"Harry Harrison - SSR 09 - The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to He" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

were all young, handsome and rich. Or rather rich first-therefore young and handsome.
It did not take me long to discover that they were also boring beyond belief.
Making a lot of money seems to produce people who care only about making money.
Now I am not a snob-far from it. My circle of friends and acquaintances contains weird and
wonderful examples from all walks of life. Conmen and connoisseurs. Forgers and foresters, police
and politicians, scientists and psalm singers. All of them entertaining and good company in a
variety of strange and interesting ways.
Yet after a month on Lussuoso I was ready for anything but more of Lussuoso. Suicide
perhaps, or back into the army again, maybe swimming in a lake of sulfuric acid; any of these
would be preferable.
But I bided my time and increased my drinking for two reasons. Firstly I had paid a


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satellite-sized bundle for the medical treatments and I was going to get my money's worth.
Secondly, and more importantly, Angelina was having an incredibly good time. Our lifestyle had
previously prevented her from having female acquaintances or close lady friends. Her early and
murderous life, before the psych treatments that had turned her into a more civilized, though
still criminal, person, was far in the past and hopefully forgotten. We never discussed those
early years when I-for a rare change-was on the side of law enforcement. And she was a criminal on
the run. A very nasty criminal indeed and I could not understand how one so beautiful could be so
devious and cruel. Until she trusted me, perhaps she loved me even then, and had opened the locket
with the secret of her past. Her beauty had been the product of the surgeon's knife. That had
changed her from what she had been to how she looked now. Only her criminal existence had enabled
her to pay for the operations. Because of this, and our extra-legal standard of living, we might
have had a lonely existence in many ways. We had not led a solitary life, but it had-certainly
been a different kind of life from the normal ones led by the other 99.99 percent of mankind.
Having the twins had been a novel experience for both of us. One that I had not looked
forward to with a great deal of enthusiasm. But I had changed, for the better Angelina always
said, and she should know. When the boys were growing up we had seen that they had received the
best education. We had discussed it a lot and had finally agreed that they could choose the style
of, life that most appealed to them. In all fairness, when they were old enough, we had introduced
them to some of the more interesting aspects of our lifestyle. I am happy to say that they took to
it instantly. All of this kept us busy enough and. since Angelina had never had any close friends,
she apparently had never missed the acquaintance of those of the fairer sex. Now she had them in
abundance.
They went out together and did things together. Just what I was never quite sure. But she-
and they-did enjoy themselves. She had even mentioned lightly, and oh howl wish I had listened
more closely, the Temple of Eternal Truth. She hadn't seemed terribly interested but had gone
there at a friend's insistence.
Now this. I sipped long and hard at my drink and resisted a refill.
"DiGriz here," I called out at the instant the communicator buzzed.
"It is Captain Collin, Admiral. We have some more-and very puzzling-infonnation about
the Temple of Eternal Truth. Do you think you could come to my office..."
I was out the door even while he was still speaking.

Chapter 2