Outlanders 48 - Serpent's Tooth by James Axler

Author:James Axler
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Devon Lan crouched in the shadows, watching the Nagah warriors lower their antiaircraft missiles, noting that they seemed to have been in a position to prevent the escape of some brand of flying machine. Whatever crisis there had been, it was over, and the cobra soldiers were given the go-ahead to return inside.

Lan relaxed, returning his silenced Calico machine pistol to its slung position over his shoulder. At first, he couldn’t quite believe the serpentine appearance of the Nagah, but there they were, men with all the armored scales, folding fangs and neck hoods of a cobra. Then again, Lan was aware of other things that would have been impossible during his employ as a Millennial Consortium paramilitary commander. The visage of the snake men was imposing, however. The cobra was legendary around the globe for being a deadly serpent. Its attributes, combined with that of a human being, added up to a walking nightmare that turned his bowels to ice. Throw in the well-maintained small arms and heavy weapons that the creatures possessed, and Lan realized that the hundreds of Southeast Asian and Indian pirates and bandits he’d recruited for this combat expedition were a necessary burden.

Nguyen, one of his highest-ranking recruits, knelt next to him, lowering his binoculars. The Vietnamese pirate’s beard managed to conceal most of the scar tissue that covered his cheeks and jaw. Compared to Lan, a Eurasian man raised in the wilds of North America, Nguyen was a wiry, hardened thug. Lan had thought that his experience with the consortium’s military had made him tough, but Lan’s smooth, round face belied an almost gentle demeanor compared to the rugged pirate. “I thought that you were on a fool’s errand.”

“Those hangar doors are huge,” Lan said. “And according to Fargo’s final report, they had three transport and utility helicopters in pursuit of him.”

“Three aircraft are a lot to search for one man,” Nguyen replied.

“The expedition we’d sent before was large. Around sixty men,” Lan answered. “Fargo wasn’t the only fleeing prey, though he was smart enough to play dead.”

“So why isn’t he with us?” Ngyuen asked.

“The board of directors did not feel he would be best used in this manner,” Lan said. “He has to earn his return to the consortium’s good graces the hard way.”

“By being our target marker,” Nguyen muttered. “Hell of a way to redeem yourself.”

“That’s not my concern,” Lan replied. “Come on, let’s get back to the rest of the force.”

Nguyen nodded. “I’ll take the point.”

Lan nodded, appreciating the Vietnamese man’s willingness to avoid trouble. The man was a predator, like the rest of the four hundred thugs that Lan’s millennial officers led. But he was a stealthy hunter, not some wild maniac willing to throw his life away just for a cheap thrill. The map of the lessons Nguyen had learned was literally etched into his face, visible even through his thin black beard. The pirate mercenary led Lan back along the path that they had taken to the front gates of the hangar, a route that had been handed down from the consortium’s contact.

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