"David Gerrold - Chtorr 3 - A Rage for Revenge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gerrold David)

the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.' That-" said the president, "-is the kind of
commitment that is wanted and needed today. Each of us must act as if the issue of the whole will be
decided by our individual actions.
"What is at stake here is nothing less than the future of humanity on the planet. The shape of our
tomorrow will be I determined by the course of action that we undertake today. Each and every one of
us will be a part of that tomorrow, and the future will answer this question: what were we-as a people,
and as individuals-willing to commit to?
"I know what the answer is. If tonight, I were able to move among you and speak to you as
individuals-each and every one of you-and ask just this simple question: `What is your commitment?
What are you willing to do?' I know what your answers would be. You would tell me, `Whatever is
necessary, I will do what must be done. Nothing less than that will be acceptable.' Because that is the
kind of people we are. That is the kind of species we are.
"We do not shrink from this challenge-we accept it. It is a fire in which we will forge a new strength. We
will do what must be done.
"And so, my fellow Americans, let tonight be the turning point in this crisis, the moment of our resolve.
Tonight, let us join together, each and every one of us-not in fear, but in pride-in the commitment to this,
the greatest of all human challenges.
"Tomorrow, acting in your name, and as a focus for your will, I shall go before the Congress of this great
nation and ask for a total mobilization of the resources, the technology, and especially the people of the
United States of America. I shall ask the Congress to quickly and efficiently enact the legislation
necessary to enable us to combat and defeat this ecological infestation!
"We shall go forward! We shall unite together under a new banner! We shall have a single national
purpose: unconditional and total victory over the invader. Anything less will be insufficient and
unacceptable to us-not just as Americans, not just as members of the human family, but as children of
God!"
The president was interrupted forty-three times by applause. It had been a powerful speech, loaded with
all the right emotional cues. And it had worked. The country had accepted the Mobilization Acts:
I'd heard there were only a few protests-not very large ones-and the organizers were quickly arrested.
(That was a trial I'd be interested in following.) But I'd also heard that most people were relieved that the
government finally had things under control. Or at least, appeared to.
Otherwise, I didn't pay much attention to the civilian news. Within three years, there wouldn't be any
civilians. That was another of the things we were giving up. For the duration.
The kid pointed. "Is that it?"
Up ahead, almost hidden, nestled between two hills, were three gray domes. I recognized the
type-inflatables, hardened with shelterfoam. They were partially shaded by a cluster of tall eucalyptus
trees. The place might have looked friendly if the structures hadn't already begun to decay. There were
cracks and holes in the walls. We were going to need a harder foam.
The sign said:
CALIFORNIA CONTROL STATION
SAN LUIS OBISPO DISTRICT
"That's it," I said.
The site was left over from the plagues. I wasn't sure what its purpose had been. My job was to check its
suitability for our current operations.
The government's latest plan was to set up a chain of fortresses, each no more than two hours travel from
the next. Each "safe zone" would be totally self-sufficient and able to withstand even the heaviest of
Chtorran raids. The assault on Bismarck, North Dakota, was still too recent in everybody's minds. Those
pictures were worse than the ones out of Show Low, Arizona.
Right now, it all depended on the roads. We were still too vulnerable, and we had to keep the interstates
open and functioning. The northern California infestations were growing again, despite almost daily
flyovers by the Air Force, and we expected the worms to start expanding south again sometime this year.