egg crate.
And they handled each one of those tubes just like it was eggs. Real careful like . . ."
Hunter ran his hand through his hair, trying to make some sense of the story.
"So how'd you finally get back, Captain?"
Pegg began to say something, when suddenly a shot rang out . . .
Hunter was down on the floor in less than a second, dragging the old man down off his chair with him. The shot had come through the flat's single window, smashing the thick glass and catching Pegg square in the jaw.
Hunter raised his M-16 and shot out the room's only light. Then he lifted Pegg up on his knee.
"Goddamn it ... the dirty bastards must have finally caught up with me . . ."
the old man managed to say, despite his wound.
Just then another shot came through the window. Then another. And another.
Hunter dragged Peg's limp body into a far corner, then he quickly crawled over to the broken window. Through the haze of neon lights and fog, he saw two figures moving in the shadows across the alley.
Not wanting to shoot any innocents, Hunter nevertheless unleashed a long burst from his M-16 on to the wall directly across from the window and just above the two skulking figures. As always, his trademark tracer rounds produced a frightening iridescent stream of fire and lead. Instantly, the two shadows started to run.
Hunter moved back to Pegg and quickly checked his pulse. Finding one, though weak, he burst out of the flat and lit out after the two fleeing figures.
The snipers had made two mistakes: First they had assumed that Pegg was alone when they took a shot at him through the window. Second, they had chosen to run down further into Thunder Alley instead of retreating back out to Orleans Avenue.
What they didn't know was the alley was a dead end.
Hunter was no sooner past the place from where the gunmen had fired when he picked out the two figures running away at top speed. He followed them, running as fast as he could, his flight boots striking the grimy wet alley pavement with a succession of sharp cracks. The chase went on for only 20
seconds or so, when the gunmen turned a slight bend in the road and found themselves facing a brick wall.
Hunter skidded to a stop just as the two men wheeled and fired at him. He was able to dodge their combined barrages, and a split-second later, he cut them both down at the legs with an economical burst of M-16 tracer fire.
Unlike most other New Order cities, the gunfire actually attracted a crowd-this one from the small alley bistros and cathouses.
Two regional militia men were soon on the scene, and after Hunter quickly identified himself, they joined the pilot in walking over to the two wounded men.
"This guy is dead . . ." one of the militiamen said, reaching one of the snipers first.
"Dead?" Hunter asked, legitimately surprised. "I aimed for his legs. I want these guys alive . . ."
He was bent over the body by this time and quickly saw that it wasn't his bullets that had ended the man's life. There was a long stream of black fluid running out of the man's mouth, and his ears were bleeding.
"Poison . . ." Hunter said, quickly reaching down and closing the man's eyelids. "Capsule under his tongue. He bit it when I cornered him."
Hunter quickly moved over to the other man who lay crumpled in the far corner of the blind alley. He at least was stirring, although he had taken at least four bullets in both legs. Oddly, this man's head, like his companion's, was shaved clean.
Hunter reached down and grabbed the man by his collar. "Who are you?" the pilot asked him harshly.
The man managed to open his eyes and look straight at Hunter. Then, of all things, he coughed out a laugh . . .
"Fuck you," the wounded man said in a voice just tinged with some kind of accent. Then he dramatically made a quick chomping motion with his jaws, and a second later, a long stream of inky black came spilling out of his mouth, too.
"Jesus, he killed himself, too . . ." one of the militiamen said in
And they handled each one of those tubes just like it was eggs. Real careful like . . ."
Hunter ran his hand through his hair, trying to make some sense of the story.
"So how'd you finally get back, Captain?"
Pegg began to say something, when suddenly a shot rang out . . .
Hunter was down on the floor in less than a second, dragging the old man down off his chair with him. The shot had come through the flat's single window, smashing the thick glass and catching Pegg square in the jaw.
Hunter raised his M-16 and shot out the room's only light. Then he lifted Pegg up on his knee.
"Goddamn it ... the dirty bastards must have finally caught up with me . . ."
the old man managed to say, despite his wound.
Just then another shot came through the window. Then another. And another.
Hunter dragged Peg's limp body into a far corner, then he quickly crawled over to the broken window. Through the haze of neon lights and fog, he saw two figures moving in the shadows across the alley.
Not wanting to shoot any innocents, Hunter nevertheless unleashed a long burst from his M-16 on to the wall directly across from the window and just above the two skulking figures. As always, his trademark tracer rounds produced a frightening iridescent stream of fire and lead. Instantly, the two shadows started to run.
Hunter moved back to Pegg and quickly checked his pulse. Finding one, though weak, he burst out of the flat and lit out after the two fleeing figures.
The snipers had made two mistakes: First they had assumed that Pegg was alone when they took a shot at him through the window. Second, they had chosen to run down further into Thunder Alley instead of retreating back out to Orleans Avenue.
What they didn't know was the alley was a dead end.
Hunter was no sooner past the place from where the gunmen had fired when he picked out the two figures running away at top speed. He followed them, running as fast as he could, his flight boots striking the grimy wet alley pavement with a succession of sharp cracks. The chase went on for only 20
seconds or so, when the gunmen turned a slight bend in the road and found themselves facing a brick wall.
Hunter skidded to a stop just as the two men wheeled and fired at him. He was able to dodge their combined barrages, and a split-second later, he cut them both down at the legs with an economical burst of M-16 tracer fire.
Unlike most other New Order cities, the gunfire actually attracted a crowd-this one from the small alley bistros and cathouses.
Two regional militia men were soon on the scene, and after Hunter quickly identified himself, they joined the pilot in walking over to the two wounded men.
"This guy is dead . . ." one of the militiamen said, reaching one of the snipers first.
"Dead?" Hunter asked, legitimately surprised. "I aimed for his legs. I want these guys alive . . ."
He was bent over the body by this time and quickly saw that it wasn't his bullets that had ended the man's life. There was a long stream of black fluid running out of the man's mouth, and his ears were bleeding.
"Poison . . ." Hunter said, quickly reaching down and closing the man's eyelids. "Capsule under his tongue. He bit it when I cornered him."
Hunter quickly moved over to the other man who lay crumpled in the far corner of the blind alley. He at least was stirring, although he had taken at least four bullets in both legs. Oddly, this man's head, like his companion's, was shaved clean.
Hunter reached down and grabbed the man by his collar. "Who are you?" the pilot asked him harshly.
The man managed to open his eyes and look straight at Hunter. Then, of all things, he coughed out a laugh . . .
"Fuck you," the wounded man said in a voice just tinged with some kind of accent. Then he dramatically made a quick chomping motion with his jaws, and a second later, a long stream of inky black came spilling out of his mouth, too.
"Jesus, he killed himself, too . . ." one of the militiamen said in
Similar Books
The Sweetness of Forgetting
Kristin Harmel
Bear Naked (Halle Shifters)
Dana Marie Bell
The Complete Novels of Mark Twain and the Complete Biography of Mark Twain
Mark Twain, A. B. Paine (pulitzer Prize Committee), The Complete Works Collection
Megan Frampton
Baring It All
Terminal World
Alastair Reynolds
Deadfall
Robert Liparulo
Rivers to Blood
Michael Lister
Ranger's Apprentice 1 & 2 Bindup
John Flanagan
The Ace
Rhonda Shaw