Datasets:
BlinAI
/
Testo

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
 Community
1
text
stringlengths
0
4.23k
"You'll be found by the shop's owner in the morning."
"Or by the Trofts sooner," she said softly. "The patrols looking for us, remember?"
And if she wasn't a spy . . . they'd kill her rather than let word of their mansion HQ get out. "Can you prove you're not a spy?" he asked, feeling new sweat...
"In the next thirty seconds? Don't be silly." She took a deep breath. "No, Jonny. If you want any chance at all of hitting the mansion tonight, you'll just h...
And when put that way, there really wasn't any decision to make. He'd risked his life for her once already . . . and enemy hireling or not, the Trofts had cl...
Outside, the sound of thrusters was adequately distant. Without looking back, he slipped out into the night and headed back toward the Tyler Mansion, wonderi...
It was a much slower trip than before, with aircraft and vehicles forcing him to take cover with increasing frequency the closer he got to his target. Enough...
And knew he'd lost.
The Trofts were everywhere: blocking streets, guarding rooftops and windows, setting up laser emplacements at the base of the wall itself. Beyond them, he co...
Until then, the wall's defense lasers would have to be periodically shut down to let the aircraft in and out.
With most of the armed troops outside the wall.
An intriguing thought . . . but offhand he couldn't see any way to take advantage of it. With the Troft cordon strengthening almost by the minute, getting to...
He was just starting to turn away when a building off to the left emitted a cloud of fire from its base and began collapsing into itself. The thunderclap of ...
The unexpectedness of it froze him at the window . . . but for now the how of it would keep. He was really too exposed to risk drawing attention with his las...
He watched a few seconds longer, fixing the layout and specific Troft positions in his mind. Then, moving back from the window, he set about collecting the o...
He was still busily clearing the street of Trofts when a second explosion lit up the sky. Looking up, he was just in time to see the red afterglow fading fro...
An hour later, the battle was over.
* * *
Swathed in bandages and IV tubes, Halloran looked more like something out of an archeological dig than a living person. But what was visible of his face look...
"What-because we pulled the same stupid trick you were going to try?" Halloran asked innocently.
"Stupid trick, nothing," Deutsch retorted from the bed next to Halloran's. Only a few bandages graced his form, mute testimony to superior luck or skill. "We...
"Sticky, my eyeteeth. Some of us lost a lot of skin in there." Halloran jerked his head in Deutsch's direction. "Now him you're welcome to have sent up. You ...
Which, with a little unconscious help from the Trofts, was what had ultimately saved Jonny's life. He wondered if the aliens had had any idea what Ilona was ...
Deutsch waved a hand in dismissal. "Forget it-you'd have done the same for us. Besides, it was pretty much of a group effort, what with half of the Cranach u...
"Including broadcasting the location of that hidden tunnel entrance to us as soon as Ilona phoned in the details," Halloran added. "I don't suppose they ment...
Jonny smiled along with them, hiding the twinge of embarrassment that still accompanied references to Ilona's part in the South Sector underground's countera...
"No rush," Halloran told him airily. "These people treat me with a lot more respect than you two clowns, anyway."
"He's definitely on the mend," Deutsch snorted. "Get going, Jonny; no point in keeping Ilona waiting for this."
Ilona was waiting inside the building foyer. "All set?" she asked briskly. "Let's go, then-they're expecting you in a few minutes, and you know how nervous w...
She led the way outside to a car parked by the curb. They got in and she headed north . . . and for the first time since their escape two days earlier they w...
Jonny cleared his throat. "So . . . how's the sifting at the mansion going?"
She glanced at him. "Not too bad. Cally and Imel and that East Sector team left a shambles, but we've found a lot of interesting items the Trofts didn't have...
"No sign of them, huh?"
"No, but it hardly matters. They'd almost certainly have transmitted the data elsewhere as soon as we escaped."
"Oh, I know. But I'd hoped that if we had the original tapes we could figure out exactly how much they'd learned about our gear and be able to estimate the a...
"Ah. Yes, I guess that makes sense. I don't think you're going to have anything to worry about, though."
Johnny snorted. "You underestimate the Trofts' ingenuity. Like you very nearly underestimated my kind heart. You could've told me you were with the undergrou...
He was expecting her to come out with some stiff and wholly inappropriate local security regulation; and so her reply, when it finally came, was something of...
Jonny stared at her. "That's absurd."
"Is it? The Dominion can't exercise control over you from umpteen light-years away, and we sure can't do it. If you've got the power anyway why not make it o...
"Because-" Jonny floundered. "Because that's not the way to liberate Adirondack."
"Depends on whether that's really Asgard's major objective, doesn't it? If they're more interested in breaking the Trofts' war capabilities, our little world...
Jonny shook his head. "No. I realize it's hard to tell from here, but I know for a fact that the Cobras aren't on Adirondack to win anything at the expense o...
"Sure, I understand all that. But military goals do change." She shrugged. "But with any luck the whole question will soon be academic."
"What do you mean?"
She favored him with a tight smile. "We got an off-world signal this morning. All underground and Cobra units are to immediately begin a pre-invasion sabotag...
Jonny felt his mouth drop open. "Pre-invasion?"
"That's what they said. And if it succeeds . . . we owe the Cobras a lot, Jonny, and we won't forget you. But I don't think we'll be sorry to see you go, eit...
To that Jonny had no reply, and the rest of the trip was made in silence. Ilona drove several blocks past Jonny's old apartment building, stopping finally be...
Frowning, Jonny opened it. Inside was a plain piece of paper with a short, painstakingly written note: