"Bova, Ben - Voyagers 03 - Star Brothers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bova Ben)

"But the army is too powerful."

"Only if you are too weak." Stoner leaned forward in his chair, stretching a hand over the desk to grasp de Sagres's wrist. It was like being held in an inhumanly powerful vise.

"You can become a 'Great Soul,'" Stoner said urgently. "You can save your people untold grief and pain. And the people of Venezuela, too. If you don't, the military will take over your government and you will be lost and forgotten."

De Sagres wanted to run away and hide. But Stoner had him pinned down like a helpless insect. His arm began to tingle.

"You have the power to do it," Stoner insisted. "Do you have the strength?"

The president wanted to admit that he did not, but he heard himself saying, "I can try."

Stoner's smile beamed at him. "Good! That's all that anyone can do."

"If I fail ..."

"You won't be any worse off than you are now. The army won't kill you; they'll keep you as a figurehead for their puppet government."

"A figurehead? Me? Never"

Stoner considered the Brazilian president for a long, silent, solemn moment. De Sagres felt as if his soul was being stripped bare and examined, atom by atom.

"Will you do me a favor?" Stoner asked at last.

De Sagres arched his brows It always comes down to a favor, he told himself

But Stoner extracted a small straight pin from the breast pocket of his khaki jacket and pricked the tip of his thumb. A drop of blood welled up.

"This is as primitive as those 'Great Souls'" he said, "but I'd like to make a blood bond with you, to seal the understanding between us."

Unwilling, but unable to resist, de Sagres held out his trembling hand and allowed Stoner to grasp it in his own warm, firm grip. The touch of the pin was painless, and then they were pressing their thumbs together like little boys sharing a solemn, sacred oath.

"You have the strength to stop your military adventurers," Stoner said "You have greatness in you One day you may even win the Nobel Prize for Peace "

The president of Brazil sank back in his chair as his unannounced visitor strode purposefully to the door and disappeared from his sight.











CHAPTER 3