Pickers 4: The Pick Read Online Free
Author: Garth Owen
right until he caught it again. It was a goat. The one they had startled on the way into town, or a very similar animal.
Stepping back, he moved the rifle to the left, keeping it level. The dark, out of focus wall filled the scope, until he was looking out of the side window. From this position, at the end of the top floor of the building's West wing, he could see some way down the valley. Not far enough for his liking, he wouldn't spot any movement toward them until it had almost reached the edge of town. It wouldn't give them enough time to make a getaway, but that was why they were hiding. And they didn't plan to be here for long.
There were footsteps coming up the stairs. Lucas rested the rifle against the wall beside the window and turned to see who his visitor was.
"We got the wall down." Georges said. "We found some interesting stuff, including this." He unslung the big, cuboid pack he was carrying, and started unzipping it.
"What is that, then?"
"We found something to take over watch duty from you."
"Good, cause it's boring as hell. But sort of tense and stressful as well. Is this what it's been like for them all the time they were out here?"
"Not like our little scouting missions, eh?"
"Always back by bedtime, or we get put under curfew. These last few days have almost made me miss it."
"I'm enjoying it."
"Of course you are."
Inside the bag, there were two devices- egg shaped things atop a complicated tangle of struts and hinges. Georges lifted one from the protective foam, and carried it across to the town facing window. He tugged at some of the struts, and they unfolded into a tripod to support the egg. Lucas watched as he adjusted the legs until the structure was stable, the blunt end of the egg facing the window. Georges stepped back and studied it. "Okay. I've forgotten what comes next. There are instructions in the bag, can you get them."
In a pocket in the top of the bag was a large piece of glossy paper, folded several times to fit. Lucas opened it as he walked it over, revealing step by step image instructions. "You, er.... There's a catch, under there." He pointed at the picture, and Georges found the catch, which released the domed cap and revealed a pair of lenses and a panel of control buttons.
"Press that one." Lucas indicated, deeply involved in the process, even though he didn't know what they were supposed to be doing.
"Go on, you press it." Georges unclipped the radio from his belt. "This is the West wing. We're going to turn the first one on now. Over."
Lucas pressed the button the instructions indicated, and held it for a count of ten.
"West wing. We have images from you. Over." the radio said.
"Okay. We are going to set up the second one. Don't discover anything else cool until we get back. Over."
"No promises. Over and out."
"Well, I suppose we should speed up a bit then." said Lucas, heading for the second camera.
* * *
There had been a second wall section behind the one Veronique had marked. Between them was a thick, solidly packed layer of insulation. Hit the wall and you would hear a dull thud, rather than the reverberation that would reveal the void behind it. The section wouldn't feel any colder, or draw condensation, either.
The double layering had drawn some strong language, but they had broken a human sized hole into the first room of the vault. Lights had started coming on as soon as the first brick was pushed through. They had all leapt back from the wall, fearing automated defence systems the plans said weren't there.
Mocking themselves, they had slowly returned to the task, and, not long after, Maxine had wriggled her way through the gap. There was no way they could have stopped her. Justine, also short and slim, had followed a moment later.
The room was really the entrance to a cave. It had been worked, possibly going back centuries, but the most recent tool marks were from when it had been converted into the entrance to a secure vault. The scars of digging
Stepping back, he moved the rifle to the left, keeping it level. The dark, out of focus wall filled the scope, until he was looking out of the side window. From this position, at the end of the top floor of the building's West wing, he could see some way down the valley. Not far enough for his liking, he wouldn't spot any movement toward them until it had almost reached the edge of town. It wouldn't give them enough time to make a getaway, but that was why they were hiding. And they didn't plan to be here for long.
There were footsteps coming up the stairs. Lucas rested the rifle against the wall beside the window and turned to see who his visitor was.
"We got the wall down." Georges said. "We found some interesting stuff, including this." He unslung the big, cuboid pack he was carrying, and started unzipping it.
"What is that, then?"
"We found something to take over watch duty from you."
"Good, cause it's boring as hell. But sort of tense and stressful as well. Is this what it's been like for them all the time they were out here?"
"Not like our little scouting missions, eh?"
"Always back by bedtime, or we get put under curfew. These last few days have almost made me miss it."
"I'm enjoying it."
"Of course you are."
Inside the bag, there were two devices- egg shaped things atop a complicated tangle of struts and hinges. Georges lifted one from the protective foam, and carried it across to the town facing window. He tugged at some of the struts, and they unfolded into a tripod to support the egg. Lucas watched as he adjusted the legs until the structure was stable, the blunt end of the egg facing the window. Georges stepped back and studied it. "Okay. I've forgotten what comes next. There are instructions in the bag, can you get them."
In a pocket in the top of the bag was a large piece of glossy paper, folded several times to fit. Lucas opened it as he walked it over, revealing step by step image instructions. "You, er.... There's a catch, under there." He pointed at the picture, and Georges found the catch, which released the domed cap and revealed a pair of lenses and a panel of control buttons.
"Press that one." Lucas indicated, deeply involved in the process, even though he didn't know what they were supposed to be doing.
"Go on, you press it." Georges unclipped the radio from his belt. "This is the West wing. We're going to turn the first one on now. Over."
Lucas pressed the button the instructions indicated, and held it for a count of ten.
"West wing. We have images from you. Over." the radio said.
"Okay. We are going to set up the second one. Don't discover anything else cool until we get back. Over."
"No promises. Over and out."
"Well, I suppose we should speed up a bit then." said Lucas, heading for the second camera.
* * *
There had been a second wall section behind the one Veronique had marked. Between them was a thick, solidly packed layer of insulation. Hit the wall and you would hear a dull thud, rather than the reverberation that would reveal the void behind it. The section wouldn't feel any colder, or draw condensation, either.
The double layering had drawn some strong language, but they had broken a human sized hole into the first room of the vault. Lights had started coming on as soon as the first brick was pushed through. They had all leapt back from the wall, fearing automated defence systems the plans said weren't there.
Mocking themselves, they had slowly returned to the task, and, not long after, Maxine had wriggled her way through the gap. There was no way they could have stopped her. Justine, also short and slim, had followed a moment later.
The room was really the entrance to a cave. It had been worked, possibly going back centuries, but the most recent tool marks were from when it had been converted into the entrance to a secure vault. The scars of digging
Readers choose
Megan Linski
Lin Anderson
Allan Leverone
Margaret Weis
James McCourt
Sam Crescent
Ted Dekker
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Michael Kuhar