"Brin, David - Uplift 06 - Heaven's Reach" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brin David)

Harry held his breath as contact was made. But touch-
ing drew no reaction. The obstacle just lay there, six
long, flat strips of brown-flecked yellow, splayed from a
nubby central hump. The first set of tires skidded, and
the station rode up the yellow strip, pushed by the back

wheels.

The station canted slightly. Harry rumbled anxiously

in his chest, trying to tease loose a tickling thread of
recognition. Maybe "starfish" wasn't the best analogy for
these things. They looked familiar though.

Heaven's Beach 9

The angle increased. A troubled whine came from the
spinning rear wheels until they, too, reached the yellow.

In a shock of recognition. Harry shouted-Ч"No! Re-
verse! They're banЧ"

Too late. The back tires whined as slippery yellow
strips flew out from under the platform, sending it flip-
ping in a sudden release of traction. Harry tumbled,
struck the ceiling, then slid across the far wall, shouting
as the scout platform rolled, skidded, and rolled
again . . . until it dropped with a final, bone-jarring
thud. Fetching up against a bulkhead, Harry clutched a
wall rail with his toes until the jouncing finally stopped.

"Oh . . . my head . . . ," he moaned, picking him-
self up.

At least things had settled right side up. He shuffled
back to the console in a crouch and read the main dis-
play. The station had suffered little damage, thank Ifni.
But Harry must have put off housecleaning chores too
long, for dust balls now coated his fur from head to toe.
He slapped them off, raising clouds and triggering vio-
lent sneezes.

The shutters had closed automatically the instant
things went crazy, protecting his eyes against potentially
dangerous allaphors.

He commanded gruffly, "Open blinds!" Perhaps the
violent action had triggered a local phase change, caus-
ing all the nasty obstacles to vanish. It had happened