[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
20In%20Arms.txt (259 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt some more finger bones.
The slide and clank of a locking mechanism designed to defy the force of the
sea itself came muffled through the hatch. Miles hissed through his teeth.
"Should I blow it open?" gasped Quinn, landing.
"Y good God, no!" The discoloration on the wall marking high water was a good
two meters higher than the top of the hatch. "We might drown London. Try to
get it open without damaging it. Captain Galeni!" Miles turned. Galeni had not
moved.
"You in shock?"
"Hm? No . . . no, I don t think so." Galeni came out of himself with an
effort. He added in a strangely calm, reflective tone, "Later, perhaps."
Quinn was bent to the hatchway, pulling devices from her pockets and slapping
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
them to the vertical surface, checking readouts. "Electromechanical with a
manual override . . . if I use a magnetic . . ."
Miles reached around and pulled the rappeling harness off Quinn. "Go up," he
said to Galeni, "and see if you can find another entrance on the other side.
We ve got to catch that little sucker!"
Galeni nodded and hooked up the rappeling harness.
Miles held out stunner and boot knife. "Want a weapon?" Mark had taken off
with all the spare stunners still stuck in his belt.
"Stunner s useless," Galeni noted. "You d better keep the knife. If I catch up
with him I ll use my bare hands."
With pleasure, Miles added for him silently. He nodded. They had both been
through Barrayaran basic unarmed combat school. Three fourths of the moves
were barred to Miles in a real fight at full force due to the secret weakness
of his bones; the same was not true of Galeni. Galeni ascended into the night
air, bounding up the wall on the
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%...20Bujold%20--%2009%20Brothers%
20In%20Arms.txt (260 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt almost-invisible thread as readily as a spider.
"Got it!" cried Quinn. The thick hatch swung wide on a deep, dark hole.
Miles yanked his handlight out of his belt and hopped through. He glanced back
at Galen s grey-
faced body, lapped by foam, released from obsession and pain. There was no
mistaking the stillness of death for the stillness of sleep or anything else;
it was the absolute. The nerve-disruptor beam must have hit his head square
on. Quinn dragged the hatch shut again behind them, and paused to stuff
equipment back into her pockets as the door s mechanism twinkled and beeped,
slid and clanked, rendering the lower Thames watershed safe again.
They both scrambled up the corridor. A mere five meters farther on they came
to their first check, a T-intersection. This main corridor was lighted, and
curved away out of sight in both directions.
"You go left, I ll go right," said Miles.
"You shouldn t be alone," Quinn objected.
"Maybe I should be twins, eh? Go, dammit!"
Quinn threw up her hands in exasperation and ran.
Miles sprinted in the other direction. His footsteps echoed eerily in the
corridor, deep in the synthacrete mountain. He paused a moment, listened;
heard only Quinn s light fading scuff. He ran on, past hundreds of meters of
blank synthacrete, past dark and silent pumping stations, past pumping
stations lit up and humming quietly. He was just wondering whether he could
have missed an exit an overhead access port? when he spotted an object on the
corridor floor. One of the stunners, fallen from Mark s belt as he ran in
panic. Miles swooped it up with a quick ah-ha! of bared teeth, and holstered
it as he ran on.
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%...20Bujold%20--%2009%20Brothers%
20In%20Arms.txt (261 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt
He keyed open his wrist comm. "Quinn?" The corridor curved suddenly into a
sort of stark foyer with lift tube. He must be under one of the watch-towers.
Beware Authorized Personnel about. "Quinn?"
He stepped into the lift tube and rose. Oh, God, which level had Mark got off
at? The third floor he passed opened out onto a glass-walled, lobby-looking
area, with doors and the night beyond. Clearly an exit. Miles swung out of the
lift tube.
A total stranger, wearing civilian jacket and pants, whirled at the sound of
Page 150
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
his footstep and dropped to one knee. The silver flash of a parabolic mirror [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
20In%20Arms.txt (259 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt some more finger bones.
The slide and clank of a locking mechanism designed to defy the force of the
sea itself came muffled through the hatch. Miles hissed through his teeth.
"Should I blow it open?" gasped Quinn, landing.
"Y good God, no!" The discoloration on the wall marking high water was a good
two meters higher than the top of the hatch. "We might drown London. Try to
get it open without damaging it. Captain Galeni!" Miles turned. Galeni had not
moved.
"You in shock?"
"Hm? No . . . no, I don t think so." Galeni came out of himself with an
effort. He added in a strangely calm, reflective tone, "Later, perhaps."
Quinn was bent to the hatchway, pulling devices from her pockets and slapping
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
them to the vertical surface, checking readouts. "Electromechanical with a
manual override . . . if I use a magnetic . . ."
Miles reached around and pulled the rappeling harness off Quinn. "Go up," he
said to Galeni, "and see if you can find another entrance on the other side.
We ve got to catch that little sucker!"
Galeni nodded and hooked up the rappeling harness.
Miles held out stunner and boot knife. "Want a weapon?" Mark had taken off
with all the spare stunners still stuck in his belt.
"Stunner s useless," Galeni noted. "You d better keep the knife. If I catch up
with him I ll use my bare hands."
With pleasure, Miles added for him silently. He nodded. They had both been
through Barrayaran basic unarmed combat school. Three fourths of the moves
were barred to Miles in a real fight at full force due to the secret weakness
of his bones; the same was not true of Galeni. Galeni ascended into the night
air, bounding up the wall on the
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%...20Bujold%20--%2009%20Brothers%
20In%20Arms.txt (260 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt almost-invisible thread as readily as a spider.
"Got it!" cried Quinn. The thick hatch swung wide on a deep, dark hole.
Miles yanked his handlight out of his belt and hopped through. He glanced back
at Galen s grey-
faced body, lapped by foam, released from obsession and pain. There was no
mistaking the stillness of death for the stillness of sleep or anything else;
it was the absolute. The nerve-disruptor beam must have hit his head square
on. Quinn dragged the hatch shut again behind them, and paused to stuff
equipment back into her pockets as the door s mechanism twinkled and beeped,
slid and clanked, rendering the lower Thames watershed safe again.
They both scrambled up the corridor. A mere five meters farther on they came
to their first check, a T-intersection. This main corridor was lighted, and
curved away out of sight in both directions.
"You go left, I ll go right," said Miles.
"You shouldn t be alone," Quinn objected.
"Maybe I should be twins, eh? Go, dammit!"
Quinn threw up her hands in exasperation and ran.
Miles sprinted in the other direction. His footsteps echoed eerily in the
corridor, deep in the synthacrete mountain. He paused a moment, listened;
heard only Quinn s light fading scuff. He ran on, past hundreds of meters of
blank synthacrete, past dark and silent pumping stations, past pumping
stations lit up and humming quietly. He was just wondering whether he could
have missed an exit an overhead access port? when he spotted an object on the
corridor floor. One of the stunners, fallen from Mark s belt as he ran in
panic. Miles swooped it up with a quick ah-ha! of bared teeth, and holstered
it as he ran on.
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%...20Bujold%20--%2009%20Brothers%
20In%20Arms.txt (261 of 308) [1/21/03 10:44:27 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold/Lois%20McMaster%20Bujold%20--%2009%20B
rothers%20In%20Arms.txt
He keyed open his wrist comm. "Quinn?" The corridor curved suddenly into a
sort of stark foyer with lift tube. He must be under one of the watch-towers.
Beware Authorized Personnel about. "Quinn?"
He stepped into the lift tube and rose. Oh, God, which level had Mark got off
at? The third floor he passed opened out onto a glass-walled, lobby-looking
area, with doors and the night beyond. Clearly an exit. Miles swung out of the
lift tube.
A total stranger, wearing civilian jacket and pants, whirled at the sound of
Page 150
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
his footstep and dropped to one knee. The silver flash of a parabolic mirror [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]