"Simon R. Green - Haven 06 - Bones of Haven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Simon R)

For a while, they all lay where they were on the cool stone floor, coughing the smoke out of their lungs
and gasping at the blessedly fresh air. Eventually, they sat up and looked around them, sharing shaken
but triumphant smiles. Hawk knew he was grinning like a fool, and didn't give a damn. There was
nothing like almost dying to make you feel glad to be alive.
"Excuse me," said a polite, unfamiliar voice, "but can anyone tell me what I'm doing here?"

They all looked round sharply, and found that the madman Barber had brought out with them was now
sitting up and looking at them, his eyes clear and sane and more than a little puzzled. Storm chuckled
suddenly.

"Well, it would appear the Pale Men did some good, in spite of themselves. By calling back his
memories, they made him sane again."

The ex-madman looked around him. "I have a strong feeling I'm going to regret asking this, but by any
chance are we in prison?"

Hawk chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's only temporary. Who are you?"

"Wulf Saxon. I think."

Winter rose painfully to her feet and nodded to MacReady, who had been standing patiently to one
side, waiting for them to notice him. As far as Hawk could tell, the negotiator hadn't moved an inch
from where they'd left him.

"Mission over," said Winter, just a little breathlessly. "Any trouble on your end, Mac?"

"Not really."

He glanced back down the corridor. Hawk followed his gaze and for the first time took in the seven
dead men, dressed in prisoner's uniforms, lying crumpled on the corridor floor. Hawk gave the
unarmed negotiator a hard look, and he smiled back enigmatically.

"Like I said: I have a charmed life."

I'm not going to ask, thought Hawk firmly. "Well," he said, in the tone of someone determined to
change the subject. "Another successful mission accomplished."

Winter looked at him. "You have got to be joking. All the creatures we were supposed to capture are
dead, and Hell Wing is a blazing inferno! It'll cost a fortune to rebuild. How the hell can it be a
success?"

Fisher grinned. "We're alive, aren't we?"

Back in the Governor's office, the SWAT team stood more or less at attention, and waited patiently for
the Governor to calm down. The riots had finally been crushed, and peace restored to Damnation Row,
but only after a number of fatalities among both inmates and prison staff. The damage to parts of the
prison was extensive, but that wasn't too important; it would just give the inmates something to do to
keep them out of mischief. Nothing like a good building project to keep prisoners busy. Not to mention
too exhausted to think about rioting again.