"Simon Hawke - Time Wars 01 - The Ivanhoe Gambit" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawke Simon)

ice cubes around so that they tinkled against the glass.

Scipio sent his archers forward, regrouped his forces and they struck again. As he had advised Jesse,
Lucas went on automatic pilot, phasing out his brain and fighting like an automaton. He was drained of
everything. Drained of energy, drained of spirit, drained even of fear. When he finally came out of it, he
was astonished to discover that he was still alive. Scipio had won.
When the pickup squad made contact, he was still in a daze. He heard the tone inside his headтАФas
they signaled him via his implant from somewhere close byтАФand he slipped away at the earliest
opportunity. They tracked him and he was picked up by three men in Roman garb. He clocked back to
the present, battered, weak and exhausted. He felt empty. He was back in the year 2613 and none of it
felt right. The soldiers were sitting around in the departure station, waiting for their codes to be called.
They were all in various modes of dress, a cross section of history on parade. Dollies shuttled around,
carrying all manner of weapons and equipment. Men and women were loading up on cigarettes and
coffee. Drugs were prohibited, but easily available. There was that same metronomical voice announcing
codes and grid designations over the P.A. He had arrived, by chance, right back where he had started
from, the Quantico Departure Station.
The snap-back hit. The old "it's-like-you-never-left" feeling. He felt vaguely disoriented with a heavy
touch of deja vu. He had some time left before he was due to pick up his new tags with a new code
designation or to apply for a furlough. Some time. It seemed ironic. He was now eligible for a furlough,
but most soldiers never took them. What was the point? The army gave credit only for time spent on
active duty and time was precious. What he wanted, just that minute, was a drink.
He crossed the giant plaza and headed for a bar. It looked familiar and well it should have; it was
where he had met Jesse Fain. Feeling a bit nostalgic for the present past, he headed for a certain table in
a certain booth. The same booth he had shared with Jesse. It was unoccupied, but they hadn't had time
to clean it off yet. On the table was an empty ale tankard and a single glass of scotch.
The ice was almost melted.
He checked the time. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes since she'd left. And he
had been away six months. He sat down wearily and ordered an ale and a computer terminal. Both were
brought to his table almost immediately. He plugged into the line and voiced his request. There were one
or two people he wanted to check up on. At the same time, he almost didn't want to know. He took a
gulp of ale, then gave their names and serial numbers.
The data was quick in coming. Johnson, Robert Benjamin, serial number
777334-29-181-999-285-60............CS (current status) active duty Napoleonic WarsтАФ
That was all he wanted to know. At least Bobby was still alive. So far. Some of the others weren't so
lucky. Deacon Bailey was MIA, Liz Carmody was KIA, Josh McKenzie was KIA and Jesse Fain never
even made it to wherever she was going. She was lost in transit, somewhere in the dead zone. Her
waiting was over. He didn't have the heart to continue. He was about to turn off the terminal and have it
taken away when an update flashed across the screen.
Bobby Johnson had just clocked back in.

1
Master Sergeant Robert Benjamin Johnson sat on his duffel bag, a longbow resting across his lap.
The plastic duffel, which had just been drawn from supply, made slight crackling noises as he shifted his
weight upon it. Beside him was Finn Delaney, Pfc, dressed in the garb of a Saxon peasant and fast asleep
on the plastic bench. Johnson heard someone call out his name and looked up to see a non-com dressed
in transit fatigues threading his way through the crowd toward the bank of vending machines near which
they waited. It took him a moment to recognize the man; Lucas Priest had aged.
"Lucas! Jesus Christ, you're still alive!"
 "Only just barely," Priest said. They clapped their arms around each other in an awkward bear hug.
"God, it's good to see you," Lucas said. "I wasn't sure I'd make it back from that last one. Nothing like a