[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
warm, green world.
"It's number-coded," Krysty stated flatly.
It was also hopelessly blocked with the intruding fingers of feathery moss.
J.B. and Jak arrived at the doorway, hauling Doc Tanner between them. Both
looked at the sec lock, neither said a word. The noise of the insects was
almost deafening. The corridor ran straight ahead for a couple of hundred
yards before it forked left. Ryan stared into the shadows, suddenly realizing
that the advance flight of the swarm was in sight. A shimmering blur of
vicious movement raced toward them, heartbeats away.
Chapter Seven
"IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, break glass."
Against the triumphant screeching of the insects, Doc Tanner's voice was
barely audible. Though his head was still sunk on his chest, his eyes were
Page 28
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
glinting brightly in the gloom.
"Emergency override," Ryan shouted. "Fireblast! Of course."
He smashed the glass over the buttons of the comp-lock, ignoring the cuts to
his fingers. Over the top of the numbers and letters was a single red switch.
Dimly from behind the door they could all hear the sirens blasting out the
warning that the manual override had been triggered.
Ryan flicked the switch, enduring the half second of agonized doubt as
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Jam...Deathlands%2010%20-%20Northsta
r%20Rising.html (55 of 266) [12/29/2004 6:20:31 PM]
d14
microcircuits that had been barren for a hundred years finally clicked into
startled life. The bolts rattled back, and the door began to open.
Krysty slipped through the gap first, turning to help pull Doc into safety.
Jak and
J.B. followed immediately. Ryan was last through, throwing his weight with the
others to close the door behind them. Doc was dropped to the floor as the
other four all heaved to narrow the gap.
The humming was overwhelming.
"Throw the locking levers, Jak!" Ryan gritted as they fought against the heavy
door.
The gap was down to twelve inches, to eight and then to four.
The first, fastest bees hit the gap when it was a shrinking two inches, but
their attack was so ferocious that dozens of them squeezed through before the
door crunched shut.
"Black dust!" J.B. cursed, taking off his beloved fedora and swatting at the
bees.
The insects were longer and slimmer than the bumbling honeybees that Ryan knew
well from various parts of Deathlands. These were more like aerial torpedoes,
with scaled bodies of turquoise and silver, narrow wings that beat with
dazzling speed and stings like hooked barbs, their tips glistening with a
highly toxic venom.
Jak slammed the bolts on the door. Though Ryan knew it had to be imagination,
he actually thought he could hear the millions of ferocious projectiles
pounding on the other side of the arma-steel barrier.
A jagged burst of pain struck Ryan on the back of the neck, just above his
collar.
He slapped at it, feeling a fluttering body pulped under his hand. Another bee
stung him on that same hand, making him curse and spin around. He waved his
fists and tried to club them away.
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Jam...Deathlands%2010%20-%20Northsta
r%20Rising.html (56 of 266) [12/29/2004 6:20:31 PM]
d14
Each of the companions was under attack by at least ten of the killer bees.
Unlike some other insects, these bees didn't lose their lives when they used
their stings.
Ryan didn't have time to take in his surroundings; he simply realized that
they were in a bare entrance hall with other doors opening off it. The siren
continued to blare, but seemed to be running down, the tone gradually growing
deeper.
Krysty had a livid swelling just below her left eye and another at the corner
of her mouth. J.B. was best off, his hat proving a lethal weapon against the
mutie insects. Ryan had five separate stings before the bees were finally all
killed and crushed to the floor. Doc sat against a wall, sunk once more into
his catatonic state, stings disfiguring his hands. Jak had been stung only
once, but it was on the inside of his nose, causing him excruciating pain.
"Found the door in time," Ryan said, touching one of the tender swellings on
Page 29
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]