[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the door wide and peered in.
"Lord Strongbow sent me to fetch you. You are to join the rest of your party
in the council room."
He stood expectantly until Kane walked to the door and then he backed out into
the hallway. Kane followed him, eyeing his stiff, long-legged gait. A
description Grant had once applied to Salvo came to mind:
He walks like a he's got a corncob up his ass.
Kane chuckled softly. Gait turned his head slightly and regarded him coldly,
but all he got was a wide-eyed look of innocence.
They passed the suite of rooms assigned to them, and instead of going up the
stairwell, Gait turned a corner, opened a door and went down a wide flight of
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
steps. He managed to keep to the center, and
Kane had no choice but to follow in his wake.
Savage Sun
171
The psychological ploy was old, a cheap dominance stratagem. Kane wondered
what Gait's reaction would be if he accidentally tripped and fell against him,
knocking him down the stairway.
As though he had caught the notion in Kane's mind, Gait stopped at the landing
and stared directly at him. His stance showed a sudden awareness that he was
in the presence of a dangerous adversary, and it was tactically unwise to
allow him to dog his heels.
Side by side, they walked down the rest of the steps. The council room
occupied at least half of the building's underground foundation and seemed to
stretch on for a mile. Unlike the upper floors of the ministry, the walls and
ceiling were made of slick, slightly reflective bluish metal. Kane recognized
vanadium alloy, a nearly indestructible sheath around the nerve center of the
Im-perium Britannia.
Light pulsed here and there, haloing upright glass cases holding mementos of
human warfare over the centuries. Reverently mounted in spotlit displays were
broadswords, maces, suits of medieval armor, halberds, poleaxes, match-
and-flintlock blasters, battle standards from thousand-year-old military
campaigns. There was too much to absorb, much less easily identify.
At the far end of the aisle was a conference table, a highly polished,
ten-foot-diameter disk of rare and
expensive teak. Grant, Brigid, Domi and Strongbow were already seated. Kane
took a chair between
Grant and Brigid while Gait assumed a parade-rest position behind Strongbow's
high-backed chair.
The man sat silently, appearing to think over some weighty decision. He
reached down beside his chair and lifted up the metal case containing the
interphaser. He slid it across the tabletop toward Brigid.
"Open it."
172
JAMES AXLER
She exchanged a quick, alarmed look with Kane.
"Open it," repeated Strongbow, biting out each word.
Maintaining a neutral demeanor, Brigid undid the intricate system of locks and
latches, lifting the lid and turning it around so Strongbow could inspect its
contents. He eyed the metal pyramidion, the small battery pack and keypad
without altering expression.
"Project Cerberus technology," he said at last.
They all did their best to keep astonishment from registering on their faces.
"I knew they had managed to manufacture the mat-trans inducers in modular
form, but I had no idea they'd been successful with miniaturization."
Strongbow's tone wasn't suspicious; it was irritated, as if he were miffed
about being left out of an Intel loop. Evidently Morrigan had supplied him
with the impression that the device was of predark vintage, not the product of
Lakesh.
He said, "Power it up."
Hesitantly Brigid replied, "Lord^ the instrument is designed to interact and
interface with natural quantum vortices. I don't think "
"I am not requesting your thoughts." Strongbow's dry voice echoed harshly. "I
am demanding you follow my orders. Now."
Domi shot him a fierce, red-eyed glare. The imperious tone pricked a layer of
that outlander anger toward authority that was under her skin.
Strongbow noticed the hostility and didn't appreciate it. "Girl, you are here
as a courtesy and at my sufferance. If you prefer to be ejected and held in
irons, Lieutenant Gait will arrange for it." Grant tensed his leg muscles,
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
fixing his eyes on the
Savage Sun
173
lieutenant, ready for him to make a move toward Domi. An unmistakable tension
hung in the air, but
Brigid returned all the attention to herself by noisily removing the
interphaser and its support systems
from the case. The busy clatter focused all eyes on her hands. Deftly she
attached the small power unit and plugged in the keypad to the input port.
As she worked, she began a brisk commentary. "As Lord Strongbow is no doubt
aware, the pyramidion shape is not arbitrary or for aesthetic purposes. Energy
progresses by four different routes, rejoining in a single conclusionary
figure at the apex. The energy flows in a helix spiral pattern exactly
opposite and of equal frequency, and the intensity on each side of the vortex
at any given point triggers a quantum induction shift by vibrational
resonance."
Kane listened to her technobabble admiringly. Strongbow nodded impatiently, as
though he understood every word and wanted to dispense with explanations. His
interest was in results.
Brigid's fingers tapped in a numerical sequence on the keypad. "Like so."
Kane felt the fine hairs in his nostrils, on his arms and legs tingle. At the
edges of his hearing, he sensed a distant, muffled roar, a sound he couldn't
focus on or even really be sure he heard.
The air in the room seemed to thicken, to swell in the lungs, making
respiration labored and difficult.
Drawing in a deep, raspy breath, Grant muttered, "What the hell is going on?"
A line of consternation creased Brigid's smooth forehead. She tapped the keys
quickly. "Some sort of power fluctuation, almost a surge. I'll take the data
infeed off-line."
174
JAMES AXLER
A softly glowing funnel of light fanned up from the metal apex of the
pyramidion. It looked like a diffused veil of flame, with tiny shimmering
stars dancing within it. It expanded into a swirling borealis several feet
above the table, spreading out along the ceiling.
Heads back, they gaped up as the wreath wavered and billowed and coalesced.
Brigid murmured in a strained whisper, "This isn't right this shouldn't
happen!"
Part of the cone of incandescence rippled and bulged as if it were a semisolid
membrane and reacted to a force exerted on it from within. The corona shifted
and shimmered, and a woman's face formed in the pastel light patterns, a face
bearing a nimbus of beauty that was almost heart-wrenching to see. The eyes
radiated a too great wisdom, and there was irresistible yet terrifying power
in her. The smile on her full lips was subtly cruel #nd compassionate at the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
the door wide and peered in.
"Lord Strongbow sent me to fetch you. You are to join the rest of your party
in the council room."
He stood expectantly until Kane walked to the door and then he backed out into
the hallway. Kane followed him, eyeing his stiff, long-legged gait. A
description Grant had once applied to Salvo came to mind:
He walks like a he's got a corncob up his ass.
Kane chuckled softly. Gait turned his head slightly and regarded him coldly,
but all he got was a wide-eyed look of innocence.
They passed the suite of rooms assigned to them, and instead of going up the
stairwell, Gait turned a corner, opened a door and went down a wide flight of
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
steps. He managed to keep to the center, and
Kane had no choice but to follow in his wake.
Savage Sun
171
The psychological ploy was old, a cheap dominance stratagem. Kane wondered
what Gait's reaction would be if he accidentally tripped and fell against him,
knocking him down the stairway.
As though he had caught the notion in Kane's mind, Gait stopped at the landing
and stared directly at him. His stance showed a sudden awareness that he was
in the presence of a dangerous adversary, and it was tactically unwise to
allow him to dog his heels.
Side by side, they walked down the rest of the steps. The council room
occupied at least half of the building's underground foundation and seemed to
stretch on for a mile. Unlike the upper floors of the ministry, the walls and
ceiling were made of slick, slightly reflective bluish metal. Kane recognized
vanadium alloy, a nearly indestructible sheath around the nerve center of the
Im-perium Britannia.
Light pulsed here and there, haloing upright glass cases holding mementos of
human warfare over the centuries. Reverently mounted in spotlit displays were
broadswords, maces, suits of medieval armor, halberds, poleaxes, match-
and-flintlock blasters, battle standards from thousand-year-old military
campaigns. There was too much to absorb, much less easily identify.
At the far end of the aisle was a conference table, a highly polished,
ten-foot-diameter disk of rare and
expensive teak. Grant, Brigid, Domi and Strongbow were already seated. Kane
took a chair between
Grant and Brigid while Gait assumed a parade-rest position behind Strongbow's
high-backed chair.
The man sat silently, appearing to think over some weighty decision. He
reached down beside his chair and lifted up the metal case containing the
interphaser. He slid it across the tabletop toward Brigid.
"Open it."
172
JAMES AXLER
She exchanged a quick, alarmed look with Kane.
"Open it," repeated Strongbow, biting out each word.
Maintaining a neutral demeanor, Brigid undid the intricate system of locks and
latches, lifting the lid and turning it around so Strongbow could inspect its
contents. He eyed the metal pyramidion, the small battery pack and keypad
without altering expression.
"Project Cerberus technology," he said at last.
They all did their best to keep astonishment from registering on their faces.
"I knew they had managed to manufacture the mat-trans inducers in modular
form, but I had no idea they'd been successful with miniaturization."
Strongbow's tone wasn't suspicious; it was irritated, as if he were miffed
about being left out of an Intel loop. Evidently Morrigan had supplied him
with the impression that the device was of predark vintage, not the product of
Lakesh.
He said, "Power it up."
Hesitantly Brigid replied, "Lord^ the instrument is designed to interact and
interface with natural quantum vortices. I don't think "
"I am not requesting your thoughts." Strongbow's dry voice echoed harshly. "I
am demanding you follow my orders. Now."
Domi shot him a fierce, red-eyed glare. The imperious tone pricked a layer of
that outlander anger toward authority that was under her skin.
Strongbow noticed the hostility and didn't appreciate it. "Girl, you are here
as a courtesy and at my sufferance. If you prefer to be ejected and held in
irons, Lieutenant Gait will arrange for it." Grant tensed his leg muscles,
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
fixing his eyes on the
Savage Sun
173
lieutenant, ready for him to make a move toward Domi. An unmistakable tension
hung in the air, but
Brigid returned all the attention to herself by noisily removing the
interphaser and its support systems
from the case. The busy clatter focused all eyes on her hands. Deftly she
attached the small power unit and plugged in the keypad to the input port.
As she worked, she began a brisk commentary. "As Lord Strongbow is no doubt
aware, the pyramidion shape is not arbitrary or for aesthetic purposes. Energy
progresses by four different routes, rejoining in a single conclusionary
figure at the apex. The energy flows in a helix spiral pattern exactly
opposite and of equal frequency, and the intensity on each side of the vortex
at any given point triggers a quantum induction shift by vibrational
resonance."
Kane listened to her technobabble admiringly. Strongbow nodded impatiently, as
though he understood every word and wanted to dispense with explanations. His
interest was in results.
Brigid's fingers tapped in a numerical sequence on the keypad. "Like so."
Kane felt the fine hairs in his nostrils, on his arms and legs tingle. At the
edges of his hearing, he sensed a distant, muffled roar, a sound he couldn't
focus on or even really be sure he heard.
The air in the room seemed to thicken, to swell in the lungs, making
respiration labored and difficult.
Drawing in a deep, raspy breath, Grant muttered, "What the hell is going on?"
A line of consternation creased Brigid's smooth forehead. She tapped the keys
quickly. "Some sort of power fluctuation, almost a surge. I'll take the data
infeed off-line."
174
JAMES AXLER
A softly glowing funnel of light fanned up from the metal apex of the
pyramidion. It looked like a diffused veil of flame, with tiny shimmering
stars dancing within it. It expanded into a swirling borealis several feet
above the table, spreading out along the ceiling.
Heads back, they gaped up as the wreath wavered and billowed and coalesced.
Brigid murmured in a strained whisper, "This isn't right this shouldn't
happen!"
Part of the cone of incandescence rippled and bulged as if it were a semisolid
membrane and reacted to a force exerted on it from within. The corona shifted
and shimmered, and a woman's face formed in the pastel light patterns, a face
bearing a nimbus of beauty that was almost heart-wrenching to see. The eyes
radiated a too great wisdom, and there was irresistible yet terrifying power
in her. The smile on her full lips was subtly cruel #nd compassionate at the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]