Michael Vey 3 ~ Battle of the Ampere Read Online Free PDF

that runs off a program from my laptop. I bought it from an American company that makes them for paintball guns.”
    I touched the gun’s barrel. It was still warm. “They make these for paintball guns?”
    “Yes. I just made some adjustments.” He pointed to the other side of the clearing. “The other one is over there behind that tree. They are very fast. Each one can move so quickly it can follow up to four targets at the same time.”
    “How does it know when to shoot?” Tessa asked.
    “The guns are activated by movement. They shoot anything that moves past its camera.” He turned back to me. “I put these here to keep my equipment safe from Elgen when I am not here. If theywere to get our communication codes, it would endanger everything.”
    “It seems . . . extreme,” Tessa said.
    “Our cause is extreme,” Jaime said seriously. “The sentry is very effective, but so far all it has shot are monkeys. That is good.”
    “Not for the monkeys,” Tessa said.
    “Monkeys and whatever that thing is,” I said, looking at the animal, which had finally stopped twitching.
    “What is that thing?” Tessa asked.
    Jaime pointed to the pile of fur. “That, senorita, is dinner—the osohormiguero .”
    “Lovely,” she replied.
    I walked up to examine the beast. It had thick, spiky fur and a long body about four feet in length, not including its tail, which was curled up around its belly. I still couldn’t tell what it was, and I had to push it over with my foot to see its head. It had small dark eyes and an elongated snout. “It’s an anteater,” I said.
    “ Was ,” Tessa said. “I think its anteating days are over.”
    “Yes, you call it an anteater,” Jaime said. “It is most tasty.”
    “I’ve had it before,” Tessa said. “It was okay.” She looked at Jaime. “Do you have anything to drink?”
    “The water barrel is there,” Jaime said, pointing to a five-gallon white plastic bucket. “You must lift the lid. The cup is hanging next to it. Be sure to look for spiders. They like the water.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. She unhooked the tin-handled cup hanging next to the bucket, then lifted the bucket’s lid. For a moment she just stared. “There’s something dead in here,” she said dryly. “Actually, there’s like a million dead things in here, but there’s one really big dead thing.”
    Jaime walked over and looked in. He took another cup and lifted out an eight-inch insect. “It is only a walking stick. Not poisonous.”
    “I feel so much better now,” Tessa said. She skimmed the top of the bucket, dumping the contents of her cup on the ground three times before scooping up a cup of water clear enough to drink. She drank down two cups, then filled it up again and brought it over tome. There were small things floating around in it, mostly mosquitoes and fleas, but I drank it anyway.
    “Thanks,” I said.
    “It’s funny how we adapt, isn’t it? In the academy days I would complain if my water didn’t have a slice of lime in it. But after being in the jungle this long, hardly anything bothers me anymore. I once ate a roasted armadillo. The Amacarra roll them up and cook them in their own shells.”
    “What I wouldn’t give for a cheeseburger about now,” I said.
    “Sorry,” Jaime said. “No cheeseburgers. But I do have food.” He disappeared into the first tent and returned carrying two boxes, which he handed to us. “I was only making a joke about the anteater,” he said. “We cannot make a fire to roast it. The Elgen soldiers could follow the smoke. But trust me, it is very delicious.”
    “I’ll take your word for it,” I said.
    We opened the boxes. Inside was a ham sandwich sealed in cellophane, a package of crackers with soft cheese, quinoa cake, a Sublime chocolate bar, a piece of fruit I’d never seen before, a bottle of Inca Kola, and a yogurt drink.
    “Real food,” Tessa said. “ Muchas, muchas gracias. It’s been so long.”
    “Yes,