[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the med lab here, she may be able to help him."
Correll furrowed his brow. "Med lab?" He pronounced the words as though they
were completely foreign, rolling them around his tongue.
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (48 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders
Mildred spoke for the first time. "Med lab it's usually on the same level as
the armory. Look, a couple of your people carry him, and I'll see if I can
help him."
Correll gave Mildred a penetrating stare that, for one moment, completely
fazed her. She felt a shudder run down her spine as those deep-set eyes seemed
to search into her. Then he nodded, turning his head to two of the men behind.
"Lonnie, Travis help this here lady to take Cy to the med lab, see if she can
help him. Let her lead."
He had, once again, pronounced the words "med lab" as though they were
something strange and freakish, but his voice still carried authority. Two of
the men a tall, crop-haired guy and a slightly shorter guy with longer, red
hair
nodded, shouldered their blasters and moved back to where Cy was lying.
Mildred, with the briefest of glances at Ryan and J.B., holstered her ZKR,
which had been in her hand, pointing down, as were all the blasters, and
hurried past the one-eyed man and his counterpart, moving through the other
people to reach the injured man.
The two men assigned to assist her were about to lift him, but she stayed them
with a simple "Wait, please," and examined the prone body as they hovered over
her. It was a bad injury, and she couldn't guarantee saving the use of the
arm, but as long as the refrigeration on the blood-and-plasma bank in the
redoubt was still working, she may be able to keep him alive. "Okay, let's
go," she said firmly, establishing her authority and leading Lonnie and
Travis, carrying the prone Cy, out of sight around the tunnel bend and in
search of the med lab.
Correll had turned to watch them go, and now he returned his gaze to Ryan.
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (49 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders
"So, Ryan Cawdor, we know who we are. Introduce me to the rest of your people,
and then we can go back to the living quarters and you can meet my people."
Correll slowly shouldered his H&K and extended his hand in a gesture. Ryan
holstered the SIG-Sauer and grasped Correll's hand. The grip was firm and dry.
"That's a deal," Ryan said.
After the introductions had been made, the two forces joined up and moved out
of the lower tunnel, walking up toward where the redoubt dwellers had made
their home. Correll explained on the way that his people had learned early on
Page 24
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that the worms liked to dig deep in these parts, and apart from one or two
isolated incidents they had never experienced any problems with the giant
muties on the upper levels. They rarely used the lower levels, just venturing
down when necessary to use the shower room, or take supplies, or effect
repairs.
Jak and Dean volunteered themselves to help the woman and one of the other men
carry the corpses of those they had chilled up to the higher levels, where
they would be disposed of. The man and woman still seemed to have a degree of
hostility over the chilling, even though they abided by their leader's word,
and seemed uneasy at Jak and Dean assisting. But both felt it was a necessary
gesture and carried on regardless.
They passed the med lab, and Correll stopped to see what was going on.
Mildred turned as the door opened. Travis was assisting her, his red hair
pushed back from his face as he leaned over the prone Cy, but Lonnie had been
overcome by seeing the state of Cy's wound closeup, and was standing some
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (50 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders distance away.
"What's going on?" Correll asked.
Mildred, bent over the recumbent man's shoulder, spared Correll the briefest
of looks. "Hard to say at the moment," she replied as she returned to her
work.
"There was some superficial flesh wounding from the flechettes, but the real
damage is around the joint itself. I've cleaned up the rest of his arm, and
I'm looking at the tendons and muscle damage, see what I can do. Thing is, I'm
no surgeon. I can patch him up, but he may not be able to use the arm too
well."
Correll nodded, as much to himself as anyone else. "That is as may be, and
there is nothing we can do about it. I thank you for your help. We'll leave
you to your task."
They left the med lab and rejoined the rest of the party, waiting outside.
"Tell me, my dear sir," Doc asked, taking advantage of this unexpected break,
"how did you come to be living here?"
"In good time, Dr. Tanner, in good time," Correll said. "First we must do what
is necessary."
They reached the upper level of the redoubt, and went past an area that was
obviously where the inhabitants had made their home. There were several people
about, and they stopped to stare as Correll led the party past them. No one
spoke, and a hush descended on the level.
"It's not exactly the best way for them to get acquainted with us, is it?"
Krysty
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (51 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders whispered to Ryan. "They're really
going to love us for this."
Correll looked back at her. "They'll know the truth soon enough. First we do
this."
There was an edge to his voice that brooked no argument, and Ryan felt a
nagging doubt begin to creep at the back of his mind. The low drawl in which
Correll spoke barely changed in pitch or volume, yet was stopped from being a
monotone by an underlying edge. Ryan had the vaguest notion that the edge in
the man's voice was that of madness. He was driven by something, but the one-
eyed warrior had yet to find out exactly what that something was.
They walked on, past the area of habitation and up toward the main ramp and
double set of sec doors leading to the outside. Correll punched in a code and
opened the first set, leading them through. He paused before the second set,
Page 25
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
which opened onto the outside.
"Blasters ready," he intoned. "That means you, as well, Ryan Cawdor, and your
people. Every time that we go outside, we need to be triple-red aware."
"Your enemies, or just muties and wildlife?" Ryan asked.
The ghost of a smile flickered across Correll's face. "It's all wildlife out
there, friend, and they're all our enemies."
He punched in the final code and pressed a lever, the outer sec doors lifting
to reveal to Ryan and the companions the world outside this particular
redoubt.
In truth, it was hard to tell what the outside was like, as the fluorescent
lighting
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (52 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders inside made it hard for their eyes
to adjust to the gloom outside. Although both J.
B. and Ryan had wrist chrons, it was useless for them to use those as they had
no idea whereabouts in the Deathlands they had landed. The Armorer had hoped
that a look at the terrain would give him an idea, as he was usually accurate
at judging their general location by the topography of the land. But wherever [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
the med lab here, she may be able to help him."
Correll furrowed his brow. "Med lab?" He pronounced the words as though they
were completely foreign, rolling them around his tongue.
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (48 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders
Mildred spoke for the first time. "Med lab it's usually on the same level as
the armory. Look, a couple of your people carry him, and I'll see if I can
help him."
Correll gave Mildred a penetrating stare that, for one moment, completely
fazed her. She felt a shudder run down her spine as those deep-set eyes seemed
to search into her. Then he nodded, turning his head to two of the men behind.
"Lonnie, Travis help this here lady to take Cy to the med lab, see if she can
help him. Let her lead."
He had, once again, pronounced the words "med lab" as though they were
something strange and freakish, but his voice still carried authority. Two of
the men a tall, crop-haired guy and a slightly shorter guy with longer, red
hair
nodded, shouldered their blasters and moved back to where Cy was lying.
Mildred, with the briefest of glances at Ryan and J.B., holstered her ZKR,
which had been in her hand, pointing down, as were all the blasters, and
hurried past the one-eyed man and his counterpart, moving through the other
people to reach the injured man.
The two men assigned to assist her were about to lift him, but she stayed them
with a simple "Wait, please," and examined the prone body as they hovered over
her. It was a bad injury, and she couldn't guarantee saving the use of the
arm, but as long as the refrigeration on the blood-and-plasma bank in the
redoubt was still working, she may be able to keep him alive. "Okay, let's
go," she said firmly, establishing her authority and leading Lonnie and
Travis, carrying the prone Cy, out of sight around the tunnel bend and in
search of the med lab.
Correll had turned to watch them go, and now he returned his gaze to Ryan.
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (49 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders
"So, Ryan Cawdor, we know who we are. Introduce me to the rest of your people,
and then we can go back to the living quarters and you can meet my people."
Correll slowly shouldered his H&K and extended his hand in a gesture. Ryan
holstered the SIG-Sauer and grasped Correll's hand. The grip was firm and dry.
"That's a deal," Ryan said.
After the introductions had been made, the two forces joined up and moved out
of the lower tunnel, walking up toward where the redoubt dwellers had made
their home. Correll explained on the way that his people had learned early on
Page 24
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that the worms liked to dig deep in these parts, and apart from one or two
isolated incidents they had never experienced any problems with the giant
muties on the upper levels. They rarely used the lower levels, just venturing
down when necessary to use the shower room, or take supplies, or effect
repairs.
Jak and Dean volunteered themselves to help the woman and one of the other men
carry the corpses of those they had chilled up to the higher levels, where
they would be disposed of. The man and woman still seemed to have a degree of
hostility over the chilling, even though they abided by their leader's word,
and seemed uneasy at Jak and Dean assisting. But both felt it was a necessary
gesture and carried on regardless.
They passed the med lab, and Correll stopped to see what was going on.
Mildred turned as the door opened. Travis was assisting her, his red hair
pushed back from his face as he leaned over the prone Cy, but Lonnie had been
overcome by seeing the state of Cy's wound closeup, and was standing some
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (50 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders distance away.
"What's going on?" Correll asked.
Mildred, bent over the recumbent man's shoulder, spared Correll the briefest
of looks. "Hard to say at the moment," she replied as she returned to her
work.
"There was some superficial flesh wounding from the flechettes, but the real
damage is around the joint itself. I've cleaned up the rest of his arm, and
I'm looking at the tendons and muscle damage, see what I can do. Thing is, I'm
no surgeon. I can patch him up, but he may not be able to use the arm too
well."
Correll nodded, as much to himself as anyone else. "That is as may be, and
there is nothing we can do about it. I thank you for your help. We'll leave
you to your task."
They left the med lab and rejoined the rest of the party, waiting outside.
"Tell me, my dear sir," Doc asked, taking advantage of this unexpected break,
"how did you come to be living here?"
"In good time, Dr. Tanner, in good time," Correll said. "First we must do what
is necessary."
They reached the upper level of the redoubt, and went past an area that was
obviously where the inhabitants had made their home. There were several people
about, and they stopped to stare as Correll led the party past them. No one
spoke, and a hush descended on the level.
"It's not exactly the best way for them to get acquainted with us, is it?"
Krysty
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (51 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders whispered to Ryan. "They're really
going to love us for this."
Correll looked back at her. "They'll know the truth soon enough. First we do
this."
There was an edge to his voice that brooked no argument, and Ryan felt a
nagging doubt begin to creep at the back of his mind. The low drawl in which
Correll spoke barely changed in pitch or volume, yet was stopped from being a
monotone by an underlying edge. Ryan had the vaguest notion that the edge in
the man's voice was that of madness. He was driven by something, but the one-
eyed warrior had yet to find out exactly what that something was.
They walked on, past the area of habitation and up toward the main ramp and
double set of sec doors leading to the outside. Correll punched in a code and
opened the first set, leading them through. He paused before the second set,
Page 25
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
which opened onto the outside.
"Blasters ready," he intoned. "That means you, as well, Ryan Cawdor, and your
people. Every time that we go outside, we need to be triple-red aware."
"Your enemies, or just muties and wildlife?" Ryan asked.
The ghost of a smile flickered across Correll's face. "It's all wildlife out
there, friend, and they're all our enemies."
He punched in the final code and pressed a lever, the outer sec doors lifting
to reveal to Ryan and the companions the world outside this particular
redoubt.
In truth, it was hard to tell what the outside was like, as the fluorescent
lighting
file:///H|/eMule/Incoming/Axler,%20James%20-%20Deathlands%2065%20-%20Hellbende
rs%20(v1.0)%20[html].html (52 of 320)15-8-2005 0:14:45
Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_65_-_Hellbenders inside made it hard for their eyes
to adjust to the gloom outside. Although both J.
B. and Ryan had wrist chrons, it was useless for them to use those as they had
no idea whereabouts in the Deathlands they had landed. The Armorer had hoped
that a look at the terrain would give him an idea, as he was usually accurate
at judging their general location by the topography of the land. But wherever [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]