William C. Dietz Deathday (com v4.0)

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to the Kan, including my role in the Fon resistance movement. In fact,
assuming my sources are correct, an assassin has been dispatched to kill me.
Really, Andromeda inquired, immediately concerned for her own safety. What
sort of an assassin?
A Zin named Xat-Hey.
How interesting, Andromeda replied thoughtfully. Perhaps we should
eliminate him for you. And for ourselves, she thought, before he turns his
attentions elsewhere.
Bal-Lok raised his head. You could accomplish that?
Probably. For the right price.
Bal-Lok sensed danger but was powerless to resist. His very survival was at
stake. So tell me, slave: What price would you ask?
Andromeda looked him in the eye. In return for Xat-Hey s death you would
become a member of my church, acknowledge me as your superior, and convince
the rest of your caste to do the same.
There was a prolonged silence as the Sauron weighed the human s words. Your
proposal lacks merit. The Fon would become slaves to slaves.
No, Andromeda replied smoothly, quite to the contrary. The Star
Communioncelebrates your kind. Those who belong believe that in spite of the
great cleansing, and the conditions they presently live under, better days lie
ahead. Days in which they will live in peaceful harmony with the Sauron race.
What I m suggesting should be regarded as an alliance. One in which two groups
merge their strengths for the greater good. Surely you see the wisdom in that?
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I would lead but with advice from you.
Bal-Lok didn t believe Andromeda, not for a second, but he needed the human s
help. The answer was obvious: He would lie, await the first opportunity, and
then nail the human to a cross. She would look good there, her feet in the
air, a crow perched on the bottom of her chin. He forced the Sauron equivalent
of a smile.
What you say makes a great deal of sense. Keep your part of the bargain and
I will keep mine.
The conversation was interrupted as the refreshments arrived. Bal-Lok was
hungry and wasted little time tucking into the rolled pancakes that the
Saurons loved so much.
Sister Andromeda watched the alien gorge himself, sipped some slightly
sweetened tea, and marveled at this latest turn of fortune. Now, with help
from the Fon, the church could truly unfold. Wonderful were the ways of God.
HILMER, WASHINGTON
With a Kan vehicle ahead, unknowingly sweeping for land mines, and the
Chinook circling above, Manning was entitled to relax. After all, the
partially armored Suburban, plus seven heavily armed bodyguards, should be
adequate to handle the most likely assassination scenarios.
But the security chiefcouldn t relax, not in a situation where everyone who
cared knew exactly where Franklin would be and what time he d be there. He was
testy, perfectionistic, and, in the words of Sandi Taglio, the Suburban s
chain-smoking driver, one major pain in the ass.
Manning glanced left, checked to see if the woman had both hands in the
preferred ten to ten position, and saw that she did. Taglio, who had
excellent peripheral vision, detected the seemingly casual inspection but kept
her eyes to the front. The fact that the chief was pissy didn t justify taking
her eyes off the road.
Pleased with what he d seen so far, Manning looked back at Franklin and saw
that the president remained buried in his speech.
Amocar was something else again. Here, should the shit hit the fan, sat
Franklin s last line of defense. A sloppy asshole who, in spite of countless
reminders to the contrary, had chosen to place his twelve-gauge riot gun butt
down on the truck s outboard side, a location that could spell disaster if the
idiot had to bail out. Short though it was, the eighteen-inch barrel could
still block the bodyguard s egress.
Manning gestured toward the weapon. Jos�, how many times do I have to tell
you? Put the long gun on theinside, away from the door.
Amocar wondered if the gringo could see the hatred in his eyes, and
remembered the sunglasses. Thank God for the sunglasses. He moved the shotgun
from one side to the other. Sorry, Chief, I forgot.
Manning bit off the words that waited to be said, turned his attention
forward, and wondered how Kell was doing. The ex-Ranger and a team that
consisted of Morley Rix, Jonathan Wimba, and Se Ri Pak had been dropped on the
far side of town and left to find their own way in.If Hilman had been
penetrated,if someone was waiting, it was their job to deal with it.Before
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Franklin walked into anybody s sights.
Taglio glanced into her rearview mirror and saw that the Kan vehicle assigned
to cover their butts had fallen too far back. Not too surprising, giving their
lack of mission-appropriate training, but dangerous nonetheless. The
cigarette, which, thanks to Manning s orders, remained unlit, waggled when she
spoke. Hey, boss, tell the chits in Blocker Two to close it up.
Manning glanced to the rear, confirmed that the Kan had indeed fallen too far
back, and brought the radio to his lips. It was of Ra Na manufacture and felt
too small for his hand. As with all such communications, the order had to be [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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