Revenge (Blackout Book 7) by Daniel Young

Author:Daniel Young [Young, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

9

The Vigilant, the Avalanche, and the Bayonet lingered in the air above Tiquill. Jackson studied the city on the Vigilant’s instruments. “I see the Krakzid base, but it doesn’t look like anything exceptional. It looks even smaller than the Valvalara Multiplex.”

“You’re right,” Wicklow replied from the Bayonet. “I don’t see any great supply stores here. Where do they keep the goods they imported from their homeworld?”

“Maybe they built hidden chambers underground,” Quort suggested. “That would be the best way to stop anyone from knowing how well-supplied they are.”

Jackson scowled. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“What do you want to do?” Wicklow asked. “We can’t abort.”

“We won’t abort. Where are the Silden entrances?”

Quort pointed to the chart. “Here and here. The ship’s sensors are picking up approximately eight thousand human life signs beneath the surface.”

“Good. Where’s Hitori?”

Quort made a face. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Jackson searched the chart. It registered a whole lot of human life signs, and about the same number of Krakzid signals. Maybe Jackson’s plan to use Hitori’s mechanical camouflage had worked too well. Now Jackson couldn’t see Hitori, either. The robot was totally invisible.

He switched parameters and searched for the Bayonet’s Skeeter. The vessel perched on a low rise beyond the city limits. Nothing moved around it…no, wait. Something was moving.

A cluster of human life signs left the city limits and headed straight for the Skeeter. Jackson felt his blood rising. “Sons of bitches! If they so much as—”

Quort nudged him. “It’s nothing. The demolition machines are all gone. The Skeeter is empty.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Captain!” Ogul called from the pilot’s station. “I think I found him—it. The machine—it’s behind the base.”

Jackson’s head shot up. “What? Behind the...?”

He rushed to the pilot’s station and peered over Ogul’s shoulder. The young Urval pointed at the same chart of Tiquill, but he had exploded a view of a completely different part of the city, a part so far away from where Jackson expected Hitori to be that he never thought to look there.

Sure enough, four seismic demolition machines appeared to be walking themselves down the sidewalk. Whatever masking technology Hitori’s creator gave the robot, it sure worked, because the Vigilant’s instruments could detect no trace of Hitori at all.

The demolition machines halted at an intersection, seemed to look both ways, and then crossed. They stopped a second time right at the very edge of the Krakzid base.

Jackson stared in abject shock as some invisible force bored into the pavement and one of the demolition machines hopped into the hole. It settled itself there in full view of the Krakzid guard towers, which, inexplicably, didn’t even notice what was going on.

The remaining demolition machines started their leisurely stroll down the sidewalk to the next guard tower, and the same thing happened. Pavement and debris whirled out a hole drilling itself into the sidewalk. Another demolition machine took its place in this hole.

“Amazing!” Quort whispered.

“How many machines does he have left to plant?” Jackson couldn’t stop himself from glancing back toward the Skeeter. The young people were sticking their hooded heads into the open discharge ramp.

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