"Harry Harrison - Bill 2 - On The Planet Of Robot Slaves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

least at a continuous one. Bill walked in an offcenter and lurching manner
because his right foot was so much bigger than his left. And his toes hurt,
scrunched inside the boot. He wondered why the hell he was wearing it. Because
it had been issued to him and he would be out of uniform without it. Fury rose
at the thought and he tore off the boot, hurled it out into the desert and
stretched his toessharp claws gleaming in the sunlight. This was more like it.
He hurried to catch up with the others, walking comfortably now. When the
sun was overhead Praktis groaned an order to halt and they all fell down.
Bill, goaded perhaps by the responsibility of his new rank, dragged a water,
container around and doled out a ration to each of them. Those with strong
stomachs squeezed out a little Yumee-Gunge. Praktis watched them and tried
some himself. "Yekh!" he wretched. "And you are being complimentary,"
Captain Bly said. "It is not edible." "Something has got to be done,"
Praktis said hurling the tube out into the desert. "I was going to wait-but we
need food now or we can't go on." He rooted in his pack and dragged out a flat
case. "Bill-get me a cup of water." "What the hell are you doing?" Captain
Bly complained. "You have had your water ration." "This is not for me-but
for all of us. A little product of my original research. Illegal they said!
Legality is for weaklings. All right, there were a few48accidents, not many
died, the buildings were rebuilt quickly enough. But I persevered-and won!
Here it is!" He held high something that looked like a plastic-wrapped
goat turd. Cy put his finger to the side of his head and made a rotating
motion. "I saw that!" Praktis screeched. "You laugh, just like the rest of
them. But it is Mel Praktis who will have the last laugh! Here is a seed, a
mutated seed containing growth accelerators never dreamed of by myopic,
pedestrian researchers. Watch!" He kicked a hole in the sand and placed
the seed within it, then poured the water over it. There was a puff of steam
as the water dissolved the plastic wrapping-followed by a rapid crackling.
"Step back! There is real danger." The ground burst open and green
tendrils sprang into the air, blossomed with leaves in an instant. At the same
time the sand stirred and rose as powerful roots shot out in all directions.
Bill, ignoring Praktis's warning, touched one of the leaves that had appeared
almost under his nose. He yiped and sucked his finger. "Serves you right,"
Praktis said. "Life and growth generate heat-and at this speed there is far
more heat than can be dissipated normally. Look how the ground cracks open as
all of the water is absorbed, the sand heated by the burgeoning life within."
It was indeed spectacular. The broad leaves absorbed solar energy to supply
the enzyme-driven furnaces wtihin. A thick stem emerged and a gourd swelled
out, growing and crackling before their eyes. When it was almost a meter long
it grew bright red, sizzled and broke open just as all the leaves and50stems
turned brown, shriveled and died. The entire process had taken less than a
minute. "Impressive, isn't it?" Praktis gloated as he opened his pocket
knife and plunged it into the melon. Steam hissed out and a succulent smell
filled the air. "Like lichen, the melon has both animal and vegetable cells
within it. The animal cells are mutated beef so that-as you can see-the flesh
within has been cooked by the heat of growth so that the melon-steak is ready
to eat." He sliced off a succulent pink slice and popped it into his
mouth. Then jumped for safety as the others dived forward. It was an hour
at least before the last chaw was chawed, the final belch belched, the
penultimate sigh sighed. Only broken bits of rind remained, while stomachs