[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
of tracer spewed out by the boat's deck guns. The light shells were tearing
into a dragon lurching along the bank. It dragged itself a few more yards,
then collapsed and rolled into the water with a sullen splash.
Another dragon reared up from behind a line of trees, flame licking out from
its mouth. The jet of flame leaped across the water toward the boat, but
couldn't reach all the way. Two of the rocket launchers
went off together and both rockets took the dragon in the mouth. The dragon's
long neck still heaved up and down, but suddenly there was no longer a head on
it. The guns swung toward the maimed dragon, chopping into its body.
Blade sprang down onto the deck and unslung his rifle. The battle against the
dragons was joined now.
The range was long for sharpshooting under these conditions, but Blade did not
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
want to be left out of the battle. He was too much of a hunter by instinct.
Another dragon loomed up on the opposite side of the river, the rifle came up,
Blade's eye clamped to the sight, and his finger tightened on the trigger.
Elva Thompson was walking toward the river. After two miles she no longer had
the breath to run. She could only be sure her legs were still attached to her
body because pain stabbed through them every time she took a step.
She stumbled on, tearing through a prickly hedge. By the time she was clear of
it, one sleeve of her blouse and one leg of her slacks were ripped from her
body. She thought: "At this rate I'll show up on the river bank with no more
clothes on than a Palladium stripteaser." The thought did not stop or slow
her. It could not, as long as the thought of reaching the river drew her
onward. She'd survived the rockets, she'd survived the slaughter of the
dragons, she'd been able to get rid of the transmitter. After all that, she
wasn't going to let a simple cross-country run defeat her.
She half-scrambled, half-rolled down a bank into a ditch filled with stagnant
water. She arose shivering and soaked to the skin, the slime stinging her cuts
and scrapes. She staggered across the road, aware that she was in full view
but ignoring it. She knew the road. On the other side of it lay the last
stretch of woodland and field before the river.
Elva was unaware of crossing that last stretch. It seemed to her that she
crossed it in a single leap, to find herself by the river bank. She held on to
a branch and craned her neck. She almost lost her grip when she saw the slim
black assault boat with the two men in it, snugged close against the bank just
upstream.
She managed to hold on with one hand and use the other to signal. The boat
slid across the water toward her, and one of the men rose from his seat to
help her down into it. She huddled between his knees, bent almost double, as
the other man opened the throttle wide. The boat lifted as suddenly and as
violently as if it was going to take off like a seaplane, the bow rising and
the stern digging in. They raced out into the river and headed downstream.
Elva felt an immense release of the tension and the pain that had filled her
for so long. Not a complete release, though-not yet. They still had to reach
the sea and the submarine waiting for them. Was the river defended as the land
had been? Someone had learned enough to lay a murderous ambush for the
dragons. Had they learned everything? For a moment fear stabbed at her again.
The fear was fading again as the assault boat swept around a bend in the
river. Elva looked ahead-and all her breath tore itself out of her body in one
terrible shriek.
The assault boat and the motor torpedo boat were each doing nearly thirty
knots. So it was at a combined speed of nearly sixty knots that they met
bows-on, and the torpedo boat pounded the smaller craft out of existence. Elva
Thompson had no time for any last thoughts or words. Death came at her too
swiftly, as the torpedo boat smashed her down into the depths of the river
before she could do more than scream.
The woman's scream from the water died as the torpedo boat roared on. It still
seemed to linger in the air and in the ears and minds of every man aboard the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
of tracer spewed out by the boat's deck guns. The light shells were tearing
into a dragon lurching along the bank. It dragged itself a few more yards,
then collapsed and rolled into the water with a sullen splash.
Another dragon reared up from behind a line of trees, flame licking out from
its mouth. The jet of flame leaped across the water toward the boat, but
couldn't reach all the way. Two of the rocket launchers
went off together and both rockets took the dragon in the mouth. The dragon's
long neck still heaved up and down, but suddenly there was no longer a head on
it. The guns swung toward the maimed dragon, chopping into its body.
Blade sprang down onto the deck and unslung his rifle. The battle against the
dragons was joined now.
The range was long for sharpshooting under these conditions, but Blade did not
Page 82
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
want to be left out of the battle. He was too much of a hunter by instinct.
Another dragon loomed up on the opposite side of the river, the rifle came up,
Blade's eye clamped to the sight, and his finger tightened on the trigger.
Elva Thompson was walking toward the river. After two miles she no longer had
the breath to run. She could only be sure her legs were still attached to her
body because pain stabbed through them every time she took a step.
She stumbled on, tearing through a prickly hedge. By the time she was clear of
it, one sleeve of her blouse and one leg of her slacks were ripped from her
body. She thought: "At this rate I'll show up on the river bank with no more
clothes on than a Palladium stripteaser." The thought did not stop or slow
her. It could not, as long as the thought of reaching the river drew her
onward. She'd survived the rockets, she'd survived the slaughter of the
dragons, she'd been able to get rid of the transmitter. After all that, she
wasn't going to let a simple cross-country run defeat her.
She half-scrambled, half-rolled down a bank into a ditch filled with stagnant
water. She arose shivering and soaked to the skin, the slime stinging her cuts
and scrapes. She staggered across the road, aware that she was in full view
but ignoring it. She knew the road. On the other side of it lay the last
stretch of woodland and field before the river.
Elva was unaware of crossing that last stretch. It seemed to her that she
crossed it in a single leap, to find herself by the river bank. She held on to
a branch and craned her neck. She almost lost her grip when she saw the slim
black assault boat with the two men in it, snugged close against the bank just
upstream.
She managed to hold on with one hand and use the other to signal. The boat
slid across the water toward her, and one of the men rose from his seat to
help her down into it. She huddled between his knees, bent almost double, as
the other man opened the throttle wide. The boat lifted as suddenly and as
violently as if it was going to take off like a seaplane, the bow rising and
the stern digging in. They raced out into the river and headed downstream.
Elva felt an immense release of the tension and the pain that had filled her
for so long. Not a complete release, though-not yet. They still had to reach
the sea and the submarine waiting for them. Was the river defended as the land
had been? Someone had learned enough to lay a murderous ambush for the
dragons. Had they learned everything? For a moment fear stabbed at her again.
The fear was fading again as the assault boat swept around a bend in the
river. Elva looked ahead-and all her breath tore itself out of her body in one
terrible shriek.
The assault boat and the motor torpedo boat were each doing nearly thirty
knots. So it was at a combined speed of nearly sixty knots that they met
bows-on, and the torpedo boat pounded the smaller craft out of existence. Elva
Thompson had no time for any last thoughts or words. Death came at her too
swiftly, as the torpedo boat smashed her down into the depths of the river
before she could do more than scream.
The woman's scream from the water died as the torpedo boat roared on. It still
seemed to linger in the air and in the ears and minds of every man aboard the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]