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Nomad Quotes
Nomad
by
James Swallow10,156 ratings, 3.84 average rating, 642 reviews
Nomad Quotes
Showing 1-22 of 22
“So you’re ex-Royal Navy, right?’
He tensed. ‘How do you know that?’
Lucy pointed at his arm. ‘Cabot wristwatch. It’s a dead giveaway.’ Marc frowned. The military-issue dive watch was the only connection he still had to that part of his past. ‘And also my boss is a billionaire, remember?’ The woman went on. ‘Information gets bought real easy, if you know how to deal.’ She smiled again. ‘So you’re all about Queen and Country. From navy puke to covert spook, all for the union jack.’
‘Something like that,’ he muttered. ‘And just so you know, we only call the flag the ‘union jack’ if it’s flying on a ship.”
― Nomad
He tensed. ‘How do you know that?’
Lucy pointed at his arm. ‘Cabot wristwatch. It’s a dead giveaway.’ Marc frowned. The military-issue dive watch was the only connection he still had to that part of his past. ‘And also my boss is a billionaire, remember?’ The woman went on. ‘Information gets bought real easy, if you know how to deal.’ She smiled again. ‘So you’re all about Queen and Country. From navy puke to covert spook, all for the union jack.’
‘Something like that,’ he muttered. ‘And just so you know, we only call the flag the ‘union jack’ if it’s flying on a ship.”
― Nomad
“The colour of a man’s skin, the flag he revered, and the god he prayed to . . . None of that mattered. They were all convenient hooks upon which one could hang an ideology that would fit the needs of the war.”
― Nomad
― Nomad
“There was no movement around the discoloured walls, and Lucy turned the Land Rover about in a slow crawl, the tires crunching on the desiccated earth. She scanned the windows, black squares punched through the sides of the silent blockhouses, looking for threats.
As the grumble of the engine died, Marc heard the moan of the steady breeze, and the desolate cluster of buildings seemed like the loneliest place on Earth.
‘Stay alert,’ said Lucy, reaching down into the wheel well to grab her backpack. ‘We don’t know what we’re gonna find here.’ She reached inside and her hand came back with the compact shape of an MP7 sub machinegun. She cocked it with a snap of the receiver, and handed Marc a walkie-talkie. ‘Just in case,’ she added.
Marc followed her out of the Land Rover, slipping out of the door with his bag over one shoulder. He had the Glock ready, close to his chest and his finger resting on the trigger guard. He felt acutely aware of every tiny detail around them, the crumbling rocks beneath his boots, the heavy heat of the late afternoon sun, the weight of the loaded gun”
― Nomad
As the grumble of the engine died, Marc heard the moan of the steady breeze, and the desolate cluster of buildings seemed like the loneliest place on Earth.
‘Stay alert,’ said Lucy, reaching down into the wheel well to grab her backpack. ‘We don’t know what we’re gonna find here.’ She reached inside and her hand came back with the compact shape of an MP7 sub machinegun. She cocked it with a snap of the receiver, and handed Marc a walkie-talkie. ‘Just in case,’ she added.
Marc followed her out of the Land Rover, slipping out of the door with his bag over one shoulder. He had the Glock ready, close to his chest and his finger resting on the trigger guard. He felt acutely aware of every tiny detail around them, the crumbling rocks beneath his boots, the heavy heat of the late afternoon sun, the weight of the loaded gun”
― Nomad
“I built Rubicon from ashes,’ said the other man. ‘Ashes of war. I have worked hard to raise myself up from the poverty I was born into. Believe me when I tell you I have seen every kind of injustice, all across the heartland of my mother Africa. And now I have made billions of dollars from land and mining and technology. Now I can do something about it. As Lucy says, I am a very rich man.’ He reached up to his neck and pulled out the silver chain between his fingers. ‘I see you looking at this. Do you recognize it?’
Marc gave a slow nod. Now it was clear to him, he could see that the odd bit of discoloured metal was actually part of a weapon. It was the trigger from an AK-47 assault rifle.”
― Nomad
Marc gave a slow nod. Now it was clear to him, he could see that the odd bit of discoloured metal was actually part of a weapon. It was the trigger from an AK-47 assault rifle.”
― Nomad
“How did you end up in all this? Working for Rubicon, I mean?’
She shot him a look, and he wondered if he had touched on a sore point. Lucy guided the Land Rover past a sluggish tanker truck and set her gaze on the view through the grimy windshield. ‘It’s no big deal,’ she said, at length. ‘I was Army green for a good while. No job for a lady, so my mom used to say. But I got a good eye, and I like guns. Delta was recruiting for Foxtrot Troop, so I opted in. Stayed for a tour.’
‘I thought that was a myth,’ said Marc. ‘About Delta Force having an all-female squad . . .’
‘Sure it is,’ Lucy replied evenly. ‘Just like it’s not true that British Intelligence has its own covert strike teams.’
‘Fair point,’ he allowed.
‘Uncle Sam may be old-fashioned, but he ain’t stupid. Sometimes girls can get where boys can’t”
― Nomad
She shot him a look, and he wondered if he had touched on a sore point. Lucy guided the Land Rover past a sluggish tanker truck and set her gaze on the view through the grimy windshield. ‘It’s no big deal,’ she said, at length. ‘I was Army green for a good while. No job for a lady, so my mom used to say. But I got a good eye, and I like guns. Delta was recruiting for Foxtrot Troop, so I opted in. Stayed for a tour.’
‘I thought that was a myth,’ said Marc. ‘About Delta Force having an all-female squad . . .’
‘Sure it is,’ Lucy replied evenly. ‘Just like it’s not true that British Intelligence has its own covert strike teams.’
‘Fair point,’ he allowed.
‘Uncle Sam may be old-fashioned, but he ain’t stupid. Sometimes girls can get where boys can’t”
― Nomad
“Marc walked down the jet way, blinking into the rising sun. He dug in the bag for the USAF-issue sunglasses that he habitually carried and wiped them clean. Lucy was waiting at the foot of the ramp, dressed in the same kind of almost-neutral clothing as he was. She was peering at a sheaf of paper maps, and among the sheets Marc saw a blow-up of the satellite image he had provided to Rubicon, the errant picture salvaged from the comm files.
‘We can make this by late afternoon if we hustle,’ she told him. ‘A helo would draw too much attention. We’ll take the highway.’ She jerked her thumb at a battered Land Rover parked in the shadow of the jet. Malte, the taciturn driver, was in the process of loading the 4x4 with two equipment cases, one labelled with a red stripe, another with blue.
‘Is he coming with us?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘Just you and me, pal.”
― Nomad
‘We can make this by late afternoon if we hustle,’ she told him. ‘A helo would draw too much attention. We’ll take the highway.’ She jerked her thumb at a battered Land Rover parked in the shadow of the jet. Malte, the taciturn driver, was in the process of loading the 4x4 with two equipment cases, one labelled with a red stripe, another with blue.
‘Is he coming with us?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘Just you and me, pal.”
― Nomad
“Marc didn’t hesitate to activate the laptop and check the portable computer’s security. His firewalls and lockout protocols had been tested but not penetrated, just as he had hoped. Still, he resolved to crack the laptop’s case at the first opportunity to check for the presence of any bugs, key loggers or other unwanted additions. The daypack had also gained some extra content in the form of an emergency survival kit and a box of 9mm ammunition for the Glock. The pistol was in there too, and he was surprised to note that someone had cleaned it for him. Five star service, he thought.”
― Nomad
― Nomad
“With a grunt, the gunman ripped off the goggles and fumbled for the hilt of a wicked-looking combat knife, swearing under his breath. Marc remembered the moment on the tower block roof in London, but this time there would be no mystery shot, no intervention from out of the darkness.
He felt no doubt as he brought up the Glock and fired twice, putting both rounds through the other man’s sternum at close range. In the close confines of the corridor, the sound of the gun’s discharge was sharp and high, like firecrackers. The gunman went down and was still.”
― Nomad
He felt no doubt as he brought up the Glock and fired twice, putting both rounds through the other man’s sternum at close range. In the close confines of the corridor, the sound of the gun’s discharge was sharp and high, like firecrackers. The gunman went down and was still.”
― Nomad
“The short-barrel MP9 submachine gun released a cluster of silenced rounds that ran up Novakovich’s body, some of the bullets sparking off the case of the hard drive. Novakovich cried out and crumpled backward with a crash.
The gunman pivoted sharply at the corner of the passage and turned the muzzle of the MP9 toward Marc. His night vision goggles would easily render the space visible, and there was no cover at all.
Marc took the offensive and attacked as the weapon came toward him. With the Glock in his fist, he brought the heavy butt of the pistol across, smashing it into the lenses of the gunman’s NVG rig with such violence that broken shards were driven into the shooter’s cheek and eyes. The gunman jerked the MP9’s trigger, but the shots went wide, chugging into the wall and the ceiling of the corridor as the magazine emptied”
― Nomad
The gunman pivoted sharply at the corner of the passage and turned the muzzle of the MP9 toward Marc. His night vision goggles would easily render the space visible, and there was no cover at all.
Marc took the offensive and attacked as the weapon came toward him. With the Glock in his fist, he brought the heavy butt of the pistol across, smashing it into the lenses of the gunman’s NVG rig with such violence that broken shards were driven into the shooter’s cheek and eyes. The gunman jerked the MP9’s trigger, but the shots went wide, chugging into the wall and the ceiling of the corridor as the magazine emptied”
― Nomad
“MI6 aren’t supposed to operate inside the UK. They’re external security.’
‘Yes. That gives you an idea of the exigency of the situation.’
‘What’s the protocol here?’ Lucy gestured absently toward a Walther P99 semi-automatic lying on a bedside table. ‘Is this a wet job? Do I need my tools?’
‘Henri has made the arrangements,’ said Solomon, nodding in the direction of his assistant, who hovered in the background. ‘Expect a delivery.’
‘Okay,’ she replied. ‘Got a target for me?’
‘You misunderstand,’ he told her. ‘This will be surveillance, not tactical”
― Nomad
‘Yes. That gives you an idea of the exigency of the situation.’
‘What’s the protocol here?’ Lucy gestured absently toward a Walther P99 semi-automatic lying on a bedside table. ‘Is this a wet job? Do I need my tools?’
‘Henri has made the arrangements,’ said Solomon, nodding in the direction of his assistant, who hovered in the background. ‘Expect a delivery.’
‘Okay,’ she replied. ‘Got a target for me?’
‘You misunderstand,’ he told her. ‘This will be surveillance, not tactical”
― Nomad
“What Marc did next came from nowhere; later he would think back to this moment and search his recollection for the impulse that made him do it.
Marc threw himself at the gunman and snatched at the bunch of cables, curling them about his wrist with a savage tug. The power lines drooping over the assassin’s chest went taut and snapped up about the gunman’s throat before he could push them away. Marc shouted wordlessly and put all his weight into the motion. The cables tightened into a noose, biting into the other man’s bull-neck.
The gunman gasped, his face flushing cherry-red, his legs kicking as he tried to get free. All at once, hate and fury boiled over in Marc. Every iota of emotion that had been churning around inside him, the anger and the grief, the shock and the confusion, all manifested itself in a final, violent action as he jerked the cable as tight as it would go.
A drawn-out, sickly crackle emerged from the gunman’s lips as his neck twisted. The bigger man’s body went slack and dropped to the concrete floor.”
― Nomad
Marc threw himself at the gunman and snatched at the bunch of cables, curling them about his wrist with a savage tug. The power lines drooping over the assassin’s chest went taut and snapped up about the gunman’s throat before he could push them away. Marc shouted wordlessly and put all his weight into the motion. The cables tightened into a noose, biting into the other man’s bull-neck.
The gunman gasped, his face flushing cherry-red, his legs kicking as he tried to get free. All at once, hate and fury boiled over in Marc. Every iota of emotion that had been churning around inside him, the anger and the grief, the shock and the confusion, all manifested itself in a final, violent action as he jerked the cable as tight as it would go.
A drawn-out, sickly crackle emerged from the gunman’s lips as his neck twisted. The bigger man’s body went slack and dropped to the concrete floor.”
― Nomad
“His fury peaked in that moment. He refused to die because of something so random, without cause or purpose. He had to know the reason. There had to be an answer to it.
He would not die now, ended by a bullet from a nameless assassin.
He saw the killer shift his stance, moving to line up his shot. He was heavy-set and broad across the shoulders, easily Marc’s superior in terms of muscle and power, even without the matter of the semi-automatic pistol in his hand.
He didn’t have a plan. There wasn’t any training he had gone through for a scenario such as this one. But he had no other choice”
― Nomad
He would not die now, ended by a bullet from a nameless assassin.
He saw the killer shift his stance, moving to line up his shot. He was heavy-set and broad across the shoulders, easily Marc’s superior in terms of muscle and power, even without the matter of the semi-automatic pistol in his hand.
He didn’t have a plan. There wasn’t any training he had gone through for a scenario such as this one. But he had no other choice”
― Nomad
“The 40mm high explosive shells he had fired into the truck were enough to hobble a military APC. He had not seriously considered that any members of the British support team would be resilient enough to live this long.
He kept his careful aim with the Sig Sauer. The gunman did not like extraneous details. They irritated him.
‘I will ask you again,’ he told the agent. ‘Who is with you?’ If there were others, it would be necessary to deal with them as well.
The reply came after a long moment. ‘I’m alone,’ said the other man. ‘You did your job,’ he added bitterly. ‘You killed them all.”
― Nomad
He kept his careful aim with the Sig Sauer. The gunman did not like extraneous details. They irritated him.
‘I will ask you again,’ he told the agent. ‘Who is with you?’ If there were others, it would be necessary to deal with them as well.
The reply came after a long moment. ‘I’m alone,’ said the other man. ‘You did your job,’ he added bitterly. ‘You killed them all.”
― Nomad
“From out of the shadows, the British agent swung the yellow-and-black pole of a work light rig like a two-handed sword, striking the gunman squarely in the chest with the cluster of lamps at the upper end. Glass and plastic shattered against him, hardened halogen bulbs popping and sparking, disconnected power cables snapping through the air like whips. The gunman staggered backward, his balance failing, and Marc swung back the other way, this time catching the assassin across the face with the splayed metal legs of the work light tripod”
― Nomad
― Nomad
“The figure was clad head-to-toe in the same kind of matt black tactical gear utilized by the MI6 OpTeams, his head was hidden behind a mesh balaclava and clumsy night-vision goggles that gave the shooter a bug-eyed aspect. Marc recognized the long, heavy frame of the pistol in the man’s hand. A silenced Mark 23 semi-automatic, the same kind of weapon favoured by American SOCOM operatives.
He had no desire to see the gun up close, however, and when the shooter turned away to look to the stern, Marc slipped down the stairwell and moved as fast as he dared past the doors of the passenger deck. At each compartment he paused for a count of three, holding his breath to listen. Nothing.
Amidships, he came across an open door and used the muzzle of the Glock to nudge the gap a little wider. He swept left and right, finding no threats”
― Nomad
He had no desire to see the gun up close, however, and when the shooter turned away to look to the stern, Marc slipped down the stairwell and moved as fast as he dared past the doors of the passenger deck. At each compartment he paused for a count of three, holding his breath to listen. Nothing.
Amidships, he came across an open door and used the muzzle of the Glock to nudge the gap a little wider. He swept left and right, finding no threats”
― Nomad
“It is a regrettable fact that no government can ever be fully trusted to make the truly right choice when confronted by an impossible situation. People elect their leaders in the hope that they are moral souls, but no-one is perfect. Inevitably, men are loyal in one of only two ways. They are loyal to their nation, even if that nation is misguided or wrong. Or they are loyal to avarice and greed, interested only in power and wealth. They do what they will to serve one of those masters.’ He brought his hands together. ‘When the time comes to make a moral choice between right and wrong, few can faithfully follow that path to the end. Men will do what is right for them, not what is right.”
― Nomad
― Nomad
“In his hand, Marc still had the Glock semi-automatic. Both of them knew what should happen next. The right choice, the expedient choice, was to put a bullet in this man’s head and keep running.
Marc kept running”
― Nomad
Marc kept running”
― Nomad
“So,’ Lucy said to the air, ‘not lucky, then.’
Through the PSG-1’s scope, she could see the Brit standing stock still, and a sliver of the assault team operator holding him up. It was impossible to get a good look at the gunman. From her angle across the park, a cluster of vents prevented the sniper from seeing all of him”
― Nomad
Through the PSG-1’s scope, she could see the Brit standing stock still, and a sliver of the assault team operator holding him up. It was impossible to get a good look at the gunman. From her angle across the park, a cluster of vents prevented the sniper from seeing all of him”
― Nomad
