[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
though, mate, you're shit out of luck. The ship's pulling out of port now."
Doc turned and scanned for the ship.
"There," Jak said, pointing.
Following the albino's pointing finger, Doc spotted the ship moving out under
full sail, heading north around the outer horns of the port area. "Long
Johnson's aboard her?"
"That ship," the sailor said, "never goes anywhere without her captain."
Gripping the railing, Doc watched the
Tail Twister pull away, disappearing into the glare of the sunset. So many
unanswered questions danced around inside his head, sucking at his
consciousness. What ties bound him to the pirate captain, and what were they
to inspire such vehemence? He had no answers.
"Doc," Jak said, gently, "staying here's no good. Better we get back with
Ryan."
"You are right, lad." Doc made himself move away. Already he felt the hot
gazes of the cutthroats and robbers who would fill the walks along the port
with the hookers once true dark drained the light from the dregs of the day.
"There is safety in numbers."
But he didn't see how he was going to leave New London without learning more
about the pirate captain. And whatever descendants he himself could have had
that might have made it through the destruction of this country.
SERGEANT GEORGE CONTE crept out of the shadows near the ville and grabbed the
sec man by the face from behind. He administered a cool crimson kiss with his
Kabar fighting knife across the man's throat, and held the bucking man while
he died.
Once the body was totally limp, he dragged the corpse into the brush and laid
it out of sight. Squatting next to it, he took time to wipe the blood from his
hands.
file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20Deathlands%2035%20-%20Bitter%2
0Fruit.html (183 of 291) [1/3/2005 12:27:09 AM]
file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathla
nds%2035%20-%20Bitter%20Fruit.html
Fifteen yards away Abner Whittaker licked his own blade clean. The little rat
man had already accounted for the sentry he'd been assigned to. His grin was
thin and frigid.
Conte held up a hand, briefly stepped out into the moonlight so he could be
seen by the rest of his team, then closed it into a fist and pumped it twice.
At a count of three, the six men burst from cover and raced for the ville's
wall.
Turley, broad and muscular, took the anchor. Henderson, the tallest of the
group, scrambled up on top of the private and stood with his boots on the
other man's shoulders.
When he reached up, he could manage the top of the wall with relative ease.
Squatting in the shadows pooled at the bottom of the wall, Conte covered his
team with the silenced H&K MP-5 submachine pistol.
Whittaker was the next man up, running along the backs of the first two men
easily. He vanished over the top of the wall, a shadow ghosting along on an
invisible wind. Cruse followed as quickly, but running a slightly larger
Page 113
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
profile.
Conte kept a mental count going in his head. One set of numbers was for the
time since they'd taken out the security guards, and the other was for the
time they were spending scaling the wall.
For a time during the battle along the mountain ridge, the team had lost sight
of Cawdor and his people. But the tracks of the vehicles had been easy enough
to take up. They'd made the outskirts of the town almost two hours before
sundown.
After a recce through binoculars, Conte had spotted the dearth of guards
hanging around a tavern visible from their vantage point among the trees
almost three hundred yards distant. The tavern was called the Bent Rose, and
the heavily armed vehicles in front of it looked a lot like the ones that had
intercepted Cawdor and his group.
It had been enough to warrant further investigation. And if Conte found
Cawdor, he fully intended to see the man dead before morning.
The vehicle they'd taken themselves from the small redoubt they'd arrived in
was secured almost five miles back. Getting around the men on horseback had
been tricky, but they'd been focused on the invaders who'd taken Cawdor.
During that time Conte had also seen that the green-garbed people had taken
the black woman among Cawdor's band prisoner.
file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20...20Deathlands%2035%20-%20Bitter%2
0Fruit.html (184 of 291) [1/3/2005 12:27:09 AM]
file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathla
nds%2035%20-%20Bitter%20Fruit.html
That was a loose end that would have to be taken care of later. Possibly. From
the looks of things, it might only require ascertaining the woman was no
longer a threat.
Aames went next, vaulting up Turley and Henderson with only a little trouble.
He halted at the top long enough to flash Conte the all-clear hand signal,
then vanished.
Conte broke cover, sliding the H&K MP-5 over his shoulder to hang by its
sling. In swift strides he was beside the two men against the wall. Without
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]