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.Once, he had to freeze among the trees as the patrol boat crew came out of the commandtent and crossed over to a long structure that seemed to be a barracks.Cautiously, trying to watchevery direction at once, Jensen slipped to the front of the nearest tent and looked inside.It was someone's quarters, currently unoccupied.Officers' quarters, most likely and where therewere officers there were spare officers' uniforms.With one final glance around, Jensen went inside.Moments later he was back in the tent's entrance, attired in the distinctive gray-green he'd foughtagainst for so long on Plinry.There was a time, he remembered wryly, when he would have feltdefiled to be wearing a collie uniform.Now, he merely felt a little safer.A little, but not much.The uniform wasn't a bad fit, but it didn't go with his graying hair andwrinkled skin, and the blackcollar field pack dangling from his left hand was emphatically notstandard collie equipment.Staying in the shadow of the tent, he considered his next move.To his left was the barracks and three tents of unknown purpose; to his right were two moreunknown tents, the command post, and a third unknown tent.Wishing the sun were lower, Jensenstudied the middle of the compound.The plants there seemed particularly resilient and didn't showwheel tracks well, but it seemed to him the heaviest marks went to the tent just left of the commandpost.Taking a deep breath, Jensen headed off to his right, trying to walk as if he owned the place.Passing the first tent, he stepped into the second.Pay dirt.Stacks of white plastic crates filled the interior, and inside the open ones Jensen couldsee packages of field rations.Dropping to one knee, he began to fill his pack.There was still no one in sight in the compound when he again looked outside.Not sure hebelieved the kind of luck he was having, he stepped out quickly, went behind the command posttent and came face to face with two Security men emerging from the woods not thirty meters away.Jensen was caught flatfooted.There was no place to hide, even if the others hadn't already beenlooking straight at him.But his training was equal to the shock, and he kept walking without the guiltystop that would have caught their attention.The Security men didn't have the benefit of his training, and had the further disadvantage ofseeing a familiar uniform.They continued toward Jensen for several steps before one of themaaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBBr rsuddenly focused on the blackcollar's face.A puzzled look flickered across his eyes, andsuddenly he jolted to a stop.His left hand slapped his companion's arm as his right clawed at hisholster but he hadn't even closed on the pistol's grip when Jensen's throwing star knocked himbackwards into oblivion.The other soldier, startled into belated awareness, had no chance at all.Hisscream of terror had hardly begun before it was cut off by a second star.Cursing under his breath, Jensen dropped to one knee beside the bodies and retrieved his stars.Too slow, too damn slow and the sloppiness was going to cost him dearly.The whole camp musthave heard that yell, and his chance of sneaking out unnoticed was gone forever.Glancing over hisshoulder, he saw seven men come boiling out of the barracks, weapons at the ready.Jensen didn't hesitate.They would spot him anyway, and the longer he could maintain hiscamouflage the better.Waving one arm, he shouted, "Over here, quick!" He turned back to the deadmen, watching the other group from the corner of his eye.He would have been surprised if they hadn't fallen for it; and fall they did, five of them runningtoward him while the other two headed in another direction, presumably to get a medkit.Jensen's packwas on the ground at his side; keeping his movements to a minimum, he pulled the nunchaku out withhis left hand, sliding it along the ground to where he could lift it without it being seen.There was notime to get to his other weapons; he would have to hope the nunchaku and six throwing stars in hisbelt pouch would be enough.Averting his face, he pressed the nunchaku to his chest and waited.The footsteps arrived behind him."Oh, God," a shocked voice panted."What happened?""Don't know," Jensen grunted.The others were coming up now; half standing up, Jensen steppedbackwards as he rose."I heard a scream and saw him fall.""Are they ?" the first man began as he dropped to one knee.He never finished the question.Shock had dulled whatever combat reflexes he and his men hadever had: they were clumped together, their weapons pointing the wrong way as they scanned thewoods nervously and Jensen's back-and-rise maneuver had put him into the center of the group.He took out the soldier behind him, first with an elbow in the solar plexus and a backfist to theside of the face.Simultaneously, his other hand swung the two nunchaku sticks like a club into thethroat of the man to his right.A short kick caught the kneeling man in the back of the head, and thelast two had barely time to turn before the nunchaku, flailing at full length now, broke both theirnecks.Scooping up his pack, Jensen ran for the front of the command tent.The fight had taken placebarely fifteen meters from the tent, and it was impossible for those inside not to be aware thatsomething was wrong.He had to stop them before they sent out an emergency call that would bringthe scattered patrol boats down on top of him.He nearly ran down two men as he rounded the corner."What ?" one of them managed to saybefore the nunchaku caught him across the face.With a yelp the other jumped to the side, firing a dartpistol wildly in Jensen's direction.The blackcollar felt a cluster of needles ricochet from his hiddenflexarmor as he dived for the ground, his leg sweeping horizontally to knock the legs out from underhis opponent.The other fell heavily, his pistol flying from his hand.Two more quick blows with theflail and Jensen was again racing for the tent entrance, jamming the nunchaku into his belt as hescooped a handful of throwing stars from their pouch.The flap which was the entrance was wideopen; hoping fervently that there were no obstructions to the side of it, he dived through the opening.They were waiting for him, of course: three men standing well back from the entrance withweapons ready.But they'd clearly expected him to come straight in, and his sideways dive took themby surprise [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]