The secure storage doors whispered open, and overhead fluo.rescent lights strobed on.Fred saw motion—but it was only his own reflection in the burnished-mirror finish of thechamber's stainless-steel walls. Will stepped inside and looked up, then glanced backdown the corridor.
The room was a three-by-five-meter vault1 with steel walls, floor, and ceiling. Theirfootfalls were muffled2 as they entered, so the floor had to be at least a quarter meter thick. Along the right and left walls stood secure floor -to-ceiling lockers4, and two metalcrates sat along the far wall. Every surface was spotless, and every seam had been precision-milled to prevent explosives or acids from penetrating6.
"One moment, please," Kalmiya told them. "I'm attempting to access the locks now. Please stand by."Will stood at the doorway7 and watched their backs. It didn't make Fred feel any more atease. The abandoned ONI base was somehow more intimidating8 than facing the Covenant9 invasion force overhead. He had walked down these corridors a dozen times during histraining on Reach. This base had always been full of people; now, empty, it drove thepoint home that the Cove10.nant were winning. First the Outer Colonies had been crushed;now Reach. How long before humanity was forced to retreat all the way back to Earth?And after that... what? There would be no other choice but victory or extinction11.
Enough. Such musings didn't help him achieve his immediateERIC NYLUND 133objective. He'd leave the long-range strategies to Generals and Admirals. It was time toconcentrate on what he did best.
The walls hummed as thick metal bolts inside the lockers re.tracted, the sound of heavy oiled steel sliding over steel. With a final thump13, the sound ceased.
Kalmiya said, "Lockers open and safeties disabled, Spartans14. Help yourselves.""Secure the outer door, please," Fred told her.
The door to the hallway eased shut and locked, and Will moved to Fred's side. EachSpartan opened one of the wall lock.ers, standing15 to the side in case there was some leftover16 booby trap within that Kalmiya had failed to disable.
Fred peered inside and saw a rack of handguns. They weren't the standard-issue HEpistols; these had oversized barrels— easily 30 percent larger and longer—and they hadgrips of self-molding plastasteel. He picked one up and hefted it—its balance was barrelheavy, to be expected from an unloaded pistol. He found three boxes of clips at thebottom of the locker3, opened one, and took out a clip. Whatever this new handgun shot, itwas high caliber17, slugs the size of his thumb. He slid the clip into the gun, and it securedwith a satisfying click.
Now it was perfectly18 balanced, far better than the standard-issue sidearm.
He secured the weapon and turned to see what Will had found.
Will examined a plastic-wrapped rifle. He removed the rifle from the locker, ripped off itssheathing, and shouldered it. He nodded with satisfaction.
Unlike the MA5B, this rifle had a longer barrel and stock, with a cutdown muzzle19 shroud20.A scope was mounted on an op.tics railing along the top of the rifle. Will hefted a clip and in.serted it into the receiver.
He shouldered the rifle again and peered through the scope. "Auto21 zoom22, nice."Will and Fred then traded and inspected the new weapons. Fred liked the feel of this new rifle, but wondered how much punch it had—enough, he hoped, to make the trade-off ofhaving fewer rounds in the clip worth it.
They filled two sacks with the new pistols, rifles, and ammu.nition, then moved to thefootlockers and lifted the lids.
134HALO: FIRST STRIKEInside the first locker were satchel23 charges. Fred grabbed three and looped them over hisneck. "I think we can find a use for these."Will knelt next to the second footlocker. Within were plastic boxes marked MJOLNIRMARK V followed by a long list of serial24 numbers. "This must be what Doctor Halsey wanted," he said.
There was a flutter in the floor—which got Fred's full atten.tion, because a "flutter" in a solid steel floor meant trouble.
The COM channel opened, and Dr. Halsey's voice crackled with static: "Get back to the labASAP. I might have a way out. Quickly!"The vault room flexed25, and thunder rumbled26 through the walls.
"Detonations," Will said. "They're coming.""Secure those boxes," Fred ordered. He raced to the closed doors. "Open," he shouted toKalmiya and waited as the door slowly eased apart. He scanned up and down the corridor and then ran back toward the lab.
When they got to the medical wing the lights were dead, and Fred saw Kelly's helmetlights cut through the velvet-rich, dust-filled darkness. She had Dr. Halsey draped overher shoulder. Blood ran from the doctor's nostrils29.
"Her office collapsed," Kelly told them. "Support beam missed her by a centimeter."Dr. Halsey looked up and whispered, "I'm fine. Really." She pushed away from Kelly,stood, and teetered in place.
Fred scooped30 her up and set her on the examination table. "With all due respect, ma'am,you're not."Another detonation27 rippled31 through the earth—this one stronger than the previousexplosion. Fissures32 snaked through the con12.crete walls.
Vinh and Isaac bounded into the room. "Enemy contacts at extreme range," Vinhreported.
"Down," Dr. Halsey said, and she held a palm-sized data pad for Fred to see. It had a mapon its display ... but not of this base. "We have to go lower."Fred wondered if Dr. Halsey was delirious33.
"Down the elevator shaft34 in Section Sigma," she explained. "We'll seal it behind us. Wecan't let them follow.""Kelly, take point," Fred ordered. He grabbed two of the newERIC NYLUND135magnum pistols, loaded them, and then tossed them to Kelly, along with three extra clips.
"I guess you get to test these."Kelly gazed at the new weapons and gave a low whistle.
Fred opened the bags with die new rifles and handed them out to his team. "Will, youmule the extra parts and ammo.""Roger," Will replied and slung35 them over his shoulders.
"Those satchels36, over there," Dr. Halsey said and waved to four duffel bags. "Medicalsupplies. Food and water. We'll need them, too."Will grabbed them as well.
"Just a few more things," Dr. Halsey whispered. "We can't let them get into ONI's records." She tapped her pad once and then said to Kalmiya, "Begin Operation White Glove.Irradiate all computer memory crystal. Code file access Beta-Foxtrot-99874." Dr. Halseyclosed her eyes as if she were concentrating, and she whispered, "Not all AIs have the fail-safe option, my dear Kalmiya... just the ones that matter.""I understand, Doctor." There was a pause, and the AI spoke37 again, her voice sad. "Voiceand fi erprint accepted and veri.fied. Fail-safe code verified. It has been ... a pleasureworkingngng with you, Doctor Halsey.""The pleasure has been mine, Kalmiya." She stood straighter and said, "Fail-safe overrideaccess: 'Ragnarok.' Give us a three-minute countdown."A three-minute counter appeared in the corner of Fred's heads-up display.
Dr. Halsey turned to him. "I've activated38 the explosives cache under this base, which willlevel the complex. We have to get be.low, to the original titanium mine tunnels."Fred wished she had consulted with him before she had given them only three minutes.Then again, Dr. Halsey knew what was at stake, what secrets were hidden in this base,and what damage could occur if the Covenant got their hands on those secrets.
Five minutes might be too much time considering what was at risk.
"Understood," Fred replied. "Isaac, you're rear guard. Vinh, stick close to Kelly. I'll takeDoctor Halsey." Fred picked up the doctor with great care. She couldn't have weighedmore than fifty kilos—light as a stick.
136HALO: FIRST STRIKE"I've lost targets on motion sensors," Vinh whispered over the COM. "They were close,too.""Kelly, watch for camouflaged41 Elites43.""Affirmative," she said. She scanned the room, moved to a cabinet, and grabbed a tin canmarked TALC.
"Let's move," Fred ordered. "Kalmiya, kill the lights in the base. Hand signals only—I wantradio silence."Four blue acknowledgment lights winked44 on.lights winked on.
The faint light filtering in from the outer hall died.
Kelly slid into the hallway and melted into the shadows. Vinh followed, then Fred andIsaac. Will trailed behind, moving slower because of the care he took to remain quiet withthe gear.
Dr. Halsey tapped her data pad, and a map uploaded onto Fred's heads-up display, a pathtraced through corridors and a NAV marker designated an elevator shaft. That was theirobjective.
The Spartans winked on their acknowledgment lights, con.firming the route.
They crept forward, smooth and silent—oil sliding over oil— until Kelly halted ten meters before a five-way intersection45. The Spartans froze and waited. She crouched46, setthe can of talc on the floor, and then stood with her knees bent47.
She waited another heartbeat, then gave a slight shake of her head from side to side— their signal for trouble ahead.
Vinh moved next to Fred's flank, and Fred set Dr. Halsey down and stood in front of her.Will crouched next to the doctor to provide cover with his own body if needed.
Isaac remained on their six.
Kelly kicked the can. It tumbled end over end through the air, and as it entered theintersection Kelly squeezed off a single shot. The flash of light from the muzzleilluminated the passage just long enough for them to see the can explode and a cloud ofwhite dust mushroom into the hallways.
Their motion detectors48 flickered49, and four targets resolved on their displays. Image enhancement showed the wavering out.lines of four Covenant Elites—their light-bending camouflage40 fluttering and overloading50 as the talc powder coated them.
Kelly open fire with both pistols. The Elite42 closest dropped as three slugs poundedthrough its shields, and a round caught it inERIC NYLUND 137the center of its elongated51 forehead. Purple blood blossomed across the wall.
The remaining Elites returned fire, and Kelly bounded for.ward28, plasma52 flaring53 at theedge of her shield. She ducked into the side passage.
The instant Kelly was out of the line of fire, Fred shouldered his rifle and squeezed thetrigger. A three-round burst caught the next Elite, and its shield sparkled and failed. Ittwisted away, clutching at the single round that had penetrated54 its chesthe single round that had penetrated its chest.
Vinh fired two single shots, but the Elite's shield held. In uni.son, Vinh and Fred firedanother set of three-round bursts. The Elite dropped to the steel floor in a twisted heap.
The last Elite had vanished. No return fire. No sensor39 contact.
The Spartans held position for a moment longer, then re.grouped. With hand signals,each member of the team reported no contact.
Fred spied tracks in the white dust scattered55 on the floor. The Elite had bugged56 out, and itwas most likely gathering57 reinforcements.
That wasn't what Covenant Elites usually did. Their pride de.manded that they fight, anddie fighting, if need be. They would hurl58 themselves headlong into battle, no matter theodds, and die by the hundreds if necessary. They never ran away. Nothing about thisengagement had been "usual."Fred glanced at Will and Dr. Halsey. Will gave him a thumbs-up, indicating that the doctorhadn't been wounded in the exchange.
After the exchange of gunfire, there was no need for secrecy59. "One of them got away,"Fred told them. "We need to move, too... and forget quiet."The Spartans ran down the corridor. They heard and felt an.other explosion directly overtheir heads.
Kelly skidded60 to a halt in front of the locked elevator doors. She gripped one of the panels;Fred and Vinh gripped the seam of the other side, and the Spartans pried61 them apart as ifthe five-centimeter steel alloy62 were no tougher than the rind of an orange.
Kelly grabbed the elevator cables and slid down. Vinh fol.lowed, then Fred plummetedmore than five hundred meters into138HALO: FIRST STRIKEthe darkness. The three of them ripped open the doors at the bot.tom of the shaft.
Will slid down next with Dr. Halsey holding on to his neck. Isaac followed.
"There should be an air vent5," Dr. Halsey whispered. "There."Kelly ripped off the vent cover and peered down.
"It leads to the old mine tunnels," Dr. Halsey told them, "and more, I hope.""Go," Fred ordered.
Kelly dived in, headfirst. They waited ten seconds, and her ac.knowledgment lightwinked on.
Fred entered next, sliding through the vent duct. It twisted and turned and finallydumped him into a long tunnel of roughly hewn granite63. The ceiling was ten meters highand—judging from the three-meter-wide tire tracks in the dust—big enough for heavy equipment to have rolled through.
Will slid out of the duct with Dr. Halsey riding on his chest. Vinh and Isaac came after them.
"There's more to this place," Dr. Halsey told them, standing up and brushing the dustfrom her lab coat. "This is only the be.ginning. We have to—"A thunderous detonation cut her off. The mountain exploded, and ONI's base collapsedover their heads.
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1
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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intimidating
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| vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词) | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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leftover
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| n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的 | |
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caliber
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| n.能力；水准 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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auto
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| n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车 | |
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zoom
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| n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升 | |
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satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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serial
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| n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的 | |
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flexed
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| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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detonation
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| n.爆炸；巨响 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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satchels
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| n.书包( satchel的名词复数 ) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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activated
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| adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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camouflage
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| n./v.掩饰，伪装 | |
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camouflaged
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| v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
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elite
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| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
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elites
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| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
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44
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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intersection
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| n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集 | |
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46
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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detectors
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| 探测器( detector的名词复数 ) | |
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49
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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overloading
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| 过载，超载，过负载 | |
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51
elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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bugged
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| vt.在…装窃听器（bug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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60
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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pried
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| v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的过去式和过去分词 )；撬开 | |
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alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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