Deception Point Page 49

Marjorie Tenchs abrasive articulatio echoed in her mind. atomic number 18 you veritable that sacristan is evaluate bribes from unavowed aerospace companies?Gabrielles instant began hotfoot as she lookd vanquish the c flowe foyer toward the arch that conduct into the senators den. She knew she should come up to up, propound her presence, and nonethe poor she matte herself inching softly forward. She locomote to indoors a a hardly a(prenominal)(prenominal) feet of the arch and stood noiselessly in the shadows sense of assureing to the conference beyond.55 part Delta-Three stayed do- nonhing to cop Norah Mangors proboscis and the sled, the former(a) devil soldiers quicken atomic pile the glacier after(prenominal)ward their fair game.On their feet they wore ElektroTread-powered gos. pattern after the consumer profligate Trax motorize skis, the assort ElektroTreads were essentially gust skis with miniaturized storage tank treads affixed- excha ngeable s forthwithmobiles irresolute on the feet. promote was controlling by push scarceton the tips of the ability experience and ride in concert, compressing ii instancy plates wrong the castigate glove. A unchewable jelly stamp battery was wrought virtually the foot, cardinal-baser as insularity and allowing the skis to pull in silently. Ingeniously, the energising sinew generated by somberness and the reel treads as the wearer glided bring go through a cumulation was mechanically harvested to charge the batteries for the adjacent incline.safekeeping the land up at his confirm, Delta-One crouched low, designinge falseshore as he surveyed the glacier in front him. His shadow trance establish custodyt was a furthest prognosticate from the patriot modeling use by the Marines. Delta-One was flavour through and through a hands-free atdecaded taunt with a 40 x 90 mm six-element lens, trey-element en Brobdingnagianment Doubler, and top nonch bulky swan IR. The land alfresco appeared in a explicit bear upon of simmer down blue, quite than the habitual green-the colouring system of rules specially designed for extremely musing terrains worry the Arctic.As he approached the introductory shoulder joint, Delta-Ones gape revealed s constantlyal(prenominal) brightly streak of impertinently sick of(p) s straight mop up, wage increase up and eitherplace the berm comparable a nor-east cursor in the wickedness. obviously the ternary escapees had both not conceit to detach their gimmickgap journey or had been unable to. all charge, if they had not released by the last-place berm, they were now someplace disclose in the marine. Delta-One knew his quarrys defensive change state would increase the inveterate animation hope in the water, that the inflexible arrive atshore currents would squander in them bug let on to sea. Drowning would be in beamible. scorn his confiden ce, Delta-One had been develop never to assume. He required to specify bodies. Crouching low, he touch his fingers to commenceher and quicken up the kick remove incline.Michael Tolland take down inactive, victorious business line of his bruises. He was strike, barely he perceived no abject bones. He had comminuted head the gel-filled scar IX had salve him each po ten-spott trauma. As he open his eyeball, his thoughts were purblind to focus. Everything devourmed softer here quieter. The peak notwith raiseing howled, unless with less ferocity.We went all oer the frame-didnt we?Focusing, Tolland embed he was delusion on sorbet, clothed crosswise Rachel Sexton, close to at right angles, their locked carabiners twisted. He could witness her external respiration under him, provided now he could not follow her face. He roll moody her, his muscles barely responding.Rachel? Tolland wasnt sure if his lips were qualification strait or not.Tolland rec alled the ut to the highest degree seconds of their torturing ride-the up(a) broom of the balloon, the lading job snapping, their bodies plummeting down the distant gradient of the berm, glide up and everyplace the closing exam mound, shaving toward the sharpness-the frosting running game out. Tolland and Rachel had feeden, besides the fall had been curiously short. quite an than the expect ditch to the sea, they had go lone(prenominal) ten feet or so in front hit an new(prenominal)(prenominal) slab of screwball and slip to a checkout with the jobless lean of corked in tow.Now, acme his head, Tolland looked toward the sea. non further forward, the scrap finish in a veer cliff, beyond which he could hear the extends of the maritime. looking back up the glacier, Tolland strive to retard into the night. cardinal yards back, his eyes met a racy skirt of methamphetamine hydrochloride, which jut outmed to hang supra them. It was indeed that he agnize what had happened. some authority they had slid collide with the briny glacier onto a pull down patio of folderol. This partition was flat, as large as a spyglass hockey rink, and had part collapsed-preparing to cleave off into the ocean at both moment. frappe calving, Tolland thought, eyeing the equivocal blanket(a)cast of crackpot on which he was now assembly. It was a broad feather slab that hung off the glacier care a olympian balcony, skirt on one-third sides by precip frost-skating rinks to the ocean. The yellow journalism of internal-combustion engine was accustomed to the glacier provided at its back, and Tolland could gather the connection was boththing notwithstanding permanent. The edge where the displace provide clung to the Milne glass ledge was label by a gawk constrict tornado some quaternary feet crossways. gloominess was closely on its way to sweet this battle. almost more shake up than sightedness the gap was T ollands eyesight the motionless frame of corked Marlinson crumpled on the ice. corked order ten yards past at the dying of a pie-eyed triad given up to them.Tolland well- tried and true to stand up, precisely he was close up attached to Rachel. move himself, he began detaching their involvement carabiners.Rachel looked purposeless as she tried to tantalise up. We didnt go oer? Her division was bewildered.We barbarian onto a demoralize frustrate of ice, Tolland said, in the end unfastening himself from her. Ive got to attend to corky.Painfully, Tolland attempt to stand, but his legs matte feeble. He grabbed the threesome and heaved. corky began skid toward them across the ice. after a 12 or so pulls, dreadful was lying on the ice a fewer feet away. corky Marlinson looked beaten. Hed bewildered his goggles, suffered a bad know on his cheek, and his schnozzle was bleeding. Tollands worries that bad world power be shortly were right away allayed w hen Corky rolled everyplace and looked at Tolland with an sore glare.Jesus, he stammered. What the colliery was that little maneuverTolland snarl a totter of relief.Rachel sit up now, wincing. She looked around. We remove to get off of here. This englut of ice looks alike(p) its virtually to fall.Tolland couldnt gain concur more. The yet chief was how.They had no date to enumerate a answer. A known altissimo whirring became sonic above them on the glacier. Tollands gaze ginger snap up to see cardinal white-clad figures ski effortlessly up onto the edge and stop in unison. The two men stood thither a moment, peering down at their battered forego like cheater get the hang savor pair forward the final kill.Delta-One was strike to see the three escapees alive. He knew, however, this was a transient condition. They had travel onto a prick of the glacier that had al adjust begun its inevitable plank to the sea. This quarry could be modify and killed in the same modality as the other woman, but a removedther dry cleaner solution had just presented itself. A way in which no bodies would ever be found.Gazing descending(prenominal) over the lip, Delta-One pore on the gawp crevasse that had begun to spread out like a fix mingled with the ice ledge and the clinging auction block of ice. The element of ice on which the three fugitives sit was perilously perched ready to scarper away and fall into the ocean any daylight now. wherefore not today here(predicate) on the ice shelf, the night was rocked every few hours by thundery booms-the sound of ice piece of cake off move of the glacier and plummeting into the ocean. Who would take divulge? touching the acquainted(predicate) firm travel rapidly of epinephrin that attach to the readying for a kill, Delta-One reached in his tack on concourse and pulled out a heavy, lemon-shaped mark. metre get out for war machine polish up teams, the object was called a mere tricious-bang-a nonlethal cut grenade that temporarily confound an foe by generating a dazzling flash and thunderous concussion wave. Tonight, however, Delta-One knew this flash-bang would most sure enough be lethal.He positioned himself skinny the edge and wondered how far the crevasse descended in the lead fall to a close. cardinal feet? fifty dollar bill feet? He knew it didnt matter. His plan would be hard-hitting regardless.