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.Razor wire was self-explanatory, and itseemed to him that electrifying such a fence would be redundant.He folded his arms. Can we roll beneathit? I sure hope so, said Kelly, smiling a bit to encourage him, and herself. Because that s the plan.Therelooks to be just enough room to risk it. But? He sensed her reservation, and knew he needed her to tell him everything she knew or suspected inorder to act successfully. But there may be sensors in the ground, and they would be triggered by weight, or body heat, or both. Shelooked up at the sky. They may have overhead surveillance, any number of possibilities. None of them to our vantage, said Dee, scowling as he considered the dangers. No, said Kelly. But we can t allow that to stop us. Aye, verily, said Dee, who, in spite of their concealed position, was beginning to feel dangerously exposed.He wondered if his suit would allow him to be hurt by razor wire, or any other weapon they might encounter.He didn t want to depend upon it. So we ll have to take a chance, said Kelly, moving a little nearer to the wire. There s at least one thing toour advantage: These fences were meant to keep men out and cattle in.A woman my size, andsomeone  she glanced meaningfully at Dee  someone your size& we might be small enough not to triggerany alarms. Hearing this, Dee wasn t sure he was complimented or offended; Kelly continued,  I want you towait until I m under.If I m okay, you come after me.If I m not, I want you to find a way to the main road andget to the station  But if you fail to escape successfully, how am I to do it? Dee asked her, dismayed in spite of himself.Hehad been able to accommodate this world well enough, but he was a man without real friends beyond Kellyand d Winter, and if they were incapacitated& You ll think of something, said Kelly, and dropped prone. Keep an eye on the countryside around us.Ifanything as much as breathes, warn me. Other than cattle, Dee suggested. Use your best judgment on that, said Kelly, and began to slide toward the fence.Her stealthy movementsbrought back to Dee memories of the Untouchables.Dee huddled in the brush, watching her carefully, and occasionally taking stock of the land around themthrough the screen of twigs and leaves his hiding place provided.He was disinclined to give much notice tothe cows, and after a long five minutes he saw Kelly get to her feet, brush herself off, and signal to him tofollow her.Dee stretched out, facedown, and wriggled towards the razor wire.As he neared it, he could hearits hum, and that seemed an especially ominous note.He wondered even if he could fit under the wire, wouldhe be safe from the electricity, which might be able to strike him as lightening could.He continued to move,wishing he could burrow into the ground like a mole.This was worse than his escape from the clutches of theSpanish Duque, who had arrested him in Pamplona, claiming he was an English spy which, of course, hewas and promising to turn him over to King Philip, which meant the Inquisition.He had had no hopes ofEnglish ransom then Philip of Spain hated Elizabeth of England.So he had had to make his way outthrough the channels of an old, unused latrine, unpleasant but not so imminently dangerous as his currentpredicament.He arrived at the fence, and disputed with himself whether to slip under head first or feet first.Each maneuverhad its advantages.Finally he opted for feet first.It was easier to retract an electrified foot than a scorchedface.Gingerly he extended his left foot under the band of linked barbed wires.Nothing.Next the other foot.Nothing.Pushing with his hands and careful not to flex his knees, he slowly scooted his body under thegleaming wire. Keep still! Kelly s voice sounded as if she were only inches away from him.Obediently Dee froze, wishing he dared to raise his head to try to discern what had caused her such alarm.There was nothing in front of him other than a line of black ants, marching along in single file, many of themcarrying bits of something in their tiny, sideways jaws.At another time these little creatures might haveintrigued him, but now they were intruders, unwelcome and distracting.Time seemed to elongate as he lay,still under electrified the razor wire, listening for all he was worth, and hearing only those noises he expectedto hear.Once he heard the fence start to hum to life, he felt an uncomfortable tingle in his chest, as if he hadbumped his elbow.But the hum ended as quickly as it had begun.Finally Kelly spoke again. Okay.It s safe to move now. God be praised, said Dee, a bit testily, for his feet and hands were in danger of falling asleep.He scuttledthe rest of the way in a hurry and clambered to his feet as soon as he was clear of the wire. What was thematter? I thought I heard engines crawlers or skimmers but I can t hear them now.We ve got to get moving,though, she said, and pointed away towards the low hills. The main road is just over the rise. Are you sure of that? he asked with forced jocularity. Yes, Doctor, she said, sighing. I m sure. She began to walk in the direction she had pointed, her pacesteady and fast enough to cover the ground in a timely manner.Dee, who had walked away from any number of sticky situations in his long and checkered career, kept upwith her, saying,  What about surveillance? You said we might be observed. And I meant it. She frowned. I don t know what to tell you, Doctor, and that s a fact.There ve been toomany instances when I should have expected us to be discovered, but  she gestured  I thought about itafter what happened to you on the moon, and it still bothers me. And d Winter? What about him? Dee inquired. In my time all the Great Ones employed intelligencers youwould call them spies Leicester, Cecil, the Spanish Ambassador at the English court de Spes, all hadintelligencers to inform them.After all, it was politic to so behave, for there is less danger in fearing too muchthan in too little.But our methods were nothing like those you use. A sudden stab of homesickness all buttook his breath away.How he longed for that time, subterfuge and all [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]