"Harry Harrison - Galactic Dreams" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

My best time differed from my worst time by less than fifteen minutes, which
is not significant. We can therefore safely say - ahh.тАЭ He was silent for a
moment while he removed the capsule of the memory spools. ". . . We can safely
say that this is a ten-hour operation.тАЭ

"That is too long. The boy is usually awake by seven, we must have the teddy
back by then. He must never suspect that it has been away.тАЭ

"There is little risk, you can give him some excuse for the time. I will not
rush and spoil the work. Now be silent.тАЭ

The two government specialists could only sit back and watch while Eigg
inserted the capsule into the bulky machine that he had assembled in the room.
This was not their speciality.

"Let me go . . .тАЭ the tiny voice said from the wall speaker, then was
interrupted by a burst of static. "Let me go . . . bzzzzzzt . . . no, no Davy,
Mummy wouldn't like you to do that . . . fork in left, knife in right . . . if
you do you'll have to wipe . . . good boy good boy good boy . . .тАЭ

The voice squeaked and whispered and went on and on, while the hours on the
clock went by, one by one. Numen brought in coffee more than once. Towards
dawn Torrence fell asleep up in the chair, only to awake with a guilty start.
Of them all Eigg showed no strain or fatigue, working the controls with
fingers regular as a metronome. The reedy voice from the capsule shrilled
thinly through the night like the memory of a ghost.

"It is done," Eigg said, sealing the fabric with quick surgeon's stitches.

"Your fastest time ever," Numen sighed with relief. He glared at the nursery
viewscreen that showed his son sleeping soundly, starkly clear in the harsh
infrared light. "And the boy is still asleep. There will be no problem getting
the teddy back to him after all. But is the tape... ?тАЭ

"It is right, perfect, you heard that. You asked the questions and heard the
answers. I have concealed all traces of my work. Unless you know what to look
for in the alterations you would never find the changes. In every other way
the memory and instructions are like all the others. There has just been this
single change made.тАЭ

"Pray God we never have to use it," Numen said.

"I did not know that you were religious," Eigg said, turning to look at him,
his face expressionless. The magnifying loupe was still in his eye and it
stared coldly at him. Five times the size of its fellow, a large and probing
questioner.

"I'm not," Numen said, flushing.

"We must get the teddy back," Torrence broke in. "The boy just moved.тАЭ