Cyberlink Cove

Chapter 4

CYBERLINK COVE (SKYHOOK ISLE)-2077

 

Mina woke up to find herself handcuffed and her daggers gone. She sat up groggily. The jail was dimly lit with glaring fluorescent light bulbs. Peering through the bars, all she saw was a gray stone wall and a corridor. There didn’t seem to be many other people in this section of the prison.

 

Mina sat down and leaned against the wall, fatigued. Her head was throbbing, and she was ravenous. However, Mina didn’t think they would feed her anything, so she’d just have to put up with the empty feeling gnawing away in her stomach.

 

Footsteps echoed throughout the building. Mina turned her head, facing the corridor. Thomas came into view, and Mina eyed him blearily. Someone else was also with him, and it took Mina a moment to recognize him-and when she did, she shuddered involuntarily, unconsciously pushing herself away from him.

 

He was tall, with skin the color of rich, black coffee. Whereas Thomas was stockier, this man was thin and covered in lean muscle. When he smiled, his teeth glistened in contrast to his dark skin. But his eyes were what terrified Mina the most. They were so devoid of emotion, it was like looking into a black hole.

 

It was President Kale Ross himself.

 

“This is her? he asked Thomas, who bobbed his head in an affirmative. President Ross grinned, a slightly sadistic glint in his unreadable eyes.

 

“Is she someone important?”

 

Thomas shrugged noncommittally. “That’s what I’ve been trying to find out,” he replied.

 

President Ross appraised Mina thoughtfully. “She has the right...look to her,” he mused.

 

Thomas looked bewildered. “Sir, could you please clarify?”

The president chuckled gratingly. “You’ll understand what I’m talking about soon enough, m’boy. All pirates just have a starved sort of look to them.”

Turning to Mina, he raised an eyebrow. “Mina Wistmore, yes?” Thomas nodded. The president smiled, baring his teeth. “Very well. General Thomas, would you like to start the questioning?”

 

Thomas’s eyes widened slightly. “General Thomas...sir, is this a promotion?” he asked excitedly.

 

President Ross turned to him, bemused. “Why, of course. This is one of the best leads we’ve had on the pirates for years. Consider yourself second only to me.”

 

A new expression of determination overcame Thomas’s face. “Thank you, sir,” he said, inclining his head slightly in the president’s direction. Then, facing Mina, he fell into the familiar routine that he and the president shared every time they interrogated a captive.

 

“Mrs. Wistmore, what relationship do you have with the pirates?” he asked.