"Chalker, Jack L - G.O.D. Inc 2 - The Shadow Dancers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

I was curious, at least. "Anything you can tell me now?"
"Not over the phone. It's not a security problem here- yet-but it's better told
in the office where you can see the materials I have. Sam might as well be
there, because he can have a role, too, if he wants, and I can't see this going
off or you agreeing to anything if he's not in."
"You might be right," I admitted. "We'll see. Sam's due to get in to the airport
'bout three-forty in the afternoon, and I know he's plannin' to come straight in
to the office."
"Fine. Why don't the two of you come straight over to my offices in the
Tri-State Building? We'll talk there."
"Uh, yeah, sure, Bill. No hints?"
"Not now. Tomorrow. See you then."
"Yeah, okay," I responded, and he hung up.
Now I really got to wonderin', and worryin' a little, too. Me more than Sam.
That was the real puzzler. I mean, we been damned lucky all in all, and we were
even luckier when we fell into our lone case with the Company so far. We shoulda
died or been marooned forever in one of those parallel worlds more than once.
Trouble was, all that we had here and now we owed to the Company. Everything.
They gave it to us, but always with a string. Every once in a while the Company
might, or might never, ask us a favor, but we sure as hell were expected to jump
if it did.
That phone call wasn't no request for a friendly get-together. It was an order.

2.
A Puzzle for a Lone Hand

Sam seemed as happy to see me as I was to see him, but he looked real tired and
not up to keeping on the go the rest of the night. He wasn't at all happy to
hear about our appointment with Markham, not just 'cause he didn't feel like
doin' anything much but also 'cause he felt it had to be bad news.
We quickly got his stuff in the car and I drove him into town. He's not too
thrilled about the way I drive, so if he let me he was real tired.
"He didn't say what it was about?"
I shook my head. "Nope. Only that it was me he wanted. You're just there 'cause
he knows I won't do it if you say no."
He sighed. "Yeah, that bothers me, too. I don't like this, babe, not one bit. If
this is anything like the mess we had last time it might be real bad. We can't
always luck out of these things."
"I been thinkin' the same thing. Look, Sam, do we have to take it? I mean, I'd
kinda like to see some of them other worlds sometime, I admit, when we know what
they are and what the hell is goin' on, but gettin' back into that shit they get
themselves into-that's somethin' else."
"Well, we have to go to the meeting, anyway," he replied. "Look, we gotta face
facts. We're doing real good right now. Real good. And the whole business is
growing. Thing is, though, it's doing good and growing only because the big boys
have us on the approved list. One word from good old Godawful, Incorporated and
we're back in Camden fighting roaches if we're lucky. You remember The
Godfather?"
"Sure. Saw it three times."
"Well, that's what it's all about. We did them a favor, mostly by accident, and