Datasets:
BlinAI
/
Testo

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
 Community
1
text
stringlengths
0
4.23k
"I suggest you make better use of him than that. He is an excellent guide."
"Again, thanks-but I had planned on working alone."
"You might wish to reconsider that plan, Mr. Riordan. You may not be aware of it, but we have our share of dangerous animals here in the valley. One in partic...
Caine looked over at Bendixen: square-banged, square-jawed, square-headed, and sleepy-eyed-but very watchful. Throughout the conversation with Helger, Caine c...
Helger's second glass of wine had arrived. "Mr. Bendixen is ready to go tomorrow."
Caine looked at Bendixen again-who looked back without blinking. "No thanks." Caine was relatively certain that Pavonosaurus rex represented far less threat t...
"A pity. He is so routinely in the bush-surveying-that I'm sure he would have been of immense help as a guide, as well."
"I'm sure." Of course, not bringing Bendixen didn't neutralize the threat: "accidents" were always possible. "Mr. Helger, actually I would like to make a requ...
"Which is?"
"Which is that he suspend his field activities for a few days-at least until I'm done with mine."
Helger feigned perplexity: Bendixen just stared.
"Well, if we were both out in the bush at the same time, we could be a risk to each other. As strange as it sounds, I am particularly worried about being a ri...
Helger laughed. "Really?"
"Well, yes. If our paths were to cross-by accident-I might only see the movement and shoot preemptively, thinking to kill a predator." Which is what I'd be do...
Helger had not laughed again; he was no longer even smiling. "I see. You seem to fear the errors of humans more than the appetites of large animals."
"Perhaps I fear the many dangerous appetites of humans more than anything else, Mr. Helger. At any rate, I thank you for seeing to it that I will be working i...
Now Helger smiled. "Be assured: you will be working in complete isolation. Do be sure to bring enough batteries for your radio."
Caine nodded: in addition to testing his conventional radio, the time had come to unpack his special equipment from the Navy and give it a trial run. The upli...
It did not seem so anymore.
Chapter Eight
ODYSSEUS
Two weeks later, the treetop chittering of what Caine had dubbed squirrel-spiders was almost drowning out the bored commo operator back at Site One: "We have CI...
"Lieutenant Brill?"
"Negative: this is Eli Silverstein. How was day one of your extended walkabout, Caine?"
"Admiral Silverstein. I'm, uh, honored-and surprised."
The answering laugh was gruff, honest. "You're not Navy, so I'm not 'Admiral.' Just Eli-unless you've taken a dislike to me."
"No, no-Eli." And thanks for answering yourself today: it will help keep Helger's head down, keep him from hatching any bright new schemes about "accidents" I...
"No more trouble with your equipment?"
"No more troubles." A week ago, just before his second day-trip further north into the valley, Caine had decided to inspect his ammunition. The rifle rounds-d...
"Caine, I chose to be here when you checked in today because I want you to reconsider your change in plans. Frankly, I'm not sure how good an idea it is for y...
Caine looked up at the rapidly setting yellow disk of Delta Pavonis, sliced into segments by the palmate leaves adorning the tops of the giant ferns. Silverst...
The pause gave him the answer before Silverstein spoke. "Negative. The few areas that are flat enough are all covered by jungle canopy."
"That's what we saw from the air. But I've got to get further in, Eli: round trip in and out doesn't allow me to push more than about twenty klicks beyond the...
"I copy that, Caine. Listen, do you have enough batteries?"
"I'm fine, and will check in frequently with Site One."
"Who will patch me through every time."
A command given for the benefit of Helger, who had not indicated that he was listening to their communiqui. But again, everyone knew better.
"Okay, Eli. I should be fine. As it is, I'm now about thirty klicks in. First new ground I've seen in nine days."
"Well, good luck. Keep us in the loop and don't be shy about calling in. Brill's giving me all sorts of hell for not sending you out with more equipment." Tha...
"It was good chatting with you, Eli. I'll keep you posted. Out."
"Out."
Caine folded in the antenna on his smaller, conventional radio and watched Delta Pavonis wink out behind the sheltering peaks: fronds waved in front of it, th...
Caine unwrapped a condensed protein chew-stick, gnawed at the exposed end while he unpacked the perimeter motion sensors he had borrowed from Helger's equipme...
Caine moved fifteen meters away from his little sleeping-mesa, starting walking its perimeter at that range, placing the sensors as he went. It was already de...
Recent practice paid off: he had the shoulder-slung Valmet semiautomatic down and in his hands in a single motion, snapping the safety off as he brought it ag...
The bioluminescent leaves stuck out like the skeletons of burning green-white trees, courtesy of the light-amplification lenses. The integrated thermal-imagin...
Caine tilted the goggles back up on his head, felt the darkness wash in around him like a tidal surge of enigma. He hopped back up on the irregular rock platf...
Tonight, it looked like a body bag.
* * *