[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The woman, her name is Darla, feels a sudden urge to walk down the hall and knock on the door of her superiors.She’s been told they’re not to be disturbed for any reason but at the moment she doesn’t care.The other guards pay her little heed.Half of them are dozing.Darla knocks on the door.Hard.Her commanding officer jumps to his feet.“Darla! Get away from there!”Darla lowers the tip of her M16 and opens fire.Her CO wears a protective vest but Darla shoots him in the face so it doesn’t do him much good.She rakes the line of guards, back and forth, and exhausts the clip in her weapon.Half the guards are dead, the others are wounded.While they try to gather themselves, I order Darla to toss a couple of grenades their way.She is young but she’s fast.The grenades are flash-bangers.They send out a deadly shock wave, not shrapnel.Darla hits the floor as they explode.The rest of the guards die, at least all the ones in sight.But I hear running feet, more are on their way.I order Darla to stand and the entire Cradle pushes her back to her feet.Pulling out a fresh clip, she reloads her M16 and fires point-blank at the door’s deadbolt.The wood splinters and the door bursts open.The fearsome four have broken their Link.They stand with their handguns drawn and shoot Darla the instant the door opens.It’s strange to be in Darla’s mind one instant and have it go blank an instant later.At the same time, I don’t care.The laser mind of the Cradle is on the move and I’m guiding it.I steer the kids into the mind of one of the ancient women and force her to turn her gun on the others.They shoot her in the head before she can pull the trigger.Inside of me, another TV screen suddenly goes blank.Very well, I focus the Cradle on a bald man with a huge head.His name is Kram and he’s extremely old.His order is the same—to shoot his partners.Yet he resists, for an instant, and manages to shout out a word.“Tarana!”The name has a strange effect on our group.Our psychic laser suddenly flickers on and off.Tarana? Isn’t that the name of the creature Brutran spoke about? The one that taught her a bunch of secret knowledge? I didn’t know it worked for the Telar as well.Actually, for several confused seconds, I have no idea what’s gone wrong.My vision of the hotel suite phases in and out, and I feel a horrible ripping sensation at the base of my skull.Before I know it, I’m on my feet with my eyes wide open, the rest of the kids staring at me.We broke the Telar’s Link.Yet somehow they managed to break us.It was that damn word, “Tarana.” It has its own power.I notice many of the kids have nosebleeds.“Listen!” I shout.“The Telar aren’t far from here.I’m going after them with some of Cynthia Brutran’s men.While I’m gone, you’ll help keep track of their movements.Don’t try to psychically attack them unless I order it.Just stay alert and follow them.They won’t escape.”I disconnect the line and kneel beside Lark.His nosebleed is bad, perhaps because he tried to lead the attack on the Telar’s Link.Blood soaks his expensive shirt and he’s lost his cocky grin.He’s as pale as a ghost, this eighteen-year-old punk who is accustomed to commanding evil spirits.“Lark,” I say.“We need to stay in touch with each other.Can you talk and still stay connected to the Cradle?”He nods weakly.“I can help you track them.”“Good.No more heroics.Don’t try to take them down.”The guy’s been humbled.“I hear you, Sita.”I pat him on the back and turn toward the door.Jolie stops me by grabbing my pant leg.“Don’t go,” she pleads.I crouch beside her.“It’s better I kill them with my hands than waste our mental powers trying to take them down.”“Are there many more?”“After this, we have only one more group to kill.”Jolie nods to herself.“I want them to die.”Upstairs, I alert Cynthia and Thomas Brutran to the situation.I portray the Telar’s close proximity as a major break, which I believe it is.They say they can scramble three helicopters in ten minutes.“Make it five,” I say.“And I want Charlie to give each of the men who are coming with me a shot of the vaccine.”“I’ll take care of that,” Tom says, and rushes off.His wife studies me critically.“I watched your last session on remote,” she says.“It looks like half the Cradle is about to stroke out.”“That’s not my fault.Lark disobeyed me.”“Lark’s not the one who worries me.It’s the next round, when we go after Haru and his people.He won’t make the mistake these ones did.If he sets up a powerful Link, I don’t know how you’re going to punch through it.”“Leave that to me.I have a secret weapon.”“I don’t like secrets.Tell me.”“Gimme a break, you live for secrets.Now get out of my way, I have work to do.”Brutran tries to stop me.“Wait.I’m going with you.”“That’s insane.These are Telar.Just one of them attacked my house in Missouri and I was lucky to escape alive.”“I’ll take precautions but I’m going.I’m still the head of this firm.”I shake my head.“It’s your life.”Ten minutes later we’re airborne over Santa Monica with Century City only five miles in front of us.The latter is loaded with crowded but elegant skyscrapers.Its real estate is some of the most expensive on the planet.The Century Plaza Hotel stands a block away from the Fox building.However, an intelligence update, from Lark and Brutran, tells us that our three prime Telar have already left the hotel and are heading toward one of the town’s original twin towers that were built back in the seventies.They are only forty-four stories tall, pale shadows of the World Trade Center towers that were lost on 9/11, and yet the other skyscrapers have quietly built up around them, almost as if they were the founding parents.What’s unique about the two towers is their flat roofs.Helicopters can land and take off from them.The Telar must have sensed me behind the Cradle.Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so anxious to get out of town.It’s dark, after midnight, and the city lights are bright.I sit up front with the pilot, with headphones on and six heavily armed men at my back.I’m in touch with Cindy and Lark via a cell plugged into my right ear.The boy sounds weak, his voice is faint.He’s following the Telar with his mind’s eye [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl trzylatki.xlx.pl
.The woman, her name is Darla, feels a sudden urge to walk down the hall and knock on the door of her superiors.She’s been told they’re not to be disturbed for any reason but at the moment she doesn’t care.The other guards pay her little heed.Half of them are dozing.Darla knocks on the door.Hard.Her commanding officer jumps to his feet.“Darla! Get away from there!”Darla lowers the tip of her M16 and opens fire.Her CO wears a protective vest but Darla shoots him in the face so it doesn’t do him much good.She rakes the line of guards, back and forth, and exhausts the clip in her weapon.Half the guards are dead, the others are wounded.While they try to gather themselves, I order Darla to toss a couple of grenades their way.She is young but she’s fast.The grenades are flash-bangers.They send out a deadly shock wave, not shrapnel.Darla hits the floor as they explode.The rest of the guards die, at least all the ones in sight.But I hear running feet, more are on their way.I order Darla to stand and the entire Cradle pushes her back to her feet.Pulling out a fresh clip, she reloads her M16 and fires point-blank at the door’s deadbolt.The wood splinters and the door bursts open.The fearsome four have broken their Link.They stand with their handguns drawn and shoot Darla the instant the door opens.It’s strange to be in Darla’s mind one instant and have it go blank an instant later.At the same time, I don’t care.The laser mind of the Cradle is on the move and I’m guiding it.I steer the kids into the mind of one of the ancient women and force her to turn her gun on the others.They shoot her in the head before she can pull the trigger.Inside of me, another TV screen suddenly goes blank.Very well, I focus the Cradle on a bald man with a huge head.His name is Kram and he’s extremely old.His order is the same—to shoot his partners.Yet he resists, for an instant, and manages to shout out a word.“Tarana!”The name has a strange effect on our group.Our psychic laser suddenly flickers on and off.Tarana? Isn’t that the name of the creature Brutran spoke about? The one that taught her a bunch of secret knowledge? I didn’t know it worked for the Telar as well.Actually, for several confused seconds, I have no idea what’s gone wrong.My vision of the hotel suite phases in and out, and I feel a horrible ripping sensation at the base of my skull.Before I know it, I’m on my feet with my eyes wide open, the rest of the kids staring at me.We broke the Telar’s Link.Yet somehow they managed to break us.It was that damn word, “Tarana.” It has its own power.I notice many of the kids have nosebleeds.“Listen!” I shout.“The Telar aren’t far from here.I’m going after them with some of Cynthia Brutran’s men.While I’m gone, you’ll help keep track of their movements.Don’t try to psychically attack them unless I order it.Just stay alert and follow them.They won’t escape.”I disconnect the line and kneel beside Lark.His nosebleed is bad, perhaps because he tried to lead the attack on the Telar’s Link.Blood soaks his expensive shirt and he’s lost his cocky grin.He’s as pale as a ghost, this eighteen-year-old punk who is accustomed to commanding evil spirits.“Lark,” I say.“We need to stay in touch with each other.Can you talk and still stay connected to the Cradle?”He nods weakly.“I can help you track them.”“Good.No more heroics.Don’t try to take them down.”The guy’s been humbled.“I hear you, Sita.”I pat him on the back and turn toward the door.Jolie stops me by grabbing my pant leg.“Don’t go,” she pleads.I crouch beside her.“It’s better I kill them with my hands than waste our mental powers trying to take them down.”“Are there many more?”“After this, we have only one more group to kill.”Jolie nods to herself.“I want them to die.”Upstairs, I alert Cynthia and Thomas Brutran to the situation.I portray the Telar’s close proximity as a major break, which I believe it is.They say they can scramble three helicopters in ten minutes.“Make it five,” I say.“And I want Charlie to give each of the men who are coming with me a shot of the vaccine.”“I’ll take care of that,” Tom says, and rushes off.His wife studies me critically.“I watched your last session on remote,” she says.“It looks like half the Cradle is about to stroke out.”“That’s not my fault.Lark disobeyed me.”“Lark’s not the one who worries me.It’s the next round, when we go after Haru and his people.He won’t make the mistake these ones did.If he sets up a powerful Link, I don’t know how you’re going to punch through it.”“Leave that to me.I have a secret weapon.”“I don’t like secrets.Tell me.”“Gimme a break, you live for secrets.Now get out of my way, I have work to do.”Brutran tries to stop me.“Wait.I’m going with you.”“That’s insane.These are Telar.Just one of them attacked my house in Missouri and I was lucky to escape alive.”“I’ll take precautions but I’m going.I’m still the head of this firm.”I shake my head.“It’s your life.”Ten minutes later we’re airborne over Santa Monica with Century City only five miles in front of us.The latter is loaded with crowded but elegant skyscrapers.Its real estate is some of the most expensive on the planet.The Century Plaza Hotel stands a block away from the Fox building.However, an intelligence update, from Lark and Brutran, tells us that our three prime Telar have already left the hotel and are heading toward one of the town’s original twin towers that were built back in the seventies.They are only forty-four stories tall, pale shadows of the World Trade Center towers that were lost on 9/11, and yet the other skyscrapers have quietly built up around them, almost as if they were the founding parents.What’s unique about the two towers is their flat roofs.Helicopters can land and take off from them.The Telar must have sensed me behind the Cradle.Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so anxious to get out of town.It’s dark, after midnight, and the city lights are bright.I sit up front with the pilot, with headphones on and six heavily armed men at my back.I’m in touch with Cindy and Lark via a cell plugged into my right ear.The boy sounds weak, his voice is faint.He’s following the Telar with his mind’s eye [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]