Read Online Slave of the Legion by Marshall S. Thomas - Free Book Online
Authors: Marshall S. Thomas
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DefCorps A-suits appeared on my tacmap, suddenly on us, my God, 20 mikes, so close I could already see one visually right through the silt, a wavering green ghost, leading the march. Adrenalin shot through my veins. I raised my E and snapped off the safety. We were still on the bottom of the river, sleeping in a great mass of tangled debris, almost buried in the mud and weeds, side by side, fields of fire already set.
"Nobody move!" Snow Leopard hissed. "They may miss us! Let them go if they don't spot us!" My heart thumped wildly. Fifteen mikes! How could they miss us? I snapped the E to auto xmax and the indicator lit up on my faceplate. Two of them now, walking upstream, fighting a swift current, leaning forward, their Systie armor a greenish bronze in the darksight, Systie SG's across their chests, the power of the cosmos. More of them! Three, four, five, emerging from the sparkling haze like phantoms, plodding forward patiently, intent on the march.
"I have nine…I have ten," Sweety whispered in my ear. "Ten DefCorps troopers, SG's on safe!"
SG's on safe! They were completely unaware of our presence! We were half buried in the mud, obscured by dead sunken trees and a forest of shimmering weeds and our own camfax and the swirling chaff from the mineral-laden silt.
"Easy, easy…let them pass," Snow Leopard whispered. "If they don't react, don't fire." I was bathed in ice cold sweat. I could see more of them now. They were so close I could almost have reached out and touched them. They were walking the riverbed, passing us right by, a whole DefCorps squad. Green ghosts slowly filing past, the river washing debris all around them, a school of silver fish parting to avoid them. One move, one twitch, just one SG safety snapping off and the river would explode and boil with xmax and laser and multiple tacstars, rising up at once, and it would be a river of blood. I knew Psycho was salivating behind his Manlink, all safeties off, set to fire auto tacstar, his evil blue eyes glowing in the dark.
"They don't see us, gang. Let 'em go, let 'em go."
There was only Snow Leopard's voice in our ears. Everyone else was stunned into silence. The Systie with the Manlink plodded along like the others, a long, long march, one step at a time, leaning into the current, just one foot after the other, for hours and hours and hours.
They passed us by. Passed us by! I could hardly believe it. We watched them move upriver, into the silty current and out of sight. A DefCorps squad! We lay there in the mud, the weeds swirling around us. In moments the Systies were only a vague blur on the tacmap.
Snow Leopard spoke again. "All right, they're out of range. It's over." I set the safety on my E. My muscles were all tied in knots.
"What the hell has a guy got to do to get some sleep around here?" Psycho asked wearily.
"There'll be no more sleep," Snow Leopard responded. "It's almost dawn. And our plans have just changed. We're not taking the river. We're going overland."
"In daylight?"
"In daylight. Let's go—everybody up!"
"What's the story, One?" Valkyrie asked. "What was that Systie squad doing here?"
"I don't know," Snow Leopard replied, "but I don't like it."
"But what do you think, One?" Merlin asked. "What are they up to?"
"I think they were looking for us," Snow Leopard said. "Let's go."
"Looking for us!" Speedy exclaimed. "But I thought we were on the same side, against the O's! How do you know they weren't reinforcements?"
"Cut the chatter," Snow Leopard snapped. "Tamaling, did you pick up anything useful back there?" We were up and moving now, following our One, heading for the east bank.
"I'm sorry, One. Nothing useful. I was asleep and… no, nothing useful." Tara was probably kicking herself for not being on top of things.
"But how can we go out there in the daylight?" Speedy continued. "They'll spot us for sure!"
"Silence in the ranks!" Valkyrie ordered. A DefCorps squad, I thought. Looking for us! It was bad enough
"Nobody move!" Snow Leopard hissed. "They may miss us! Let them go if they don't spot us!" My heart thumped wildly. Fifteen mikes! How could they miss us? I snapped the E to auto xmax and the indicator lit up on my faceplate. Two of them now, walking upstream, fighting a swift current, leaning forward, their Systie armor a greenish bronze in the darksight, Systie SG's across their chests, the power of the cosmos. More of them! Three, four, five, emerging from the sparkling haze like phantoms, plodding forward patiently, intent on the march.
"I have nine…I have ten," Sweety whispered in my ear. "Ten DefCorps troopers, SG's on safe!"
SG's on safe! They were completely unaware of our presence! We were half buried in the mud, obscured by dead sunken trees and a forest of shimmering weeds and our own camfax and the swirling chaff from the mineral-laden silt.
"Easy, easy…let them pass," Snow Leopard whispered. "If they don't react, don't fire." I was bathed in ice cold sweat. I could see more of them now. They were so close I could almost have reached out and touched them. They were walking the riverbed, passing us right by, a whole DefCorps squad. Green ghosts slowly filing past, the river washing debris all around them, a school of silver fish parting to avoid them. One move, one twitch, just one SG safety snapping off and the river would explode and boil with xmax and laser and multiple tacstars, rising up at once, and it would be a river of blood. I knew Psycho was salivating behind his Manlink, all safeties off, set to fire auto tacstar, his evil blue eyes glowing in the dark.
"They don't see us, gang. Let 'em go, let 'em go."
There was only Snow Leopard's voice in our ears. Everyone else was stunned into silence. The Systie with the Manlink plodded along like the others, a long, long march, one step at a time, leaning into the current, just one foot after the other, for hours and hours and hours.
They passed us by. Passed us by! I could hardly believe it. We watched them move upriver, into the silty current and out of sight. A DefCorps squad! We lay there in the mud, the weeds swirling around us. In moments the Systies were only a vague blur on the tacmap.
Snow Leopard spoke again. "All right, they're out of range. It's over." I set the safety on my E. My muscles were all tied in knots.
"What the hell has a guy got to do to get some sleep around here?" Psycho asked wearily.
"There'll be no more sleep," Snow Leopard responded. "It's almost dawn. And our plans have just changed. We're not taking the river. We're going overland."
"In daylight?"
"In daylight. Let's go—everybody up!"
"What's the story, One?" Valkyrie asked. "What was that Systie squad doing here?"
"I don't know," Snow Leopard replied, "but I don't like it."
"But what do you think, One?" Merlin asked. "What are they up to?"
"I think they were looking for us," Snow Leopard said. "Let's go."
"Looking for us!" Speedy exclaimed. "But I thought we were on the same side, against the O's! How do you know they weren't reinforcements?"
"Cut the chatter," Snow Leopard snapped. "Tamaling, did you pick up anything useful back there?" We were up and moving now, following our One, heading for the east bank.
"I'm sorry, One. Nothing useful. I was asleep and… no, nothing useful." Tara was probably kicking herself for not being on top of things.
"But how can we go out there in the daylight?" Speedy continued. "They'll spot us for sure!"
"Silence in the ranks!" Valkyrie ordered. A DefCorps squad, I thought. Looking for us! It was bad enough
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