"Thomas A. Easton - Alien Resonance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Easton Thomas A)

"C'mon in. Drink?"
"You don't mind being interrupted?"
"More like I'd mind not being interrupted. Just working on notes." He led the
way to the kitchen, where he opened a half-gallon of white wine. "What's up?"
She told him how she had spent the afternoon. He described what he remembered of
his dream, and he added, "I wish you'd found one."
"It might not have been a mate."
Their eyes met, and they might have touched. But Alec looked away. He knew it
was irrational, but he could not stop himself from drawing back.
They took their drinks into Alec's living room, and he opened a window that
faced the back yard. A light breeze moved the draperies in and out like breath
behind a veil. They talked companionably for awhile, and eventually they turned
on the television.
Once more, the eggs dominated the news. This time, however, the tone was
different. Some people had turned in their eggs and shards and worrystones. The
National Guard, combing the countryside, had found more. Every police station
and armory in the country had a few, and some had already been shipped to
Washington, where government scientists were trying to unravel their secrets.
But everyone who had had a stone and slept had dreamed. The woman on the screen
explained it: "When I woke up, I remembered only one thing. I was supposed to go
out and look for another of the things. I was supposed to find it a mate."
There was laughter in the studio. Di said, "Just like yours."
The announcer went on: "Maybe I should have taken a cold shower. As it was, the
feeling of compulsion lasted until after my second cup of coffee." More
laughter. "Government representatives are concerned."
She vanished, replaced by a uniformed man standing before a flag. "This could be
the start of something a few of us have worried about for a long time. If these
stones want mates, then they can breed. We may be seeing the first steps of an


file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Alien%20Resonance.txt (8 of 38) [12/28/2004 4:44:45 PM]
 file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Alien%20Resonance.txt

invasion."
The announcer returned, making a face at the camera. "No one knows where this
invasion may be from. And not everyone believes the danger is real." Her second
clip showed a street scene. "In Chicago, people who surrendered their finds are
now demanding them back." A mob faced a stone building with the word "Police"
over its door. There were screams, shouts, surges of angry faces toward the few
officers who blocked the doorway.
"Elsewhere, police are voluntarily returning the stones." Another scene, a cop,
his holster empty, passing stones to outstretched hands. Some hands promptly
vanished, securing their prizes in pockets and purses. Others stayed visible,
raised aloft, waving as if groping, seeking. From time to time, two hands met,
and their stones sounded a solid "Clack!"
"The 'mates' may not be for breeding," said the announcer. "Watch." The camera
zoomed in for a close-up of two hands, one dark, one light, as they neared each
other. The stones knocked together, but instead of a "Clack!" there was a
resonant "Rringg!!"
Around the sound, the crowd fell still. The camera kept its focus on the hands,