Book of the Guardian 3: The Last Mission Read Online Free PDF Page A

crap they come out with sounds like it was designed by an insane chimpanzee!"
    Mark chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell the folks in R and D you said that! Seriously though, she does have a point, by and large, all of us older soldiers have a tendency to avoid controller upgrades. You all do need to upgrade to at least the Delta series controller. There have been a lot of advances made since the last upgrades."
    "I just don't want to have to go through the whole dying thing again," John replied casually. "That was not a pleasant experience."
    "I don't imagine it was. John you know they simply switch you over to a remote controller while they replace the outdated one. You won't have a terminal error during replacement. No seriously, you're missing out on a lot of improvements and really cool toys," Mark replied.
    "Like what?" Chloe asked.
    Mark lifted his arm and accessed the implanted holographic control panel. Suddenly, he was covered in a grayish materiel up to his neck. "Meta-Materiel Armor. The techs call it 'Hardskin'. It doesn't replace the standard armor you wear into combat, but it'll work with a suit of armor to cover wounds, and begin healing. With the optional helmet device, it can function as an EVA suit for a short period. Also, this is always with you, for example, if the palace was attacked right now, this would give you at least light armor to cover you until you can either get to the armory, or back to the Flyer . It'll stop most projectile weapons, and even absorb two or three energy weapon shots.
    "John, if you had this when you fought that Lizard on Bethel's Anvil, it couldn't have even scratched you. It is a function of your enhancements, so it works with the strength and speed boosters you already have," Mark explained. "That's in addition to the upgrades Mary told you about, and is the reason Gunny Skarsgaard got to play decoy for you."
    "Fighter flight suit?" Chloe asked.
    "For enhanced pilots, yes," Mark replied. "We have several projects in the works to try to allow our soldiers to be able to stand against the forces of the Tammerain without being enhanced to the point that they are now. So far, every system we've come up with still has the soldier being enhanced in some way, We are working on it, but the fact is we just haven't been able to get past that requirement." Mark looked at his two visitors. "Say, Mary wanted to talk to me when she gets here, do either of you have any idea what she has planned?"
    John shrugged and shook his head, but Chloe answered him. "I don't know, but it has to have something to do with enhancement, since she asked to have Manny here at the same time. Are they still on schedule?
    Mark nodded. "Yeah, they didn't get a transfer point like you lucky fuckers did. No, they're still on course, and should arrive here around five tomorrow night."
    "Speaking of Gunny, did you get that list I sent to you?" John asked Mark.
    "Yes I did. The soldiers you requested will be sent to you. Once you do your thing with them, I'll make it official here, and you'll have new Guardians. What are you going to do about the rest of the older Marines?" Mark asked. "You can't make them all Guardians or you'd be the largest force we have."
    "I know, I'll be sending out invitations to those that have excelled in some way. If they accept, we'll take them in and foster them for a while, then decide if they should join us, or not," John said. "I'm looking for a specific type of personality as well as a proven dedication to our people. I noticed you didn't say anything about the one controversial name on that list."
    "No, I didn't." Mark paused to think about his words. "John, I'm refusing the honor. I don't want the Guardians to become a 'Royal' thing. I'm not an active member of our forces, so I don't believe I should be considered for a posting. When I started this, I wanted it to be something special, and just for you. No amount of gratitude can repay any of you for all the years of hell you have chosen