"Jerry Davis - Strong Metallic Arm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Jerry)

drafts of ice ran down her arms and sides. The water was murky,
then clear, then murky again, and a translucent thing came into
view, a thing like a twisted, spinning icicle. A whirlpool. Erin
broke surface right beside it, and it pulled her around. She
sucked in air with a gasp, paddling with one arm and kicking. The
boat was twenty yards away. Duane was climbing over the railing,
dripping water.
She screamed out his name, her voice filled with all the
pain, shock and dismay she was feeling, and watched as he turned
and looked at her, wet hair half over his eyes, his face stoic,
expressionless. She had to keep turning her head to see him, the
whirlpool pulling her in a circle. He picked up his fishing gun
and put it in its holder, tightening the clamp. Then he sat with
his back to her, looking down at his feet.
She kicked her legs and thrusted with her good arm, getting
away from the whirlpool, heading further downstream and a little
toward the shore. Erin had no idea how long the filament line was
for the lure. If she could get out of its reach she might last
long enough for the signal blocker to come unglued. A quick signal
to TIM would bring rescue.
The water became a thing repulsive to her, a pool of menace.
The lure could be anywhere, but no matter where it was she knew it
was heading toward her. She got away from one whirlpool to be
sucked into another passing vortex, this one in a swift finger of
current that took her farther away from the boat. The boat kept
turning, the holder lifting and maneuvering the fishing gun to
keep the line from tangling with the boat or wrapping around
Duane. From glancing back at the holder she could tell where the
filament was leading. It seemed to always be pointing at her.
She heard a high-pitched whine and a sharp squirt, something
leapt out of the water and past her head, missing her. The
filament landed on her shoulder and slid against it, slicing into
her flesh. She pushed it away from her, but the lure came looping
back, jumping again and narrowly missing. It was deliberately
aiming for her head, tuned into her cephalic waves. Duane wasn't
worried about her recording, the lure was programmed to home in on
her interface.
Erin pushed against the sharp filament but it was growing
tight, a loop around her neck. She flailed in the water, loosing
her mind to the terror, and her foot caught the filament as the
lure came around again. The filament cut into her shoe, pulling
the lure short as it swung around. Something hit her in the chest,
so hard it took her breath away. It was like someone swung a large
metal hammer right into her. She felt weak and sick. The water
around her grew cloudy and dark with blood.
At the signal of an impact, the fishing gun on the boat
began automatically reeling in the line. It pulled the loop around
Erin taut, pulling the line right through her. Erin felt distant
tugging, and then an explosion of white as her spinal column
severed. As her body was being pulled toward the boat, her head