"(Brian Aldiss)-Outside" - читать интересную книгу автора (Aldiss Brian W)

The thin man rattled a ruler between his teeth before answering.
"Each group has to have a human observer in their very midst, despite
all the scanning devices that watch from outside. You see, a Nititian uses
a deal of energy maintaining a human form; once in that shape, he is kept
in it by self-hypnosis which only breaks down in times of stress, the
amount of stress bearable varying from one individual to another. A human
on the spot can sense such stresses.... It's a tiring job for him; we get
doubles always to work day on, day off -"
"But I've always been there -"
"Of your group," the thin man cut in, "the human was Jagger, or two
men alternating as Jagger. You caught one of them going off duty."
"That doesn't make sense," Harley shouted. "You're trying to say that
I -"
He choked on the words. They were no longer pronounceable. He felt
his outer form flowing away like sand as from the other side of the desk
revolver barrels were levelled at him.
"Your stress level is remarkably high," continued the thin man,
turning his gaze away from the spectacle. "But where you fail is where you
all fail. Like Earth's insects which imitate vegetables, your cleverness
cripples you. You can only be carbon copies. Because Jagger did nothing in
the house, all the rest of you instinctively followed suit. You didn't get
bored - you didn't even try to make passes at Dapple - as personable a
Non-man as I ever saw. Even the model spaceship jerked no appreciable
reaction out of you."
Brushing his suit down, he rose before the skeletal being which now
cowered in a corner.
"The inhumanity inside will always give you away," he said evenly.
"However human you are outside."