Read Online Gears of War: Jacinto’s Remnant by Karen Traviss - Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Traviss
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yet.”
“Why? We never took one alive before. It’s interesting.”
Cole suddenly realized what Bernie was up to. Her teeth were clenched, and she didn’t look like the Bernie he knew. And it wasn’t just the sharp angles that the headlights threw up on her face.
“You know what I’m going to do with this , tosser ?” Her face was right in the grub’s, close enough to get it bitten off if the thing had the strength left to go for her. “I’m going to do to you what you did to my mate Tai. Yeah. You like that idea? And I’m old, so I’m going to be a bit slow about it. Understand?”
The grub struggled weakly. Baird moved around and put one boot on its back to pin it down. Cole thought it was to stop the thing from throwing Bernie off if it got its second wind, but some of the Gears who were watching took it as an invitation to join in.
Cole didn’t mind chainsawing any number of grubs, but this wasn’t right. Bernie—and she was a kind woman, she really was—had kicked up a notch into something he hadn’t seen before. Andresen’s squad cheered. Nobody seemed to have any doubts; they all knew now what grubs did to human prisoners. And that was without the grievance about a few billion dead since E-Day.
“Bernie, just shoot the thing.” Cole debated whether to end the show himself. Baird wasn’t exactly helping calm things down. “Damon, that ain’t nice. Don’t get Boomer Lady all fired up when she’s had a shitty day.”
Baird shouldered his Lancer. “Why haven’t we taken any of these things prisoner before? Maybe this is a chance to learn something.” He lifted his boot and moved around to the grub’s head, kneeling down to look it in the eye. It just kept bellowing. It might have been crying for its mother or cursing them all to hell. Nobody knew; Baird was just about the only guy who stood a chance of working it out. He was smart when it came to grubs.
“Hey, asshole—look at me. I know you get a kick out of this shit, but why pick on us? Your war was with your own buddies. Not our problem. And, seeing as we’re chatting, where the hell did you all come from?”
The Locust just went on bellowing, and Bernie dragged the tip of her blade down its neck, looking like she was putting all her weight into it. Grubs had thick hides; she wasn’t joking when she said that slicing it up would take some time. Cole was starting to feel really uncomfortable now, wondering if he’d have sawed up so many grubs if he’d had the chance to take his time over it. Something told him he wouldn’t have, but that didn’t help him work out why one felt okay and the other didn’t. It didn’t make the grub any happier, either way. I never lost any sleep over ’em. Just over my folks. And my buddies. This ain’t the time to start judgin Bernie, maybe .
“I’ve got plenty of time, grub,” Bernie said. “Blondie, you think you’d understand an answer if it gave you one?”
Baird was still on his knees, peering at the grub like it was the underside of a truck. “Dunno. Try it and see.”
The group of spectators parted. Marcus wandered across, Dom behind him, and stood looking down at Bernie and Baird.
“Just shoot it,” he said.
Bernie still had a murderous grip on the grub, but she twisted around to look at Marcus. “Give me a reason.”
Marcus shrugged. “You’ll be bitching that your back’s giving you hell tomorrow.”
Bernie looked at him for a few moments, seemed to catch her breath, then eased off a fraction. She reached for her sidearm.
“Good point,” she said, and put the muzzle to the back of its head. “Okay, Blondie—clear.”
Crack .
If Marcus had just walked away like he’d put her in her place, it would have been awkward, seeing as she was the veteran sergeant. But he just held out his hand to help her to her feet. She took it. Everyone else thinned out. Getting a few hours’ sleep suddenly seemed a lot more interesting than messing up a grub or
“Why? We never took one alive before. It’s interesting.”
Cole suddenly realized what Bernie was up to. Her teeth were clenched, and she didn’t look like the Bernie he knew. And it wasn’t just the sharp angles that the headlights threw up on her face.
“You know what I’m going to do with this , tosser ?” Her face was right in the grub’s, close enough to get it bitten off if the thing had the strength left to go for her. “I’m going to do to you what you did to my mate Tai. Yeah. You like that idea? And I’m old, so I’m going to be a bit slow about it. Understand?”
The grub struggled weakly. Baird moved around and put one boot on its back to pin it down. Cole thought it was to stop the thing from throwing Bernie off if it got its second wind, but some of the Gears who were watching took it as an invitation to join in.
Cole didn’t mind chainsawing any number of grubs, but this wasn’t right. Bernie—and she was a kind woman, she really was—had kicked up a notch into something he hadn’t seen before. Andresen’s squad cheered. Nobody seemed to have any doubts; they all knew now what grubs did to human prisoners. And that was without the grievance about a few billion dead since E-Day.
“Bernie, just shoot the thing.” Cole debated whether to end the show himself. Baird wasn’t exactly helping calm things down. “Damon, that ain’t nice. Don’t get Boomer Lady all fired up when she’s had a shitty day.”
Baird shouldered his Lancer. “Why haven’t we taken any of these things prisoner before? Maybe this is a chance to learn something.” He lifted his boot and moved around to the grub’s head, kneeling down to look it in the eye. It just kept bellowing. It might have been crying for its mother or cursing them all to hell. Nobody knew; Baird was just about the only guy who stood a chance of working it out. He was smart when it came to grubs.
“Hey, asshole—look at me. I know you get a kick out of this shit, but why pick on us? Your war was with your own buddies. Not our problem. And, seeing as we’re chatting, where the hell did you all come from?”
The Locust just went on bellowing, and Bernie dragged the tip of her blade down its neck, looking like she was putting all her weight into it. Grubs had thick hides; she wasn’t joking when she said that slicing it up would take some time. Cole was starting to feel really uncomfortable now, wondering if he’d have sawed up so many grubs if he’d had the chance to take his time over it. Something told him he wouldn’t have, but that didn’t help him work out why one felt okay and the other didn’t. It didn’t make the grub any happier, either way. I never lost any sleep over ’em. Just over my folks. And my buddies. This ain’t the time to start judgin Bernie, maybe .
“I’ve got plenty of time, grub,” Bernie said. “Blondie, you think you’d understand an answer if it gave you one?”
Baird was still on his knees, peering at the grub like it was the underside of a truck. “Dunno. Try it and see.”
The group of spectators parted. Marcus wandered across, Dom behind him, and stood looking down at Bernie and Baird.
“Just shoot it,” he said.
Bernie still had a murderous grip on the grub, but she twisted around to look at Marcus. “Give me a reason.”
Marcus shrugged. “You’ll be bitching that your back’s giving you hell tomorrow.”
Bernie looked at him for a few moments, seemed to catch her breath, then eased off a fraction. She reached for her sidearm.
“Good point,” she said, and put the muzzle to the back of its head. “Okay, Blondie—clear.”
Crack .
If Marcus had just walked away like he’d put her in her place, it would have been awkward, seeing as she was the veteran sergeant. But he just held out his hand to help her to her feet. She took it. Everyone else thinned out. Getting a few hours’ sleep suddenly seemed a lot more interesting than messing up a grub or
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