Free The Crocodile's Jaws: An Alice in Deadland Adventure (Alice, No.7) by Mainak Dhar Page A

brick.
    'So much for the LZ. We need to tell the President that
nothing will land here.'
    Alice noticed how easily John had accepted Robertson as his
commander. There was a lot she did not understand about the old world, and one
of those things was why people so readily gave others authority over them. Very
few people were able to exercise such authority without being corrupted by it.
Konrath had been one of them, but she was still not sure about Robertson. Yet
John was right. No plane could land in the wreckage that remained of the old
airport. If Robertson wanted to bring in reinforcements to tackle whatever
threat lurked in Karachi, he would have to find a different way.
    When she booted up her tablet to pass the bad news, there
was already a message from Robertson waiting for her. He wanted her to contact
him urgently. When she got on the video link, his eyes were drawn with fatigue,
as if he had not been sleeping much. As he heard the news about the airport,
his shoulders visibly sagged.
    'We have but two days. They say they will destroy Washington
unless we free all the Executive Committee leaders in our custody. We have to
do something.'
    'Do you know where these missiles are based?'
    'No. We barely have a few communications satellites up. The
old spy satellites that could have tracked them are no more. All we've been
able to trace is that they are in Karachi somewhere.'
    John seemed to be thinking and then he spoke up.
    'Sir, the airport is gone, but we came through a large
stretch of highway where fixed-wing aircraft may be able to land. There are
long stretches with no vehicles or wreckage that could act as a runway. The
forces you send would have to trek several hours to get to Karachi, but it's
better than nothing.'
    Robertson's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
    'Great idea! Send me the co-ordinates or any landmarks. The
Executive Committee had a few of the old satellites up and running and we
captured some of their transport aircraft with working GPS systems so if we
know the rough area, our pilots can find it. We'll work on something, but we
don't have much time. You need to get more intel about what we're up against.'
    As Alice and her companions set off in the direction of the
city, she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Call it
intuition, call it paranoia, but she felt that someone's eyes were on her. They
were passing through some densely packed slums on both sides of them, and more
than once, she thought she spotted movement.
    'John, I have a bad feeling about this. Bunny Ears, scout
the—'
    A bullet slammed into her chest, sending her crashing to the
ground.
     
    ***

 
    SEVEN
     
    Shots erupted all around Alice, sending the dust swirling
around her from near misses. She had been wearing a protective vest, not
because she could be killed by anything other than a direct head wound, but
because she saw little reason to carry around any more wounds and gashes on her
body than was absolutely necessary. She still retained some of the vanity that
had come with being a young woman, and grimaced when she saw the many wounds
she had from years of fighting.
    Alice rolled to her right, coming up behind the hulking
wreck of an old bus. She could see numerous muzzle flashes and brought up her
rifle to shoot at one of them. She pulled the trigger and someone jerked back
as her rounds struck home. She had no idea whether she'd scored a hit or not,
but the shooting stopped for a few seconds, as if their attackers were
regrouping to deal with a quarry that could shoot back.
    'Bunny Ears, John, Zohar!'
    In the chaos of initial ambush, Alice had lost sight of her
companions, and when no reply came, she had a sinking feeling. Then she caught
sight of a pair of familiar rabbit ears across the road. Bunny Ears had heard
her and was coming towards her. Several shots rang out, hitting the buildings
near him, but he kept coming. Afraid that she was calling her friend to his
death, Alice shouted out again.
    'No,