"Alan Dean Foster - Flinx 09 - Flinx's Folly" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

And they were all manifestly sympathetic.

An infinitesimal bit of the thing that was the phenomenon behind the Emptiness
brushed him. It sent him headlong in retreatтАФfalling, plunging, rushing
mindlessly madly away from that unimaginably distant and horrible place. The
mind that had thrust him outward fought to cushion his descent, while the other
compassionate perceivers looked on empathetically. The third observer remained
cold and aloof as always, though not disinterested.

He sat up with a shout. Alarmed, disturbed, and awakened, Pip burst out of his
shirt collar to flutter nervously over his head. The young engineering tech
finishing up his check of the scanning instruments let out a startled yelp, tripped
over his feet, and landed hard on the self-sanitizing floor.

Flinx sensed the man's fear, distress, and uncertainty, and he hastened to reassure
him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you." Reaching upward with one hand, he
coaxed Pip into settling down on his shoulder.



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Picking himself up off the floor, the tech strove to divide his attention between
the unexpectedly conscious patient and his scaly, brightly colored pet. Warily, he
resumed packing up his tools.

"Well, you failed." He carefully tucked a sensitive calibrator back into its pouch.
"What kind of animal is that?"

Flinx affectionately stroked the back of Pip's head and neck with one finger.
"She's an Alaspinian minidrag, or flying snake."

"Cute. Real cute. Me, I'll stick to puppies."

In response to the emotion underlying the tech's reply, Pip thrust her pointed
tongue several times in his direction. Then she twisted to eye her master
concernedly as Flinx suddenly bent double, both hands holding the sides of his
head.

The engineering tech was distressed. "Hey, friendтАФyou all right?"

Little bolts of lightning were shooting through Flinx's skull and invisible demons
were squeezing his eyes in heavy wooden vises. He struggled to steady his
breathing long enough to respond.

"No, I'mтАФI'm not." Fighting the pain, he forced himself to look up and meet the
other man's gaze. "I'm subject toтАФ I get terrible headaches. I never know when