneer. "The drama I put you through wasn't to gauge how you would do," she admitted, her voice subdued. "It was for me; so that I could see if I would be able to handle putting you in harms way."
Once again her statement caught me off guard. "You're the Commander of one of the most lethal military squads in the United Systems. What makes me so special?"
Jones stared at me for a long time , a fierce mental battle going on behind her eyes. Finally she took a deep breath and released it. "The fact that you're my son."
Her voice w as barely a whisper yet her words thundered through the office like the roar of a starship's engines. "What?" I managed to croak through stiff lips, too in shock to do or say anything else.
J ones slowly stood and moved from behind her desk; her measured steps bringing her to a halt in front me where she reached up and cradled my face in her hands . "You're my son," she repeated, her eyes moist.
"No, " I cried trying to pull away from her but the strength of her grip held me firm. "No...you...you're lying! You must be. My mother died...my mother..."
"Is alive and well," J ones gently cut me off.
Again the shock at what she was saying sent a ripple through my rigid body. "But...but why..." I managed to choke out after swallowing hard several times. "Why did dad say you were dead? And why did you stay away from me all these years?"
The anguish in my words washed over her, and the damn holding back her tears broke loose. "Because it was the only way I could keep the two of you safe."
" I don't understand," I whispered, my paralysis replaced by a slight tremble as the impact of this moment slowly began to settle over me. "Safe from what?"
"From m e," Jones sighed as she hugged me close to her and rested her head against my chest. Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arms around her and stood completely still as she began her tale.
"Your father and I first met during a shared Covert Op, the details of which are not importent. He was a civilian cotractor assigned to my team, and the two of us developed a fondess for one another that we decided to pursue. One thing led to several others, including you, and for a time life was good."
"What happened ?"
The Commander ( I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that she was my mother) relseased a heavy sigh. "My pass caught up with me. Several members of the Cheesan spice Cartel, a nasty little group that I had infiltrated and helped take down a few years prior to my meeting Jarrod, gainded access to certain Corp files that revealed my true identity which allowed them to track me down and send a hit team to settle the score. I of course dealt with them but you and your father were almost killed in the process. I knew that as long as I was on the Cheesan's radar, the two of you would never be safe."
"So you figured that leaving us, leaving me, " I couldn't help the bitterness in my voice, "was the best solution?"
Jones tilted her head up so that our eyes met. "It wasn't like that Artemis. The plan was for you two to dissapear while I handled the rift-raft after me then reconnect once we were in the clear. DNA test had already confirmed that you carried the G6PD1 enzyme like your father so we figured Jerrod's homeworld, a restricted planet, would be the ideal place for the two of you hide. Neither of us could've foreseen the accident that would claim his life..."
"And leave me al one," I bit out angrily.
"And leave you safe!"
I was taken aback my the force of her
Jo nes opened her mouth to speak and for the first time since meeting her I detected a note of uncertainty peeking through her reserved veneer. "The drama I put you through wasn't to gauge how you would do," she admitted, her voice subdued. "It was for me; so that I could see if I would be able to handle putting you in harms way."
Once again her statement caught me off guard. "You're the Commander of one of the most lethal military squads in the United Systems. What makes me so special?"
Jones stared at me for a long time , a fierce mental battle going on behind her eyes. Finally she took a deep breath and released it. "The fact that you're my son."
Her voice w as barely a whisper yet her words thundered through the office like the roar of a starship's engines. "What?" I managed to croak through stiff lips, too in shock to do or say anything else.
J ones slowly stood and moved from behind her desk; her measured steps bringing her to a halt in front me where she reached up and cradled my face in her hands . "You're my son," she repeated, her eyes moist.
"No, " I cried trying to pull away from her but the strength of her grip held me firm. "No...you...you're lying! You must be. My mother died...my mother..."
"Is alive and well," J ones gently cut me off.
Again the shock at what she was saying sent a ripple through my rigid body. "But...but why..." I managed to choke out after swallowing hard several times. "Why did dad say you were dead? And why did you stay away from me all these years?"
The anguish in my words washed over her, and the damn holding back her tears broke loose. "Because it was the only way I could keep the two of you safe."
" I don't understand," I whispered, my paralysis replaced by a slight tremble as the impact of this moment slowly began to settle over me. "Safe from what?"
"From m e," Jones sighed as she hugged me close to her and rested her head against my chest. Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arms around her and stood completely still as she began her tale.
"Your father and I first met during a shared Covert Op, the details of which are not importent. He was a civilian cotractor assigned to my team, and the two of us developed a fondess for one another that we decided to pursue. One thing led to several others, including you, and for a time life was good."
"What happened ?"
The Commander ( I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that she was my mother) relseased a heavy sigh. "My pass caught up with me. Several members of the Cheesan spice Cartel, a nasty little group that I had infiltrated and helped take down a few years prior to my meeting Jarrod, gainded access to certain Corp files that revealed my true identity which allowed them to track me down and send a hit team to settle the score. I of course dealt with them but you and your father were almost killed in the process. I knew that as long as I was on the Cheesan's radar, the two of you would never be safe."
"So you figured that leaving us, leaving me, " I couldn't help the bitterness in my voice, "was the best solution?"
Jones tilted her head up so that our eyes met. "It wasn't like that Artemis. The plan was for you two to dissapear while I handled the rift-raft after me then reconnect once we were in the clear. DNA test had already confirmed that you carried the G6PD1 enzyme like your father so we figured Jerrod's homeworld, a restricted planet, would be the ideal place for the two of you hide. Neither of us could've foreseen the accident that would claim his life..."
"And leave me al one," I bit out angrily.
"And leave you safe!"
I was taken aback my the force of her
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