"Harry Harrison - SSR 08 - The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the " - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

operating lever of the thick, undoubtedly watertight, door.

He grinned in victorious triumph, bent over and placed an antique pistol on the floor. As I dived for it the
door shut and sealed with a final thud.

Was this really the end? I turned the pistol over in my hands, saw the dull shape of the single cartridge.
End of Jim diGriz, end of the Stainless Steel Rat, end of everything.

There was the distant thank of a valve opening and cold water gushed down on me from a thick pipe in


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the ceiling. It gurgled and slopped, covering my feet, then quickly up to my ankles. When it reached my
waist I lifted the gun and looked at it. Not much of a choice. The water rose steadily. Covered my chest,
up to my chin. I shuddered.

Then the water stopped splashing down. It was cold and I was shivering uncontrollably. The light in the
waterproof fixture revealed only stone wall, dark water.

"What are you playing at bastardacoj?" I shouted; "Humane torture to go with your humane murder?"

A moment later I got my answer. The level began to drop.

"I was right-torturers!" I bellowed. "Torture first-then murder. And you call yourself civilized. Why are
you doing this?"

The last of the water gurgled down the drain and the door slowly opened. I aimed the pistol at it. I
wouldn't mind drowning if I could take the cretinous colonel or the sadistic sergeant with me.

Something dark appeared through the partly open door. The gun banged and the bullet thudded into it. A
briefcase.

"Cease fire!" a male voice called out. "I am your lawyer."

"He only has one bullet, you're safe," I heard the Colonel gay.

The briefcase came hesitantly into the room, carried by a grayhaired man who was wearing the traditional
gold-flecked and diamond decorated black suit that adorned lawyers throughout the galaxy.

"I am your court-appointed lawyer, Pederasis Narcoses."

"What good will you do me-if the trial will be after my execution?"

"None. But that is the law. I will have to interview you now to enable me to conduct your defense at the
trial."

"This is madness-I'll be dead?"