Killer Thrillers Box Set: 3 Techno-Thriller, Action/Adventure Science Fiction Thrillers Read Free

he was in charge of the small Ranger unit. His mind ran through the different scenarios while he continued searching the tents. Why hadn’t the scans picked up the enemy forces to the west? Even with the river, they’d have seen their advance, and would have warned me.  
    Bryce came to a small tent, almost dead-center of the camp. Strahan picked off two straggling Republican Guardsmen who were fumbling with their weapons, and then entered the tent behind Captain Reynolds. Out of the corner of his eye, Bryce saw an oddly placed satchel on top of a filing cabinet in the corner. “Bryce, what’s up? We’ve got two guys down, and they were hit from behind. Who the hell was doing recon for us?”  
    “Yeah, I know. Just help me find the package and we can get out of here.” He motioned to the other tent, and Strahan nodded and walked over. Bryce waited for Strahan to leave the tent, and he grabbed at the satchel. Rifling through the contents — nothing but paper and maps — he threw the bag aside.  
    And then, on top of the cabinet, underneath where the bag had been placed, Bryce saw it. Unassuming, it was a simple brown envelope. It was too small to hold letter-sized paper, but it’s thickness implied that it was meant for weightier items; souvenirs and such. It was sealed and wrapped in packing tape for additional security, and fastened with a brad. Bryce snatched it and ripped open the top.  
    From the adjacent tent, Strahan yelled out. His voice, echoed by the radio, startled Bryce. “Boss, I got it — two sheets, double-sided. This has to be it!” He opened the flap connecting their tents, and Bryce saw him waving the documents in the air. Coordinates ran down the left side of the page, itemized and ordered in some unknown way.  
    “Great — let’s go.” Bryce had dropped the envelope onto the mess of papers and boxes strewn about, and he waited for Strahan to leave first. As the tall man stooped to exit the tent, he turned around and flashed a grin.  
    “And you thought this shit was gonna take two minutes! Ha!” He chuckled a bit, and reached around his back for his rifle. Through the open tent flap, Bryce could see a shadowy figure approaching.  
    “Corporal! Get down!” Bryce yelled. Joseph Strahan jerked away from the tent opening, but it was too late. An Iraqi soldier appeared in the doorway, and one hand reached out for Strahan’s head, while the other disappeared behind the American’s back. Strahan let out a pained whimper, and Bryce could see a flash of a knife’s blade, followed by a splatter of blood. He pulled up his weapon and aimed toward the two men, hoping to find a shot.  
    Finally, a break in the struggle allowed Bryce to fire a short burst from his assault rifle. The Iraqi man tumbled forward, pushing Strahan down with him. “Shit! Joseph, you all right?” he called out.  
    But as soon as Bryce saw his partner’s open wound, he knew the man was doomed. The knife had cut deep, catching him just beneath the ribs and pushing upward, through his lung. He was bleeding out, and there was no way he was going to live. His eyes flicked to Bryce for a long second, then closed as he coughed a mix of blood and bile. He reached to his side, struggling with something at his belt. Bryce started to walk toward him to offer aid, but within seconds the man was gone.
    It was then that Bryce noticed two things: first, the group of three Iraqi soldiers running toward the tent, where they’d just seen their comrade fall. Second, he saw the metal object Strahan had wriggled free from his belt just before he’d died.  
    The pin of a grenade.  
    Bryce reacted instinctively. He jumped backwards, trying to put as much distance between himself and the downed soldier, and then covered his head. The grenade blew, just as the Iraqis had neared the tent. The blast tore into them, throwing their bodies back and out onto the open desert ground. Bryce felt the wind rushing overhead, pushing the