[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
The woman was slender, long, reddish hair framing an intelligent and wary face. The man was
dark-skinned, of African descent perhaps, and had been hurt recently; bruises covered his face and one
of his eyes was badly swollen. Only the woman was armed, though the male held himself carefully,
obviously pre-pared to fight if she were an attacker.
Noguchi swallowed dryly, stepping closer to the couple. "Sorry," she said, still smiling just a little, her
heart pounding as if she faced an army of drones. "I've never had much luck with landings. My name is
Machiko Noguchi, and I'm here to help."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
22
Of all the weird shit Jess had seen and experienced in the last couple of weeks, this had to be, hands
down, the absolute mother of 'em all. The crash landing of agiant alien ship that had very nearly run them
down, followed by the appearance of a small, deadly-looking Japanese woman, maybe early 30s TS,
with beaded hair and a scar shaped like a light-ning bolt between her eyes. Wearing alien armor that
looked a hell of a lot like the armor on that cloaked creature . . .
. . .and the hair, and that mask she's holding . . .
"You're human," he said finally, a stupid statement but all he could think of; he wantedreassurance.
The woman, Noguchi, nodded almost shyly. "Yeah. Um, thanks. I you'll have to excuse me, I
haven't you don't know how good it is to speak to people again."
They stood for a moment not speaking at all, just staring at one another, the crackling light of the ebbing
station fire making it all seem even stranger, jagged shadows dancing across the peculiar scene. Jess
knew
that they had to find Ellis, that they needed weapons and supplies, that they had to get off of Bunda but
all he could do was stare at this woman, wondering when he was going to wake up.
And just when I thought things couldn't get any more fantastic. Christ, what a freak show.
Lara finally broke their odd silence, taking a step toward Noguchi. "You said you were here to help,
Ms. Noguchi do you mind telling us exactly what's going on?"
Her smile gone, Noguchi looked down at the mask in her hands before answering, her stilted voice
gaining strength as she spoke. "It's kind of a long story. I heard that people on this planet on
Bunda were in trou-ble, and I knew that I had to choose which side I was going to be on, the Hunters'
or yours."
Jess frowned, making the connection between the woman's clothes and hair and the thing that had
jumped him near the shuttle; apparently, there was more than one. "The Hunters? The invisible, uh,
peo-ple who attacked the survey station? You're with them?"
"I've been with them for over a year," Noguchi said. "And they're not human. I thought I learned the
hard way that it was a mistake to think a human being could adapt to their culture. Their Clan."
She grinned, the look of it sending a chill down Jess's spine. He'd had a hard life, and didn't know that
he'd ever seen anything as dangerous as that smile. "Nowthey're learning just how big a mistake it was."
Jesus, whoisthis woman?
Noguchi shook her head, as if clearing it. "Look, I made quite an entrance, so it won't be long before we
have company. Are there any .other survivors? We've got to round them up and get to cover."
Lara glanced over at him, and he shrugged, grimac-ing at the dozens of aches the action inspired. If there
were any people left, the chances of finding them didn't seem so hot.
"You aren't the only ones, are you?" Noguchi asked.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"There are three of us, actually," Lara said. "There may be others, but ... I guess we have a long story of
our own."
Noguchi nodded, scanning the trees behind them with the practiced ease of someone used to battle
while Lara spoke. "And I'm interested in hearing it, but we're going to need more weapons," she said.
"Stay here."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked quickly back around the mammoth nose of the
alien ship, disappearing through the dancing, smoking shadows that twined through the broken trees.
" 'Hunters?' " Lara said quietly. "What are they hunting?"
Jess shook his head. "Us. I don't know. Maybe she can help us find Ellis, at least . . ."
He trailed off, wondering if Lara had considered the possibility that the kid wasn't lying in the dirt
some-where, knocked out. The way he'd acted just before the platform crashed, guilt-ridden and near
hysteria maybe he'd run off, his fragile emotional state finally hitting overload.
Or could be he got killed by one of these alien friends of Ms. Noguchi's . . .The sudden appearance of
the woman didn't seem real, even though the proof was right in front of them, twenty-plus meters high.
Jess tried to think of something to say to Lara about the newest addition to their little party, feeling like
they should have some exchange before she returned.
What's to say? She's here, and we're not in a position to turn away help, no matter how strange the
helper. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
The woman was slender, long, reddish hair framing an intelligent and wary face. The man was
dark-skinned, of African descent perhaps, and had been hurt recently; bruises covered his face and one
of his eyes was badly swollen. Only the woman was armed, though the male held himself carefully,
obviously pre-pared to fight if she were an attacker.
Noguchi swallowed dryly, stepping closer to the couple. "Sorry," she said, still smiling just a little, her
heart pounding as if she faced an army of drones. "I've never had much luck with landings. My name is
Machiko Noguchi, and I'm here to help."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
22
Of all the weird shit Jess had seen and experienced in the last couple of weeks, this had to be, hands
down, the absolute mother of 'em all. The crash landing of agiant alien ship that had very nearly run them
down, followed by the appearance of a small, deadly-looking Japanese woman, maybe early 30s TS,
with beaded hair and a scar shaped like a light-ning bolt between her eyes. Wearing alien armor that
looked a hell of a lot like the armor on that cloaked creature . . .
. . .and the hair, and that mask she's holding . . .
"You're human," he said finally, a stupid statement but all he could think of; he wantedreassurance.
The woman, Noguchi, nodded almost shyly. "Yeah. Um, thanks. I you'll have to excuse me, I
haven't you don't know how good it is to speak to people again."
They stood for a moment not speaking at all, just staring at one another, the crackling light of the ebbing
station fire making it all seem even stranger, jagged shadows dancing across the peculiar scene. Jess
knew
that they had to find Ellis, that they needed weapons and supplies, that they had to get off of Bunda but
all he could do was stare at this woman, wondering when he was going to wake up.
And just when I thought things couldn't get any more fantastic. Christ, what a freak show.
Lara finally broke their odd silence, taking a step toward Noguchi. "You said you were here to help,
Ms. Noguchi do you mind telling us exactly what's going on?"
Her smile gone, Noguchi looked down at the mask in her hands before answering, her stilted voice
gaining strength as she spoke. "It's kind of a long story. I heard that people on this planet on
Bunda were in trou-ble, and I knew that I had to choose which side I was going to be on, the Hunters'
or yours."
Jess frowned, making the connection between the woman's clothes and hair and the thing that had
jumped him near the shuttle; apparently, there was more than one. "The Hunters? The invisible, uh,
peo-ple who attacked the survey station? You're with them?"
"I've been with them for over a year," Noguchi said. "And they're not human. I thought I learned the
hard way that it was a mistake to think a human being could adapt to their culture. Their Clan."
She grinned, the look of it sending a chill down Jess's spine. He'd had a hard life, and didn't know that
he'd ever seen anything as dangerous as that smile. "Nowthey're learning just how big a mistake it was."
Jesus, whoisthis woman?
Noguchi shook her head, as if clearing it. "Look, I made quite an entrance, so it won't be long before we
have company. Are there any .other survivors? We've got to round them up and get to cover."
Lara glanced over at him, and he shrugged, grimac-ing at the dozens of aches the action inspired. If there
were any people left, the chances of finding them didn't seem so hot.
"You aren't the only ones, are you?" Noguchi asked.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"There are three of us, actually," Lara said. "There may be others, but ... I guess we have a long story of
our own."
Noguchi nodded, scanning the trees behind them with the practiced ease of someone used to battle
while Lara spoke. "And I'm interested in hearing it, but we're going to need more weapons," she said.
"Stay here."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked quickly back around the mammoth nose of the
alien ship, disappearing through the dancing, smoking shadows that twined through the broken trees.
" 'Hunters?' " Lara said quietly. "What are they hunting?"
Jess shook his head. "Us. I don't know. Maybe she can help us find Ellis, at least . . ."
He trailed off, wondering if Lara had considered the possibility that the kid wasn't lying in the dirt
some-where, knocked out. The way he'd acted just before the platform crashed, guilt-ridden and near
hysteria maybe he'd run off, his fragile emotional state finally hitting overload.
Or could be he got killed by one of these alien friends of Ms. Noguchi's . . .The sudden appearance of
the woman didn't seem real, even though the proof was right in front of them, twenty-plus meters high.
Jess tried to think of something to say to Lara about the newest addition to their little party, feeling like
they should have some exchange before she returned.
What's to say? She's here, and we're not in a position to turn away help, no matter how strange the
helper. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]