|
"...leave
the knife in place and try to cut off the head immediately with
another one." The voice sounded harsh. The face of the new
one showed no expression.
Why is this necessary? asked
Niko herself. Why has he to teach us how to kill someone like
him?
"Remember: You won't have much time to react.
The body regenerates at incredible speed. Nerves will regenerate
and reconnect the brain bypassing the blade. If mental access to
the body is reestablished, an ST will simply stand up and finish
his work. That means: You'll die."
"What, if we just
shoot you down?"
"It will take no effect, Ranger
Hartford." Gooseman smiled grimly. "The bio defenses
are trained to handle it. Unless your weapon delivers an amount
of energy great enough to disintegrate more than half of the body
in less than a tenth of a second."
"Only ship
cannons are that strong," said Fox.
"And I won't be
outside the vessel, Sir."
"If your bio defenses are
active... if you are prepared to battle, a knife won't cut
in?"
The ST nodded. "You won't have a chance."
Directly looking at Niko: "Maybe except you."
"Seems,
he at least likes women, if nobody else," chuckled
Doc.
"That's not the point. I don't have defenses against
her powers. If they are strong enough... I can't tell for
sure."
"So we have to bring you down before you
start to attack us." The Captain summarized. "We have
to separate brain from body by dividing the spinal marrow
followed by a decapitation. Energy weapons won't be useful except
of very strong ones not included in the standard equipment.
Correct?" His face had an odd expression while he mustered
the tall blonde man in front of them. Zachary cursed under his
breath. This was making the start for his team so difficult.
Nobody likes to tell his fundamental weaknesses to others,
especially not a Super Trooper. Goose nodded, confirming Zach's
statement. The Captain let out a large sigh. "Any other
possibilities?" He felt somewhat disgusted to be asking. To
actually have to act out this horror-show scenario was a
possibility he didn't want to consider.
"Plasmafire
will do it, too." The answer came dryly. "'cause it
can't be stopped by normal matter. I'm unable to produce magnetic
fields strong enough to withstand it."
"At least, he
has his limits..." Doc attempted to joke, interrupting the
silent hall.
"Yes, I have!" Gooseman spun around,
hissing at Doc. "And I am commanded to tell them to all of
you!" He growled with showed fangs. "But be sure, you
aren't going to need them. I don't want to be frosted like all
the others."
"Nobody of us asked for this,
Gooseman." Zach assured calmly.
"I know." It
took him a visible effort to calm down. Only icy coldness in his
eyes remained as he managed a cynical grin. "At least, I'm
not told to give you practical exerxises."
Behind one
of the mirror-windows Senator Eric Wheiner turned to Commander
Walsh and the brain unit of Prof. Negata: "You won. This
time. But someday, he will fail, Walsh. And then this whole thing
is over, once and for all!" Leaving the room he murmured to
himself: "At least. he mentioned a way to kill him, I didn't
know before."
=You have a very dangerous enemy, Joseph.=
Nagata said after Wheiner had left. =I wonder, why he wants Goose
in ice so badly, and why he wants you to resign.=
"Because
we both know too much about something he wants to bury."
Walsh turned to the window. "Please stop asking, old
friend." He looked down into the hall, watching the Series-5
Rangers leave to charge their implants for the first time...
|