Seven Ancient Wonders Read Online Free PDF
Author: Matthew Reilly
Warblers created a magnetic field that disrupted the flight of high-subsonic metal objects—specifically bullets—creating a gunfire-free zone.
Wizard, one of the leading experts in electromagnetic applications, had sold the revolutionary technology to Raytheon in 1988 for $25 million, most of which went to the New York venture capital company that had bankrolled his research. Walking away withonly $2 million, Wizard had sworn to never work again with venture capitalists.
Ironically, the US Army—as always, thinking it knew better— ordered Raytheon to rework the Warbler system, creating
huge
problems that had stalled the program for over fifteen years. It had yet to enter active service.
Naturally, Wizard—a Canadian, not an American—had kept a few working prototypes for himself, three of which he was now using.
The Seven burst out from their manhole, one after the other, moving fast, heading for the nearest embedded ladder that led up to the first level.
As he ran in the middle of the group, West set Horus free and the little peregrine falcon soared above the forward-moving group.
The Jamaican, Fuzzy, led the way—dancing along a narrow stone walkway that lay flush against the right-hand wall of the cavern. Pushed up against the walkway’s low edge was a crush of crocodiles.
Fuzzy held in his hands a lightweight titanium bar welded in the shape of an X.
Halfway along its length, the walkway ended briefly at a small void. In the centre of this void was a raised square stepping-stone that also stood flush against the wall and an inch above the crocfilled water.
Cut into the stone wall immediately
above
this stepping-stone was a dark hole about a metre in diameter.
Fuzzy didn’t miss a beat.
He leapt from the walkway onto the stepping-stone—
—and immediately heard a rush of water from up inside the wall-hole, accompanied by a low crocodilian growl—
—at which point he jammed his titanium X-bar into the wall-hole and hit a switch on the bar.
Thwack!
The X-shaped bar expanded with a powerful springloaded motion, so that suddenly it was wedged tightly in the mouth of the circular wall-hole.
Not a second too soon.
An instant later, a burst of water gushed out of the wall-hole, immediately followed by the jaws of a massive crocodile that slammed at tremendous speed
into
the X-bar!
The croc roared angrily but its jaws were caught against the X-bar, unable to get past. The rush of water sprayed all around Fuzzy, but didn’t knock him over.
‘Trap One! Clear!’ he called.
The others were already there with him, moving fast, and as Fuzzy kept watch over the writhing croc trapped in the wall-hole, they danced safely by.
Now Big Ears went ahead, racing forward to disable the next trap, while the rest of them followed, step-jumping past Fuzzy, heading for the ladder at the base of the giant rockface.
The Europeans could only watch in helpless amazement as the Seven raced along the opposite wall to the base of the rockface.
Alone among them, Francisco del Piero eyed West—eyed him with an ice-cold gaze—watched him running with Lily at his side, gripping her hand.
‘Well, well, well,’ del Piero said. ‘Who have you got there, Captain West . . .?’
The Seven hit the base of the rockface.
The building-sized wall towered above them, black as the night.
Big Ears had already done his work, disabling two hand-chopping traps halfway up the rock-cut ladder.
Now Princess Zoe leapfrogged ahead. She moved with great athleticism, easily the match of the men. About 30, she hadshoulder-length blonde hair, freckles, and the luminous blue eyes that only Irish girls possess.
Onto the First Level she flew, raising two aerosol cans as she did so, filling two wall-holes with a dense expanding foam. Whatever evils had been in those wall-holes were caught by the foam and neutralised.
No sooner had she done this than she was leapfrogged by the seventh member of the group, the tall, thin trooper named
Wizard, one of the leading experts in electromagnetic applications, had sold the revolutionary technology to Raytheon in 1988 for $25 million, most of which went to the New York venture capital company that had bankrolled his research. Walking away withonly $2 million, Wizard had sworn to never work again with venture capitalists.
Ironically, the US Army—as always, thinking it knew better— ordered Raytheon to rework the Warbler system, creating
huge
problems that had stalled the program for over fifteen years. It had yet to enter active service.
Naturally, Wizard—a Canadian, not an American—had kept a few working prototypes for himself, three of which he was now using.
The Seven burst out from their manhole, one after the other, moving fast, heading for the nearest embedded ladder that led up to the first level.
As he ran in the middle of the group, West set Horus free and the little peregrine falcon soared above the forward-moving group.
The Jamaican, Fuzzy, led the way—dancing along a narrow stone walkway that lay flush against the right-hand wall of the cavern. Pushed up against the walkway’s low edge was a crush of crocodiles.
Fuzzy held in his hands a lightweight titanium bar welded in the shape of an X.
Halfway along its length, the walkway ended briefly at a small void. In the centre of this void was a raised square stepping-stone that also stood flush against the wall and an inch above the crocfilled water.
Cut into the stone wall immediately
above
this stepping-stone was a dark hole about a metre in diameter.
Fuzzy didn’t miss a beat.
He leapt from the walkway onto the stepping-stone—
—and immediately heard a rush of water from up inside the wall-hole, accompanied by a low crocodilian growl—
—at which point he jammed his titanium X-bar into the wall-hole and hit a switch on the bar.
Thwack!
The X-shaped bar expanded with a powerful springloaded motion, so that suddenly it was wedged tightly in the mouth of the circular wall-hole.
Not a second too soon.
An instant later, a burst of water gushed out of the wall-hole, immediately followed by the jaws of a massive crocodile that slammed at tremendous speed
into
the X-bar!
The croc roared angrily but its jaws were caught against the X-bar, unable to get past. The rush of water sprayed all around Fuzzy, but didn’t knock him over.
‘Trap One! Clear!’ he called.
The others were already there with him, moving fast, and as Fuzzy kept watch over the writhing croc trapped in the wall-hole, they danced safely by.
Now Big Ears went ahead, racing forward to disable the next trap, while the rest of them followed, step-jumping past Fuzzy, heading for the ladder at the base of the giant rockface.
The Europeans could only watch in helpless amazement as the Seven raced along the opposite wall to the base of the rockface.
Alone among them, Francisco del Piero eyed West—eyed him with an ice-cold gaze—watched him running with Lily at his side, gripping her hand.
‘Well, well, well,’ del Piero said. ‘Who have you got there, Captain West . . .?’
The Seven hit the base of the rockface.
The building-sized wall towered above them, black as the night.
Big Ears had already done his work, disabling two hand-chopping traps halfway up the rock-cut ladder.
Now Princess Zoe leapfrogged ahead. She moved with great athleticism, easily the match of the men. About 30, she hadshoulder-length blonde hair, freckles, and the luminous blue eyes that only Irish girls possess.
Onto the First Level she flew, raising two aerosol cans as she did so, filling two wall-holes with a dense expanding foam. Whatever evils had been in those wall-holes were caught by the foam and neutralised.
No sooner had she done this than she was leapfrogged by the seventh member of the group, the tall, thin trooper named