"2 - The Flood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Halo ebooks txt)

since the Academy and had never heard the man sound so grim.
УLook,Ф Shephard said, УI need someone I can depend on. Like it or not,
thatТs you, pal. YouТve cross-checked on cryo systems.Ф
Sam sighed. УMonths ago . . . but yes.Ф
УIТm sending a feed to your terminal, Sam,Ф Shephard continued. УItТll
answer some of your questions anyway. Dump it to a portable Тpad, grab
your gear and get down here.Ф
УRoger,Ф Sam said. He stood, shrugged into his uniform tunic, and stepped
over to his terminal. He activated the computer and waited for the upload
from Shephard.
As he waited, his eyes locked on a small two-dee photograph taped to the
edge of the screen. Sam brushed his fingers against the photo. The pretty
young woman frozen in the picture smiled back at him.
The terminal chimed as the feed from Shephard appeared in SamТs message
queue. УReceiving the feed, Chief,Ф he called out to the intercom pickup.
He opened the file. A frown creased his tired features as a new message
scrolled across his screen.
>FILE ENCRYPTED/EYES ONLY/MARCUS, SAMUEL
N./SN:18827318209-M.
>DECRYPTION KEY: [PERSONALIZED: УELLENТS ANNIVERSARYФ]
He glanced back at the picture of his wife. He hadnТt seen Ellen in almost
three yearsЧsince his last shore leave on Earth, in fact. He didnТt know
anyone on active duty whoТd been able to see their loved ones for years. The
war simply didnТt allow for it.
SamТs frown deepened. UNSC personnel generally avoided talking about the
people back home. The war had been going badly for so long that morale
was rock-bottom. Thinking about the home front only made things worse.
The fact that Thom had personalized the security encoding was unusual
enough; reminding Sam of his wife in the process was completely out of
character for Chief Shephard. Someone was being security-conscious to the
point of paranoia.
He punched in a series of numbersЧthe date of his weddingЧand enabled
the decryption suite. In seconds, the screen filled with schematics and tech
readouts. His practiced eye scanned the fileЧand adrenaline suddenly
spiked through his fatigue like a bolt of lightning.
УChrist,Ф he said, his voice suddenly hoarse. УThom, is this what . . . who
Ithink it is?Ф
УDamn right. Get down to Cryo Two on the double, Sam. WeТve got an
important package to thaw outЧand we drop back into real space soon.Ф
УOn my way,Ф he said. He killed the intercom connection, his exhaustion
forgotten.
Sam quickly dumped the tech file to his portable compad and deleted the
original from his computer. He strode toward the door to his cabin, then
stopped. He snatched EllenТs picture from the workstationЧalmost as an
afterthoughtЧand shoved it into his pocket.
He sprinted for the lift. If the Captain wanted the inhabitant of Cryo Two
revived, it meant that Keyes believed that the situation was about to go from
bad to worse . . . or it already had.
Unlike vessels designed by humansЧin which the command area was
almost always located toward the shipТs bowЧCovenant ships were