"Nicola Griffith - Ammonite" - читать интересную книгу автора (Griffith Nicola)

тАЬTake a painkiller for the headache.тАЭ
Marghe went to the food slot, swallowed the painkiller, and lay down again.
What had happened to Winnie Kimura? Perhaps Eagan knew more than she was
saying. Eagan would know a lot that was not in any report. She needed Eagan with
her on Jeep, not up here. Six months, alone.
Silence lay like a weight on her chest, pushing her down.
 Her dreams were confused. She was back on the Terragin, studying a language
map. A word kept appearing, superimposed over her careful roots: CURSED. She
tried everything she could think of to wipe the screen clean, but nothing worked.
Then the walls and ceilings were whispering in HiamтАЩs voice: Remember the cursed.
When she woke up, she felt hollow and light, her head full of hot wires trying to
push their way out through her eyes. She lay still. The cursed. The cursedтАж What
did the dream remind her of? The TerraginтАж workingтАж overhearing one of the
crew: Supplies for the cursed.
She sat up carefully, pushed herself off the bed, and almost fell onto the chair
before her terminal.
тАЬSara.тАЭ Silence. тАЬSara?тАЭ
The screen flickered into color. Sara was flushed. тАЬYes?тАЭ
Marghe blinked. Bad time. тАЬSorry.тАЭ But she could not bring herself to switch off.
тАЬThereтАЩs something I wanted to talk to you aboutтАж A dream. The cursed. Supplies
for the cursed.тАЭ
тАЬAh, yes. Our keeper. Our Armageddon.тАЭ
Marghe shook her head, confused.
тАЬThe Kurst.тАЭ Hiam spelled it for her. тАЬCompanyтАЩs military cruiser hanging out
there, watching us, watching Jeep.тАЭ
None of this made sense to Marghe. тАЬWhat?тАЭ
тАЬOfficially it doesnтАЩt exist, but SEC knows about it. We know about it.
Commander Danner down on the ground knows about it. I donтАЩt think sheтАЩs thought
it all through, but at least she knows itтАЩs there.тАЭ
Marghe wished Hiam would go more slowly. тАЬI donтАЩt understand any of this.тАЭ
тАЬNo? Wait a minute.тАЭ Hiam leaned off-screen, reappeared holding a glass and a
small bottle. She poured herself a shot. Drank it down. тАЬIllegal, this. But IтАЩm sure
Company wonтАЩt mind.тАЭ She poured herself another. тАЬThe Kurst appeared a while
after Estrade was converted. Four years ago, maybe. ItтАЩs CompanyтАЩs insurance.тАЭ
Marghe knew she must look confused. Her head hurt.
тАЬLook at it this way, hereтАЩs a planet riddled with a virus that kills all men and lots
of women, almost as if it was designed as a weapon.тАЭ
тАЬWas it?тАЭ
Hiam brushed the question aside. тАЬWhatтАЩs important is that it could be used as
one. DonтАЩt you see? Nobody understands it, no one can control it. Except maybe
those women down there. If you were a military person, would you take a chance on
letting civilian technicians, even Mirrors, wander onto a world if they could come out
carrying a weapon our hypothetical soldier doesnтАЩt understand and canтАЩt combat?тАЭ
Marghe had not thought of it that way. тАЬBut everyone goes through
decontamination.тАЭ
 Hiam poured another drink. тАЬLet me tell you something. We know nothing about
that virus. Nothing. We donтАЩt know its vectors, its strength, or longevityтАж nothing.
If you were to go through all those unpleasant procedures I detailed for you before
you left the clean area, no one could guarantee you would be free of it. Now, given
that thatтАЩs the case, would you let someone off here and take them home? Imagine if