"Michael Flynn - Falling Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flynn Michael)

It was a ramshackle affair with a gravel lot and a wriggling MEMS sign above it that named it The
Sidewinder. Some of the micro-electromechanical devices had failed, so the snakeтАЩs motions seemed a
little spastic. A battered pickup and an old SUV sat on the side of the building and three bikes, chopped,
stood out front. But the haze from the black stack had the tang of barbecue in it, and Chase decided to
check it out.
He pulled his Predator up beside the bikes and locked it. Three Harleys, he saw; battered, but kept in
good shape. Repaired with dealer aftermarket parts; no homemade junk. Before entering the bar, he
doffed his cap and held it over the sun while he looked at the sky. Yep. There was the Moon, all right: a
fingernail paring just west of the sun.Enjoy the trip, Gerhard, he thought. He recoiled from the notion that it
might be the last one. Somehow, the Moon seemed much farther away than usual, but maybe that was in
his head.
Inside, the bar was warm and smoky, but not hot for all that. A floor fan at the far end stirred the air as it
hunted back and forth. A long bar lined the back wall with a decently varied rack of bottles against the
mirror. Above the mirror an improbably long rattlesnake was mounted on a wooden board. The bartender,
a solid, dark-haired, happy-faced man, drank from a bottle of water while he chatted with the waitress.
Chase tried to guess which was the pickup and which the SUV. The bikers occupied a booth near the
door. They studied Chase as he slid onto a bar stool.
тАЬSkull Mountain,тАЭ said Chase, dropping his cap to the bar. The barman looked at the cap, at ChaseтАЩs red
Pegasus coveralls, then reached under the bar and pulled up two long-neck Skulls and a glass. The glass
looked clean. Chase took one of the bottles and popped the cap. He didnтАЩt use the glass. тАЬWhy two?тАЭ he
said, pointing to the second bottle.
тАЬFirst oneтАЩs on the house,тАЭ the barman said.
Chase thought about that. тАЬWhich am I drinking?тАЭ
тАЬSecond one.тАЭ
Chase grinned. тАЬIтАЩm smelling some good тАЩcue. Can I get a plate of pulled pork?тАЭ
тАЬBeans?тАЭ
тАЬWhy not? My wifeтАЩs put up with worse.тАЭ
The barman turned away. тАЬHeard the news,тАЭ he said. тАЬ тАЩBout Pegasus shutting down. Damn shame. A lot
of the welders and assemblers from the maintenance shops stop in here.тАЭ
Chase grunted. HeтАЩd been so immersed in his own troubles heтАЩd forgotten there were others, with jobs a
lot less glamorous than space pilot.
Sensing a presence beside him, Chase looked up into the broad, bearded face of one of the bikers. The
man was heavyset, though not fat, and wore a black T-shirt under his leather vest. Intricate tattoos of
eagles and hawks twined up both his arms. The T-shirt read: тАЬNo Fear? You HavenтАЩt MetMe, Yet!тАЭ When
he bunched his muscles, the raptors stirred. тАЬYour moneyтАЩs no good here,тАЭ he said.
тАЬI hope not,тАЭ Chase said mildly. He lifted his bottle of Skull Mountain, тАЬThis hereтАЩs my second bottle, so I
got to pay for it.тАЭ
тАЬYou hear me, Al?тАЭ the biker called after the barman, who was heaping pork on a plate. тАЬIтАЩm buying.тАЭ The
barman gave a sign and the biker slid onto the stool beside Chase. He stuck a hand out. тАЬBird Winfrey.
YouтАЩre Chase Coughlin, arenтАЩt you?тАЭ
тАЬGotta be,тАЭ Chase told him. тАЬNo one else wants the job.тАЭ He gripped hands.
WinfreyтАЩs laugh rumbled in his chest. тАЬThought I recognized you. I lifted with you a time or three back
when we were building Leo Station.тАЭ
Chase tilted his long-neck toward the other man. тАЬHereтАЩs to you, otter.тАЭ
тАЬYou want to join us over in the booth? Chino and Ed are two dogs тАФ mechanics from Phoenix Yards. We
were on our way to meet our wives up in the White Tanks.тАЭ
Chase grabbed both his bottles and slid off the stool. тАЬYour wives drive Harleys, too?тАЭ
тАЬYeah, I saw you checking the bikes out when you came in. Sure. When it comes to bikes, Yamaha makes
a great piano.тАЭ
Chase followed him to the booth and slid in beside a stocky Hispanic with oriental eyes. Winfrey