"John G. Hemry - Lady Be Good" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hemry John G)


"Can you fix it?"

"If I can't, no one can."

As the minutes crawled by I tried not to think about Dingo out there on the hull, the energies of the
engines thundering not far from him. Even the tightest grip on a hull felt too light when your ship was
running through the dark. But Dingo would have to anchor himself using tethers and employ both hands
to replace the failed sections of the vent, wrestling with warped metal in the dark and the cold, wearing a
suit I knew was too old and too worn. "Dingo."

"Waddaya want?" Dingo sounded out of breath. Tired.

"Maybe I should swap out with you."

"Hell, no. It's almost done."

I checked with engineering. "We've got thirty minutes until shutoff will be required. That's plenty of time
for you to get in here and rest and me to take care of what's left to do."

"Not your bloody damned job, Kilcannon! Shut up and let me work. It's almost done."

Halley gave me a questioning look and I shrugged. I couldn't go out and drag him back. We waited.

"Almost." Dingo's voice sounded ragged now.

"Kilcannon, this is Chen in engineering. We're getting a heat spike."

Whichever saint had been watching us had just looked away. "Dingo, drop it and get inside. Now. We've
got a heat spike."

"I drop it now and we'll lose it."

"That's an order, Third Officer Dingo."

"Didn't hear it."

"Kilcannon, this is Chen. We have to vent that spike. We're holding down the overrides, but the safeties
won't let us do that much longer. If the heat spike vents through the secondary it may blow."

"Dingo, damn you--"

"Got it!"

"The safeties overrode our commands! They're dumping the spike!"

"Dingo!" Lady shuddered again. I waited a long moment. "Dingo. Third Officer Dingo. Respond." Halley
Keracides had her eyes hidden behind one hand. "Third Officer Dingo. Respond." I grabbed the other
suit and started getting into it. "Dingo. By all the saints, Dingo..."