[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
His broad features dusky with a growing beard, the big man scowled. "Clem," he
replied in a friendly manner. "Just Clem, my lady. I ain't no royalty. Just a
grunt."
"Chief of my sec men," Nathan corrected sternly, noting the other man's
serious expression. Few things bothered Clem, and most of those got aced
immediately.
The big backwoodsman wasn't a believer in either forgiveness or patience.
Just then a squad of sec men climbed out of the hole in the floor where the
stairs ended and moved quickly across the bare expanse of concrete.
Longblasters at the ready, the guards circled the Cawdors, keeping close
together. Every man carried an AK-47 salvaged from the war, a bulging pouch of
precious ammo clips slung over his side.
"What's the matter?" Nathan demanded. "Have more blues been found in the
woods?"
"Hell, no," Clem drawled, his thick accent slurring the words. "Patrol finds
them, they chill them. Don't need to bring that detail to you. But there's a
new problem, yeah. Our spy from Bull Run ville says their baron believes you
plan on invading them with the new troops that arrived last month."
Softly, the mountain wind ruffled their clothing, finding bare skin through
every tiny lace hole and opening.
Page 28
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"But Overton's troops are dead."
"She don't know that."
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...0Deathlands%20047%20-%20Gaia's%
20Demise.html (49 of 302) [12/30/2004 2:04:44 PM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_47_-_Gaia's_Demise
"And she wouldn't believe us if we told her." Nathan glanced at the handful of
people working on the front gate. "We will have to move fast if they're
planning on attacking first. The ville can't withstand a charge by blind
rabbits at the moment. Not until that damn drawbridge is repaired!"
"We can stop them," Clem stated confidently.
Nathan frowned. "Unless she's not sending her army, but just one man. One
thing, actually."
Clem furrowed his brow. "Y'all mean an assassin?"
"A mutie by the name of Sullivan." Nathan drew the Desert Eagle and dropped
the clip to examine the load. "Shitfire, I had heard the thing was dead years
ago. I
once saw him rip the throat out of a griz bear on a bet. Didn't even work up a
sweat."
"Are you serious?" Tabitha asked, sounding frightened.
"Totally. He's a monster, and damn hard to kill. Many have tried and failed.
Sullivan drank their blood and mutilated the corpse for laughs."
Without speaking, Tabitha tucked her hands up the sleeves of her coat, and
they heard the soft metallic clack of a blaster's hammer being cocked.
"I'll be in the nursery until further notice," she announced, and strode
toward the stairs.
"Stay with her!" Clem ordered, pointing, and half of the attending sec men
started after the woman. The rest clustered tighter around the baron.
"Sullivan," Nathan muttered, checking the ammo in his snub-nosed .38 revolver.
"This could be worse than Overton."
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...0Deathlands%20047%20-%20Gaia's%
20Demise.html (50 of 302) [12/30/2004 2:04:44 PM]
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_47_-_Gaia's_Demise
"Mebbe you should stay out of sight till I find this asswipe," Clem suggested,
sliding the Enfield off his shoulder and working the bolt. "Direct the
rebuilding from inside the castle, or mebbe the barracks?"
"I won't hide," Nathan answered brusquely, holstering the blaster. "Besides,
Sullivan is an expert at disguises. He can even mimic another person's voice
so that in the darkness you think it's them. Damnedest thing. I heard that was
how he chilled the last baron of Bull Run castle."
"I could interrogate everybody new," Clem suggested. An assassin was something
novel to the hunter. Barroom brawls were more his kind of fight.
Walking to the edge of the roof, Nathan gazed upon the hustling ville. "Not
necessary. Sullivan can use gloves and cosmetics to hid his green skin, and
wigs to cover his bald head, but there's one thing he can't alter. His height.
Take troops, ten-on-ten formation. The second group stays away from the first
to give cover fire. Then go through the ville and strip naked anybody you find
over six feet tall.
Men and women."
The remaining sec men murmured in apprehension.
"We'll also double-check any crips," Clem added. "Pretending you don't have
legs would be a good way to hide height."
Nathan nodded. "Consider anybody sitting a potential enemy, and be ready to
act."
"Oh, we'll capture him, Baron," a sec man stated confidently, brandishing his
blaster. "Have no fear of that!"
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plcs-sysunia.htw.pl
|
