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"I tell you, I barely touched the woman!" Scott shot back angrily, face
reddening at the thought of how he longed to caress her.
"Su-uure, Scott," Rook teased. "Probably just your sexual magnetism."
She looked to Marlene, who was gazing into empty air. "This might be a good
sign, though, if she's having flashbacks or something; maybe it means her
memory's returning."
"I hope so," Scott said, but he wondered if he really did, or if he
would be sorry on the day that happened.
Marlene abruptly clutched at her hair. "I feel them coming closer!
They're here!"
But the thunder of the attack had already made the Humans look up. Down
through the clouds plunged Corg and Sera, leading their Pincer Ships and Shock
Troopers. "Invid squadron heading this way!" Rand hollered, bounding out of
his beach chair.
"Invid," Marlene was moaning. "Reflex Point...Regis..."
"We're out of time, but I think we can still make a break for it," Scott
said, tight-lipped. "I'll run the boats. Rand, Rook: suit up and make sure
you're ready for my signal."
They snapped to it, fast as any Mars Division elite troops, sprinting
away, feet throwing up sand. Scott grabbed for Marlene's arm, but this time
she showed no reaction to his touch.
The Invid completed several sweeps of the island, preparing to go in
closer. Then they noticed the pair of PT boats moving out to sea at maximum
speed.
Corg felt delighted at the chance to slay Humans. With voice and arm
signals, he ordered the attack. Pincer Ships followed him for the first pass.
Scott, on shore, watched and did his best to evade the enemy's strafing runs,
but the jury-rigged remote controls were slow in responding.
Rand and Rook rushed to get into their armor, dragging the camouflage
nets off their VTs even while Lunk was working, with infuriating
deliberateness, to finish the last of his repairs on Rook's Alpha.
Two passes had both PTs leaking smoke and had blown open the weather
bridge on one. Receiving no counterfire, the Invid dropped lower to recon.
They saw the boat's wheel moving with no living hand upon it, and noted the
remote transmissions it was receiving.
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The Regis's voice spoke from their computer/commo net. "Scanners reveal
no Human units in target vessels. Warning! Possible strategic entrapment
maneuver!"
Scott figured he had played the possum hand for just about all it was
worth. Here we go; firing all missiles.
The team had loaded the PT boats' racks with surface-to-air missiles,
since surface-to-surface combat was unlikely. Now the launchers rose and
traversed and targeted. Guided by their radars, the racks emptied, and sixteen
Tarpon heat-seekers came boiling and corkscrewing up at the Invid. Caught by
surprise, three of the Pincer Ships were blown to bits. The rest went into
evasive maneuvers.
Corg studied the situation. The computer delivered its analysis in the
Regis's voice. "Tracking sensors place origin of remote control transmissions
at coordinates delta 6-5. Presence of Human life-form at that location is also
confirmed. "
Corg's optical sensor showed him another ocean craft, a bigger one,
docked at a quay under a sheltering boatyard roof. Corg dove toward it, with
the Pincer Ships and, eventually, Sera failing in behind.
Scott watched as they neared the island.
Lancer charged into the clearing where the VTs were being readied for
flight. "I just found out-something horrible," he panted.
Rand was armored, helmet in hands. "What is it? We just sprang the
trap!"
"The repairs are all finished and it's time to scramble," Rook added.
"What's the problem now?"
Lancer gave them a devastated look. "I just found out that the Invid are
using Human pilots!"
Scott sat behind the controls of the cutter's main gun battery, in the
forward turret. The pumped-laser cannon was outmoded by Mars Division
standards, but it still delivered a terrific shot.
Corg and Sera, dodging the cannon blasts, homed in on the cutter like
angry dragonflies. Scott had already shot down one Pincer Ship, but these new
mecha were frustratingly fast and maneuverable. Their annihilation disc shots [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]