[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

talking." She shrugged. "We were sent to kill you," Akil went on, looking at Ilyan. "We've
been tracking you for several weeks. We've spoken to many of the units you've contacted and
they've told us about what you told them."
His eyes gleamed as he looked up at Ilyan and I recognised the look. The same one
Diliph had when he first joined up. Hero worship.
"Sir! You're right! Everything you've said is right!" He rose as far as he could while
still on his knees. Maiga shoved the muzzle of her rifle against his neck, but he didn't even
seem to notice. Ilyan looked taken aback at the sudden gush of enthusiasm.
"And you're having an effect. Troop ships are heading back to Earth, against the direct
orders of High Command! The rebellion is taking hold."
Ilyan stared at him now. We all did. Rebellion? When had this turned into a rebellion?
"We can help you, sir. Please, we want to help you."
"Help me how?" Ilyan asked, still looking amazed and shaken.
"Take us with you. High Command believes we are still tracking you to kill you, so
we still have access to the networks. We can get information. We can send them false
information about your location so the other assassins can't find you."
"The, er, other assassins?" Tesla picked up on an important point in Akil's little
presentation.
"There are at least five other teams after you," Akil said, causing wide eyes and
nervous looks around the group. "But we know where they are. We can help keep you safe."
I laughed out loud. A pair of assassins to keep us safe? Talk about setting a thief to
catch a thief.
"What's so funny," Maiga asked, glaring at me.
"That these two are actually stupid enough to think we'd fall for this."
"Well," Ilyan said, not being nearly as suspicious as he should be. "They seem..." He
looked at the woman, who had her head down, looking at the snowy ground she knelt on.
"Esha?" She looked up at him. "Is this the way you feel too? Do you want to do what Akil is
proposing?"
"It was my idea."
Ilyan blinked surprised. "Oh. Well, we need to think about this."
"We don't need to think about anything!" Maiga said. "We cannot possibly trust these
two. That would be madness."
I agreed the full hundred percent with her.
"Ilyan," I said. "We can't trust them. They could even be the bastards who killed Rin."
Akil at once burst into denials. Ilyan looked down at them, arms folded.
"Well then, what do we do with them?" He looked at me and then at Maiga. "Do you
suggest we just kill them?"
"That'd be plan A," I said. Akil looked nervously at me. Esha just kept a weird blank
stare fixed on Ilyan.
"He won't let you kill us," she said. Maiga scowled at her.
"What the hell do you know about it?"
"Because of what the people we've spoken to have told us about him." We all had to
edge closer to hear her quiet voice. "He doesn't seek power. All he wants is for people to hear
the prophecy and know the truth. We can help to make that happen. So he cannot kill us."
"I need to think about this," Ilyan said after the moment of tense silence that followed
Esha's speech. He didn't listen to any more protests, but instead turned and walked away to a
rocky outcrop and stood there facing the direction where the sun would rise in a few hours.
I looked down at the two black ops weirdoes. Prophecy? I could make a prophecy
myself right now. These two would join what I'd almost forgotten I used to call the weirdo
squad. They should fit right in.
"Ninjas," I growled. They looked up at me. "Fucking space ninjas. Welcome to the
fucking nutter patrol."
Chapter 19
Ilyan came down from contemplating on his rock and said we were taking the ninjas
with us. Maiga didn't like it. I didn't like it. Nobody liked it, but Ilyan asked again for the
alternative. Kill them? Shoot them? Slit their throats? Smash their heads in with my shovel?
Noticed it had become my shovel.
To be honest I don't think I could have done it. Not that they probably didn't deserve
it, but a cold-blooded murder isn't my style. A fair fight, hell, an unfair fight, okay. But not an
execution.
Akil and Esha retrieved their gear from where they'd concealed it nearby and we
searched it thoroughly, relieving them of several small guns, knives and anything else dodgy
looking. At first light they crammed into the vehicle with the rest of us and we set out for the
city.
I'd have made them ride on the roof if I didn't want to keep an eye on the pair of them.
I didn't even know if Ilyan meant them to be a part of the group now or if they counted as
prisoners. Perhaps he didn't know either. He kept glancing at them looking puzzled. I
watched them close. I'd never trust either of them, I knew that. And if they never got their
weapons back, well that would be too soon for me.
We drove on until the sun had risen behind the grey snow clouds and then had some
breakfast. I toasted my bread over the little stove and ate it slowly, enjoying the crispness and
the melting butter I slapped on in a thick wedge. Some simple pleasures, a bit of toast and a
hot cup of coffee, and I could almost forget about my lingering headache.
While we ate, Diliph crouched on top of the vehicle to watch the road. He called
down when we'd almost finished clearing up.
"Vehicles approaching!"
Maiga climbed up and took the binoculars off him to check it out.
"Looks like a convoy. Ours." She leaned over the side. "Ilyan, Tesla, get inside. And
you two." She addressed Akil and Esha.
Rish and me got in too, obviously unwilling to leave Ilyan and Tesla alone with the
ninjas. I heard Maiga giving orders again and Tanashi, Jia and Vimal got in.
"Rish, Maiga wants you back outside," Tanashi said. Rish nodded as he twigged on.
Marines only outside.
"The rest of you, get wrapped up and try to look sick," Tanashi ordered. "Maiga wants
to pretend she's transporting us back to base for medical treatment. She'll ask to tag up with
the convoy."
Good idea. We'd get back to the city easier that way. So we all wrapped ourselves in
coats and blankets, snuggled down and looked ill. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

razem.keep.pl