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"Comm-interference is gone again," Parrel said excitedly. "Frequencies are
clear."
"Hail the commander," Cotta ordered.
GRANT BRACED HIMSELF against a wall as a series of concussions shook the floor
beneath him.
He thought the light flickered, but since it was so dim he wasn't
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Outer Darkness
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315
certain. He had no idea what caused the floor and walls to rock, then Cotta's
voice filtered into his ear.
The man quickly brought him up-to-date on what had happened. "Commander Kane
doesn't respond,"
Cotta concluded.
Grant only asked, "What's our weapon status?"
"PBL re-energizing, and we're reloading the Shrike tubes. But our sensors show
a lot activity down there. Think it might be repairing the damage? Orders?"
Inhaling a deep breath, Grant said, "Give me fifteen minutes. If you haven't
heard from me or the commander by then, your orders are to resume your attack
on the sphere."
"Aye, sir." Cotta's voice was thick with worry. ' 'But what about you?''
"I'll let you know."
THROUGH SHIFTING GRAY MIST in his eyes, and over the sound of a waterfall,
Kane saw and heard Thrush lean over him. Also, on the very fringes of his
awareness, he heard what he thought was
Cotta's voice shouting for him to respond.
"Call your ship, Kane." Thrash spoke in a low tone. "Order them to withdraw."
Hoarsely, Kane said, "Why?"
"They've inflicted damage to the hub. They have no idea of the repercussions.
For your own sake and that of your friends, order your ship to stand down."
"No." He spoke in a strangulated wheeze. "Let them blow it to hell."
Snarling, Thrush backhanded him across the face, slamming nun against the
wall. Blood sprang from split lips. "I did not factor their attack into my
calculations, Kane. I have no contingency plan."
"Improvise one," Kane mumbled. "But you don't have that ability, do you?
You're nothing but a machine intelligence with an attitude."
Thrush knelt down beside Kane, yanking his head back by his hair. In a
gloating croon, he said, "And it is that machine intelligence that will
overwhelm your own. I will force you to call your ship."
Thrush lifted the first two fingers of his left hand. From the tips sprang
tiny hairlike filaments. "You're strong. You pride yourself on that. You think
you can withstand physical punishment, no matter how painful. Perhaps you
could. But there are other ways, quicker, surer ways, and even a strong man
has no defense against them."
With a swift, thrusting motion, Thrush drove his fingers against Kane's
forehead. He started to struggle, but the pain of the filaments piercing his
skin, burrowing through the bone, consumed him, paralyzing nun. He felt Thrush
enter his mind like a wisp of smoke poisonously subtle, cruel and cold with a
primal reptilian disdain.
A dark confusion rose hi him. The veins of his temples stood out like knotted
cords. He felt pressure as of something bursting, breaking its bonds, tearing
itself free.
FAND'S HUGE EYES SNAPPED wide, gazing at nothing, but with an intensity that
made Brigid recoil.
"Ka'in," she whispered.
She whirled on Brigid. "You must help me. Ka'in needs us. Both of us."
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Outer Darkness
317
Some of her frightened urgency communicated itself to Brigid. "What should we
do?"
Fand grasped the base of the trapezohedron. "Do as I do. Quickly now!"
Stepping to the pedestal, Brigid started to touch the stone, then demanded
suspiciously, "How will this help?"
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"Ka'in needs the strength we can siphon from ourselves, using his link to the
stone, to us, as a conduit.
You are linked with your Ka'in's mind. Through you, I will be able to reach my
Ka'in and help them both."
Brigid hesitated a moment, then Balam's description of the stone's nature
leaped into the forefront of her memory. He had said that, as in any form of
electromagnetic energy exchange, there were broadcasters and receivers and
conductors.
He had referred to the shining trapezohedron as a conductor. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]