The Veiled Threat Read Online Free
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Stories that she would not confirm or deny, on which she steadfastly refused to elaborate. That she had risen to the rank of colonel in Israel’s Mossad. That in her younger days she had once taken out an entire terrorist cell in the Beyoglu section of Istanbul all by herself and immediately afterward stopped for baklava and tea at a nearby restaurant. That she could disarm or place a bomb with equal skill. And that at any distance over ten thousand meters she could still outrun or outswim almost anyone else on the base’s amateur track-and-field team.
She could even get Petr Andronov to pay attention.
With obvious reluctance, the AI specialist bent over and placed his cupped right hand on the darkenedfloor. Lennox could not see what tiny lifeform scuttled free from the Russian’s fingers. Presumably it posed no danger to anyone in the room. With the exception of a small scorpion that could deliver little more injury than a bee sting, Diego Garcia’s limited landmass had no room for toxic predators. On the other hand, Petr’s quarters on the
Pearl
were known to house dozens of small cages and terrariums, and doubtless those now were shelved in his small dormitory. Lennox forced himself to concentrate on the illuminated wall, the glint-eyed woman standing to its right, and the map that had appeared on screen. Like Epps, he was surprised at the image.
Ever since their defeat at Mission City there had been no sign of, nor trouble from the Decepticons. It was known that Starscream had escaped, but not to where. With the aid of the humans, Optimus Prime and his friends had been hunting him ever since, as yet to no avail. In the interim other Autobots had detected Optimus’s signal and had arrived on Earth to join their brethren. Whether any Decepticons had similarly responded, no one could tell. The Autobots as well as their new friends hoped such was not the case, but it was this very eventuality that NEST had been created to deal with.
Like his colleagues, Lennox assumed that any new attack would focus on an important nexus of human civilization, the better to draw the Autobots into battle. London, perhaps, or Tokyo (in such circumstances he always thought of Tokyo).
So he was as surprised as anyone else in the conference room to see that the map that had appeared onthe wall was not of North America, or East Asia, or even Europe, but of the southern half of Africa.
Africa. Lennox stared at the map as Ariella’s right hand moved over the proximate controls that had appeared on that side of the wall screen. The view narrowed somewhat, but remained wide enough to encompass multiple countries and an enormous amount of territory.
A now wholly serious Epps leaned toward Lennox and nodded in the direction of the screen. “Long way from where we finished up that last work.”
The captain gestured toward the left side of the screen. “Maybe they’re going to send us to Namibia. You’ll like it there. It’s
all
desert, you know.”
Epps moaned softly.
As it turned out they were not going to Namibia, but that did not make what Ariella had to say any less absorbing. As she gestured with the index finger of her left hand, a glowing pointer appeared on the wall. When she moved her hand in an arc, the pointer circled the southern portion of one particular country.
“I am going to take a wild guess and assume that none of you in this room has ever spent any time in Zambia.” In response to the silence that greeted her observation, she nodded understandingly. Her pointer moved again, this time to take in a much wider area.
“Two months ago an F-22 Raptor was observed flying over this portion of the continent. Positive identification was finally made with the aid of a satellite-recorded heat signature, the F-22’s being different from that of any other known military aircraft. Apparently, the Decepticon skill at mimicry extends even to the smallest detail. Optimus Prime has confirmedthat this ability comes naturally to
She could even get Petr Andronov to pay attention.
With obvious reluctance, the AI specialist bent over and placed his cupped right hand on the darkenedfloor. Lennox could not see what tiny lifeform scuttled free from the Russian’s fingers. Presumably it posed no danger to anyone in the room. With the exception of a small scorpion that could deliver little more injury than a bee sting, Diego Garcia’s limited landmass had no room for toxic predators. On the other hand, Petr’s quarters on the
Pearl
were known to house dozens of small cages and terrariums, and doubtless those now were shelved in his small dormitory. Lennox forced himself to concentrate on the illuminated wall, the glint-eyed woman standing to its right, and the map that had appeared on screen. Like Epps, he was surprised at the image.
Ever since their defeat at Mission City there had been no sign of, nor trouble from the Decepticons. It was known that Starscream had escaped, but not to where. With the aid of the humans, Optimus Prime and his friends had been hunting him ever since, as yet to no avail. In the interim other Autobots had detected Optimus’s signal and had arrived on Earth to join their brethren. Whether any Decepticons had similarly responded, no one could tell. The Autobots as well as their new friends hoped such was not the case, but it was this very eventuality that NEST had been created to deal with.
Like his colleagues, Lennox assumed that any new attack would focus on an important nexus of human civilization, the better to draw the Autobots into battle. London, perhaps, or Tokyo (in such circumstances he always thought of Tokyo).
So he was as surprised as anyone else in the conference room to see that the map that had appeared onthe wall was not of North America, or East Asia, or even Europe, but of the southern half of Africa.
Africa. Lennox stared at the map as Ariella’s right hand moved over the proximate controls that had appeared on that side of the wall screen. The view narrowed somewhat, but remained wide enough to encompass multiple countries and an enormous amount of territory.
A now wholly serious Epps leaned toward Lennox and nodded in the direction of the screen. “Long way from where we finished up that last work.”
The captain gestured toward the left side of the screen. “Maybe they’re going to send us to Namibia. You’ll like it there. It’s
all
desert, you know.”
Epps moaned softly.
As it turned out they were not going to Namibia, but that did not make what Ariella had to say any less absorbing. As she gestured with the index finger of her left hand, a glowing pointer appeared on the wall. When she moved her hand in an arc, the pointer circled the southern portion of one particular country.
“I am going to take a wild guess and assume that none of you in this room has ever spent any time in Zambia.” In response to the silence that greeted her observation, she nodded understandingly. Her pointer moved again, this time to take in a much wider area.
“Two months ago an F-22 Raptor was observed flying over this portion of the continent. Positive identification was finally made with the aid of a satellite-recorded heat signature, the F-22’s being different from that of any other known military aircraft. Apparently, the Decepticon skill at mimicry extends even to the smallest detail. Optimus Prime has confirmedthat this ability comes naturally to
Readers choose
Raymond Federman, George Chambers
Maureen Lee
Kenneth Mark Hoover
Marysol James
Alia Yunis
Kate Johnson
Cat Johnson
Pamela Ann
Richard Flunker
Hortense Calisher