"Harrison, Harry- The Stainless Steel Rat for President" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

was the floodlit bulk of the guard station. It looked ominous and impregnable. I could see Flavia shiver and I wondered if I shouldn't do a little shivering myself. Never! This world was mine for the taking. Zapilote was doomed. We could not flinch back from the first challenge.

The Stainless Steel Rat for President 49

"Now hear this," I ordered, slipping a case from under the seat. "These nose plugs will keep you awake while everyone else is being gassed to sleep. Angelina, kindly explain their

use to our guide before we advance. Bolivar, close the top. James, arm the gas jets."
There was a smooth whirring as the armored steel top of the open car slid into place. I nodded approval. "We'll do a dry run on the windows. James, you will close them when I

say now!" There was an echoing thud as all of the windows slammed shut in a fraction of a second. "Good. Now switch

me control of the laser cannon. Keep the recoilless cannon armed up there in case the barrier is too thick for the laser."
A control box popped out of the arm rest at my side and I touched the buttons and checked the meters. "That's it then. Any questions?" "Just one," James said. "When do we eat?"
"After we get through. Any other questions? Possibly some of a more earth-shaking nature? Good. Then here we go." The engine rumbled with power as we slid forward to the
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Of course it was a very slow attack. The longer it took them to discover our nasty intentions the better our chances of success. So we rolled into battle with stately majesty as I broke out another bottle of champagne and labored over the cork. I was still struggling with it as we slowed and stopped before the riveted steel gate. Floodlights burned down and

gun muzzles poked out of slits in the stone wall.
"Open, I say, open!" I shouted leaning out of the window. "What do you low-born accumulations of sheep-droppings think you are doing keeping me waiting like this? Driver, sound the horn and wake these idiots up."
The horn sounded, really not a horn but a recording of a steam calliope at full blast. My ears hurt, but I waved the champagne bottle with success as the portal ground slowly upwards. We rolled forward into the fortress to stop before the second sealed gate. I tried to ignore the fact that the first

one had closed behind us as I concentrated on the cork. It came out with a resounding pop and Angelina cheered and held out her glass to be refilled. Both boys extended their glasses back for filling and all of us ignored the armed soldiers who were pouring out of the guard room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Angelina plant an elbow in Flavia's rib to encourage her to get into the act as well. I filled her glass and returned it to her.
"Your papers, at once," an officer ordered, pushing through the troops who stared, goggle-eyed, at our aristocratic excesses.
"Silence, knave, when in the company of your betters," I shouted, sloshing champagne as I gesticulated broadly. "Open the portal, then be gone!"
"Your identification, please," he asked again, a little more humbly now in the presence of his superiors. He was at the

open window, looking in, and I saw his eyes widen as he saw Flavia. Recognized! He opened his mouth to shout a com-
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The Stainless Steel Rat for President 51

mand and I hurled the glassful of champagne between his gaping teeth.
"Windows! Gas!" I ordered.
As the windows slammed shut a flood of gas poured from the vents on the car. The officer slid out of sight and his soldiers dropped around him in silent heaps. As the last one fell I hit the switch on the laser gun.
The ruby ray lashed out spectacularly; sparks flew in all directions. And the steel door glowed a nice red color. "Not too impressive," Angelina said.
"The metal is too thick. James, the cannon. Hit it at the top..."
The long hood of the car split open and an ugly, gray muzzle heaved up into firing position. The exploding roar of the recoilless 105 cannon was deafening in that enclosed space. Even inside the insulated car we clutched our ears as the armor-piercing shells tore through the steel. It was like being inside a giant bell with our heads as clappers. The door ahead of us buckled and shookЧthen collapsed outward with gathering speed and crashed down into the roadway.
Machine-gun bullets crashed and starred the window by

my face and clattered like deadly hail off the armored roof, as more soldiers poured out of the doorway. They fired as they cameЧthen collapsed as they walked into the pool of sleeping gas.
"Get us out of here!" I shouted, hardly able to hear myself with the ringing in my ears. "Wait!"
One of the soldiers had staggered forward, still shooting as he dropped onto the hood of the car. His sprawled body slid slowly backward and disappeared from sight. If we moved we would run him down.
I had the door open even as I shouted, diving out, stumbling over the thick-piled slumbering troops. One of them had fallen with his arm under the car; I kicked it back. Then I had the soldier in front of the car by the boots and dragged him aside.
As I jumped for the car I had a sudden glimpse of another soldier in a gas mask, raising a gun. It fired, and pain tore through my shoulder spinning me about, knocking me down.
Things became a little hazy then. I tried to stand but only thrashed a bit without moving. Through a blur I saw James standing over me firing a needle gun, then dropping it and grabbing me up. Pushing me headlong into the car. Though I

52 The Stainless Steel Rat for President