"Gordon, Steve - Insectoid 03 - Death to the Insectoids!" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gordon Steve)

boost.
The officer had orders to take the Croft pest dead or alive. But
the officer was taking no chances. Its troops had orders to shoot to
disintegrate. If all went well the officer might even be permitted to
reproduce.
"Attack," said the officer in a neutral clicking voice.
The troopers moved in. They simultaneously closed in from all
directions. They saw a crack in the wall that looked like a hidden
door. The Insectoids bunched around the entrance, their weapons at the
ready. The trooper in the lead pushed the door open and-
A fireball blasted its way out of the generator and engulfed the
troopers. The Insectoid officer, at the edge of the explosion, was
thrown off its feet. As it painfully struggled to get up, the sight of
the burned body parts, splattered globs of green blood, and the screams
of the dying troopers occupied its senses. There would be no chance of
reproducing now. The officer would be lucky if it wasn't summarily
dismembered.
A video monitor in a room half a mile in another direction
clearly showed the fiery remains on the factory floor. The monitor also
showed the faint reflection of the face intently watching the burned
Insectoid body parts scattered across the factory floor. A face that
was very much wanted.
Clifford Croft watched the scene with a measure of satisfaction.
He wouldn't be that easy to catch; and if they ever did catch him, they
would pay a higher price than that.
Croft reflected on the situation. Most of his allies had been
caught or killed. General Markov. Markov's men. The Silencer. Preston.
He continued to watch the scene, burning the image into his mind.
The only thing he felt was anger. He had known Preston for decades. The
Silencer had saved his life countless times.
Croft suddenly heard a clap behind him, then another, then
another. Without turning, he said, "Thanks for the applause."
The Clapper continued to clap. He had some sort of mental
illness that caused him to clap when he was nervous, or bored, or
agitated, or whatever. The Silencer had managed to curb the Clapper's
urge to clap by sheer force of intimidation, but now-
Croft suddenly turned around, a look of annoyance in his eyes.
The Clapper froze, in midclap. He was a powerful telekinetic, but was
too timid to use his powers against allies. The same, however, could
not be said of his companions.
"Where's Red?" said Croft, looking around. The only one in the
small room besides them was Sashay, who was keeping an eye on the door.
"She went out," said Sashay. "She thought she heard something in
the corridor."
"When was this?" said Croft. He elbowed Sashay away from the
door.
"A few minutes ago," said Sashay.
And she wasn't back yet? Croft bit his lip as he looked down the
gloomy corridor. Despite his bravado, he realized they were being
chased and hunted down by an enemy who outnumbered and outgunned them