"13 Sentinels 01 - The Devils Hand" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

"No can do, Skull One, my systems are down! Reconfiguring and going for touchdown..."
Max was heading back toward the Hall again, and could see the Guardian-mode VT falling. But all at once there were three bizarre shapes on the shrine steps-headless, demonic-looking bipedal mecha, with dangling arms and orifice-dimpled weapon spheres.
"You've got company, Blue Velvet!" Max shouted the pilot's call sign twice more, but got no response. The Alpha was preparing to land when the creatures opened fire and blew it off course.
Max watched helplessly as the Veritech grazed the edge of the pyramid and exploded, raining fiery debris down the Hall's steep side.
"Hit them!" Max ordered.
Missiles dropped from the Veritechs' undercarriage pylons and ripped in twisting tracks toward the Inorganics, only to detonate harmlessly against the Hall's repellent dome. But the enemy could fire through the shield and did, catching a second VT before Max could order the team away. He was trying to decide what to do next, when one of his wingmen came on the net. "Skull Leader, I'm picking up two friendly blips down below."
Max listened for the coordinates, tipped his Alpha, and leaned over to take a look. "You sure they're friendly?"
"Affirmative. The IFF says they're Hovercycles. They're approaching the Hall."
Hovercycles, now what the...Max said to himself. "All right," he said, "let's go down and see what's cooking."

"Wha-hoo!" Jack shouted, throttling the Hovercycle down a slope of arid ground and onto one of Tiresia's central spokes. "Life in the fast lane!"
"Idiot," Karen muttered to herself, goosing the handbar grip in an attempt to catch up with him. "He's going to get us both killed."
The cycles were face-effect vehicles, with conventional grips, right-angled bars rising up and back from a single shaft, and a front Hover-foot that resembled an old-fashioned carpet sweeper. The seat and backrest was a sweeping, padded affair, and although the cycles were built for one, the rear storage deck could accommodate a second rider if need be. They were fast, silent, and maneuverable, but essentially weaponless.
"What are you trying to prove?" Karen said, coming up alongside Jack's cycle. "Is this a rescue op or a joyride?"
Jack glanced over at her and began to lay out his philosophy about how self-confidence was what mattered most; but instead of listening she was just looking at him wide-eyed, and the next thing he knew, she had her handgun raised and aimed in his general direction.
"Duck!" she yelled, firing off two quick bursts that nearly parted Jack's carrot-colored hair.
"Jeez!" he said, when they'd brought the cycles to a halt. "Whaddaya think-"
"Take a look at that."
Jack twisted around in the seat and spied the Inorganic Karen's shot had neatly holed. Still on its feet and slumped against a wall, the thing reminded him of a character from an old cartoon. "Tasmanian devil," Jack recalled, snapping his finger, as the Crann slid to the smooth street.
"Is it alive?" Karen asked, looking around warily.
"Not any more."
"But what is it?"
"I don't know," Jack said, bringing the Wolverine off his shoulder, "but there's three more of them coming our way."
Karen reholstered her sidearm and followed Jack's lead. Suddenly, half-a-dozen blue energy bolts were zipping past her, impacting against a wall and sending up a shower of white-hot gunk. A blast of superheated air washed over her, stinging her eyes and nose while she brought the assault rifle to bear on the drones.
Jack was already firing; his rounds had managed to connect with one of the Inorganics, and Karen watched as the thing flashed out and crumbled, as though hollow. An in start later the other two went down, breaking open like ceramic figurines.
"Let's get out of here!" Jack yelled, as bolts began to rain down on them from surrounding rooftops.
Karen kept up with him, piloting the cycle one-handed while she loosed an arc of rear fire, dropping two more Cranns with well-placed sensor shots. "What now?" she said, her voice raspy from the heat, smoke, and all the shouting.
Jack motioned up the street, toward a small mountain of a structure. "Straight ahead. That's the Hall. The message originated from somewhere underground. I figure there's gotta be a way down."
"You figure," Karen said in disbelief. "I'm for turning back."
"Uh-uh. But I am for turning!"
Karen looked up: ten or more Inorganics were blocking the street. Their weapons were raised.

Perplexed, Cabell regarded the weapon Rem had given him; he fumbled with the rifle's selector lever. "Like this?"
"No, no, Cabell," Rem said, close to losing his patience. "Like this," he demonstrated, activating his own weapon.
Cabel mimicked Rem's movements. "Ah, I see...and you hold it like, er, you put your right, hand, um, let's see, you-"
"Give me that thing!" Rem snapped, snatching the rifle from the old man's hands. Cabell was offering him a imbecilic shrug. "You'll probably vaporize your own foot."
"I wouldn't doubt it for a moment," Cabell agreed. "I'm sorry, I've never had any talent for the fine art of combat. Why, back when the Masters were first-"
"Save it, Cabell. Are we going or not?"
Cabell took one long last look around the room. Still-functioning remotes had permitted them to view the Humans' recon attempt, and later, their failure to breach the barrier shield the Invid computer had deployed. But with Inorganics closing on the subterranean lab now, there was no time for further monitoring of the situation. Cabell had insisted that they not be caught in the lab. The Pollinators would be his gift to the Invid; with them and some seedling Flowers, perhaps they could refoliate ravaged Optera, end this incessant killing...
"Well, what have we here?" Cabell said suddenly.
Rem came back into the lab, cursing, and found the scientist pointing to one of the screens. Here were two Humans just outside the force field, a male and a female, straddling strange-looking Hovercrafts.
"Could they be searching for us, Rem?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Rem answered him, tugging Cabell into the corridor. They could hear the Inorganics nearby, blasting through corridor walls and breaking into rooms.
"But they could be looking for us."
Rem continued to drag Cabell down the corridor. "Fine, fine..."
Cabell reached for one of Rem's weapons. "Then let's just go out and meet them."


CHAPTER ELEVEN
Finally all the principal players had been introduced to one another: Masters and Invid, Zentraedi and Humans. Humans and Invid, Humans and Masters. Surely this was Protoculture's doing; but what would make the contest especially bizarre was the fact that not one of those players had all the puzzle pieces. It was a mad, mad, mad, mad world.