"James E. Gunn - Breaking Point" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gunn James E)

drew a long slow puff.

"Man, that goes good...."

The cigarette was not lighted. Hoskins turned away, an expression of sick pity on his face. Ives reached
abruptly for his own lighter, and the doctor checked him with a gesture.

"Every time I see a hot pilot work I'm amazed," Paresi said conversationally. "Such concentration ... you
must be tuckered, Johnny."

Johnny puffed at his unlit cigarette. "Tuckered," he said. "Yeah." There were two odd undertones to his
voice suddenly. They were fatigue, and eagerness. Paresi said, "You're off-watch, John. Go stretch out."

"Real tired," mumbled Johnny. He lumbered to his feet and went aft, where he rolled to the couch and
was almost instantly asleep.




The others congregated far forward around the controls, and for a long moment stared silently at the
sleeping pilot.

"I don't get it," murmured Ives.

"He really thought he flew us out, didn't he?" asked Hoskins.

Paresi nodded. "Had to. There isn't any place in his cosmos for machines that don't work. Contrary
evidence can get just so strong. Then, for him, it ceased to exist. A faulty cigarette lighter irritated him, a
failing airlock control made him angry and sullen and then hysterical. When the drive controls wouldn't
respond, he reached his breaking point. Everyone has such a breaking point, and arrives at it just that
way if he's pushed far enough."

"Everyone?"

Paresi looked from face to face, and nodded somberly. Anderson asked, "What knocked him out? He's
trained to take far more strain than that."

"Oh, he isn't suffering from any physical or conscious mental[Pg 23] fatigue. The one thing he wanted to do
was to get away from a terrifying situation. He convinced himself that he flew out of it. The next best thing
he could do to keep anything else from attacking him was to sleep. He very much appreciated my
suggestion that he was worn out and needed to stretch out."
"I'd very much appreciate some such," said Ives. "Do it to me, Nick."

"Reach your breaking point first," said the doctor flatly, and went to place a pillow between Johnny's
head and a guard-rail.

Hoskins turned away to stare at the peaceful landscape outside. The Captain watched him for a moment,
then: "Hoskins!"

"Aye."