"John DeChancie - Skyway 1 - Starrigger" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

тАЬWhat?тАЭ This was news.
тАЬYouтАЩre denying it? DonтАЩt insult my intelligence, Jake. IтАЩve had loads lifted, rigs sabotaged, deals
queered. Nothing major, you understand. But it irks me.тАЭ
I had heard about the recent increase in hijackings and the like. I attributed it to free-lance
skywaymen, as did the media. We had no muscle to bring to bear on him. The injustice of the charge
seared the back of my throat.
тАЬJake, youтАЩre a strange man,тАЭ Wilkes went on, resuming his usual inflected, lyrical style. тАЬThereтАЩs a
kind of... a certain Heisenbergian uncertainty about you. An elusiveness. Hard to pin you down. WeтАЩve
been having trouble keeping track of your movements recently. I get a report that youтАЩre somewhere,
then get another that says you were somewhere else entirely at the very same time. A slippery electron,
Jake. Difficult to determine both its position and momentum at once. One or the other, but not both. And
the stories.тАЭ
 тАЬStories?тАЭ тАЬThe strange tales IтАЩve been nearing about you. Fascinating, if theyтАЩre true. Especially the
one about theтАФтАЬ тАЬLook, Corey,тАЭ I said, cutting him off, тАЬitтАЩs been nice. Really nice. But IтАЩd like to go
salvage a meal. Thanks for the offer.тАЭ
And at my back I heard, тАЬYouтАЩll never get out of Mach City, Jake.тАЭ
I stopped, turned, and delivered an obscenity.
He laughed. тАЬIn fact, what makes you think I couldnтАЩt take you out right now?тАЭ
The three gunsels were eye-riveting me.
тАЬDonтАЩt think youтАЩre safe in a public place,тАЭ Wilkes warned, eyes narrowed to slits. тАЬBy the way, I
own this dump. Silent partner. The help would back me up. Witnesses.тАЭ тАЬAnd the customers?тАЭ
тАЬAre you kidding? TheyтАЩll stampede as soon as you go down.тАЭ
The restaurant was awfully quiet. Wilkes could have been blustering, but I was worried. They had
me, if they wanted me.
тАЬCorey, I wouldnтАЩt put it past you, but itтАЩd be just a bit too messy for your taste. Hearings,
depositions. Not your style.тАЭ
I decided to call his bluff, which was the only thing I could do. I turned, but let my peripheral vision
sweep behind me, and in doing so caught movement. The pale-eyed slug was reaching under the table.
I spun, but the boy was fast. He had probably had the gun in his lap the whole time. It was leveled at
me, and he was grinning, but he didnтАЩt fire. My squib was halfway out from under the cuff of my jacket.
I dropped, but there was no cover near.
Perhaps three quarters of a second had elapsed when the boyтАЩs hand and the gun in it went up in a
blue-white ball of flame. The shot had come from across the room. The alien and the other two had
delayed reacting, for the sake of form, I supposed. It would have looked better in the report if only two
combatants had been involvedтАФbesides, their buddy had had me beaten. Now they pushed the table
over and ducked down behind. Everyone in the place thought it an excellent idea. The restaurant
exploded as chairs, food, dishes, tables went everywhere.
My squib was finally out, having gotten snagged in a fold of my shirt, and I drew a bead on WilkesтАЩ
forehead.
тАЬHold it!тАЭ тАЬDrop тАШem!тАЭ Two voices off to the right.
I couldnтАЩt see who it was. Wilkes suddenly- threw up his hands. He still sat there, as if a spectator.
тАЬAll right! All right!тАЭ he yelled.
The pale-eyed one was sitting there too, eyes popped with horror as he watched a gob of melting
flesh slither from the charred claw that had been his hand. He started to scream, the whimpering,
surprised scream that comes from a sadist unused to the business-end of pain. I got up. The place was
silent, save for the gunselтАЩs warblings. The alien and the other two rose, the humans with their hands in
the air, the Reticulan with his forelimbs crossed in front of him, sign of submission.
I chanced a look to the right. Tomasso and Chang were down behind chairs, guns drawn and aimed
at Wilkes. I backed away toward them.
тАЬNice shooting,тАЭ I said to Chang.