"Charles Ingrid - The Sand Wars 05 - Return Fire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ingrid Charles)

"I see."

"I hope you do. Talk to Denaro about me. I'll be back later. In the
meantime, I'd like you to watch something for me." Jack had been blocking
Colin's view of the shadowed far corner of the living room. Now something
loomed beyond… battle armor, in all its rugged and massive glory, its white
Flexalink scales shining like nacre.

"In the name of God, man, you can't leave that here!" Colin fairly shook
with agitation.

"I can't leave him anywhere else." Even as Storm spoke mildly,
calmingly, the armor raised a gauntlet hand high as if in salute.

"Jack—God alone knows what kind of alien flesh is regenerating inside
there, hooked up to your circuitry and power systems. Bogie's an embryo, a
child, with the ability to destroy anyone and anything it doesn't
comprehend—and not truly alive yet, how can it comprehend life?"

Jack let his right hand fall upon the Walker's shoulder. "I can't leave him
alone. And because you know what he is—as much as anyone does—you
know there's a soul there, as well as flesh. If anything happens to me, I'd
like to know he's in good hands."

"Godfather to an abomination." Colin sucked in his breath. "Someday he
could destroy you, Jack."

"Eat me up and spit the gristle out, like a Milot berserker? Maybe. But in
the meantime, we have an understanding."

"You still wear your armor?"

Jack nodded. "He's all I've got. The little memory I have is from shared
consciousness. And… we need each other. He's a warrior spirit, Colin,
whatever else he is—and if that means that someday he has to turn on me
in order to finish his regeneration, that's a chance I take. I think he'll give me
warning."

"And then what… what will you do when he needs to feed?"

Jack gave a sinister smile. "Feed him Thraks."

Colin seemed to deflate under his hand. "All right," he said, "but only
because he's too dangerous to leave untended."

"Thanks. I've some arrangements to make. But I'll be back later, and I'd
like to know if I'm going as bodyguard or priest."

"All right," Colin agreed. Before his eyes, Jack seemed to fade from sight.
The prelate listened, but could not really discern the Knight's manner of exit