"John DeChancie - Skyway 3 - Paradox Alley" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

"Getting worse, I'm afraid. All kinds of arrhythmias,
atrial flutter. It's a failing heart, Jake. Too many things going
wrong at onceтАФI really don't think we can do a thing for him,
but you ought to try CPR in any case. I'd recommend starting
it right now."

"Right. Scan, stretch him out."

"Right-o."

Before we got to it, a voice came from behind us: "I'm
really very sorry this happened."

Everyone whirled around before I got to my feet. Susan
choked off a scream, and Liam uttered an awed "Jay-sus
Christ!"

It was Prime, on his feet and looking fit and hale.

"Very, very sorry," Prime was saying. "I can't help but feel
that it was in some way my fault."

His concern seemed genuine, if inexplicable.

"What are you doing to him?" I said.

"I beg your... ? Oh, I see. Yes. Well, I'm sure he'll be all
right. Merely a precautionary measure."

"He's dying," I said.

Prime seemed surprised. "Really? I can't think of a reason

PARADOX ALLEY 7

why he should be." He stepped toward us, his eyes on Carl.
"Are you sure?"

"He'll be dead very shortly," I told him.

Prime stopped. His gaze began to drift upward, finally fo-
cusing, it seemed, on something far away. "Hmm. I see. Yes."
He looked at me. "The young man's life processes are being
probed. Various components, various systems are being tem-
porarily suppressed in order to obtain an overview of the en-
tire organism. At teast, that is what I am told."

"Unsuppress them," I said.

Prime smiled beatifically. "You needn't worry. He's in very