"Jack McKinney - Robotech 12 - Symphony of Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

"It'll get better when we get into the trees," Rand had assured her. "I can't promise you
a fire right away, but at least you'll be out of this wind."
At this point Rand had no real plan beyond finding temporary shelter where they could
regain some of their strength. All of them had taken a beating, and Rook had some severe facial
burns. Rand didn't imagine that Scott and Lunk were in much better shape, and even though Lancer
had been spared real harm, he had Marlene to look out for, which was in some ways worse than being
out there alone. Rand had berated himself for having left his survival pack in the Alpha. For the
past few weeks he had been complaining to Scott that everyone was becoming too reliant on the
mecha systems for survival, and now here he was out in the woods with nothing more than a handgun
and his fenceman's tool. But a few steps down the, forest's wide trail his attitude began to
improve considerably, especially after he spied the snare.
Evidently at one time the place had been occupied by others who were less than sympathetic
to the Invid. There were three small, almost igloolike shelters containing foodstuffs, tools, and
lengths of cord and cable, but more important, the trees along the trail had been rigged to repel
intruders.
Rand left Annie in Rook's care in one of the shelters and went off into the moonlight to
investigate. That the designers of the traps had been after big game was immediately obvious, but
each of the tree and cable mechanisms was in need of attention, and Rand realized that he was
going to have to work fast if the snares were to serve their purpose. So while Rook and Annie
warmed themselves, he went to work replacing worn cables, resecuring counterbalances, and
sharpening stakes. He had to fell several medium-size trees, but he had been careful to select
only those that would topple with the least amount of noise. And thus far there had been no sign
of the Invid.
He was busy on a final piece of handiwork now, down on his knees in the snow using cutters
on the cable that guyed the central snare.
"Aren't you finished yet?" he heard Rook ask behind him.
He turned from his task to give her a wry look. She was ten feet away, arms folded and a
smirk on her face. "Hope you and Mint have been comfortable," he answered with elaborate concern.
Rook made an affected gesture. "Oh, we'll manage until the servants arrive. Have you been
having fun with your cat's cradle?"
Rand twisted a final piece of cable around itself and stood up, regarding the contraption
in a self-satisfied way.
"Sometimes I amaze myself."
Rook walked over and gave the wire a perplexed tug. "This is the better mousetrap you
promised us?"
"You two just stay put in the shelter and leave the metal nightmares to me, okay?"
She scowled. "Your confidence is underwhelming."
"Pretend to believe in me," he quipped.
Just then Annie ran into the clearing, breathless and pointing back toward the foot of the
chute.
"They're coming!"
Rand told Rook to see if she could do something about the tracks they had left in the
snow, so she and Annie went to work with conifer switches while he smoothed the snow around the
snare. He briefed his teammates on its workings and ran rapidly through the contingency plan he


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hoped they wouldn't have to resort to. Fifteen minutes later, he was climbing up into one of the