"Hogan, James P - The Genesis Machine p174-259" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

УRestless? You mean take another walk?Ф
УYes.Ф
Aub pursed his lips for a few seconds. УWell . . . to be honest about it, if things get much worse . . . maybe.Ф
УThatТs my BradФ Sarah sounded resigned but with
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no hint of bitterness. УIТd just grown to like this too. Oh, well, what does it say in the book oi
Whither thou goest 1 will go ..
УHuh?Ф
УDoesnТt matter. HereЧIТll take that can.Ф
УThanks. You know something. . .У
The house shook and a noise like thunder
up the stairs as the front door slammed. Elepi footsteps pounded in the entrance level below.
УOh, jeez,Ф murmured Aub.
УIs that you, sweetness?Ф Sarah called. No rep] A minute later Clifford appeared in the d
the dining room, glowering. He mumbled perfr greetings, stamped across to the bar and began ing himself a large measure of Scotch. Sarah ei from the kitchen and walked over to stand ji hind him. He turned, glass in hand, to find hc fronting him with hands on hips and lips
expectantly. He scowled back at her for a fe conds, then emitted a sigh of exasperation, gi and kissed her lightly.
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УShould think so too,Ф she said, and marche into the kitchen.
Aub smirked through the serving hatch.
wait till I tell the guys about this.Ф
УYou shut up if you donТt want to end up ea McDonaldТs.Ф Clifford inclined his head in the tion of the bar. УWant a drink?Ф
УCheers. Rye and dry.Ф
Clifford turned to the bar once more as plates appearing. Aub ambled round into the dining and transferred them from the counter to the A few seconds later Sarah followed.
УMy acute perceptiveness tells me we have lems,Ф Aub said as they sat down.
УThey want the project run their wayЧformal schedule of timetabled objectives, regular progress reports, resident liaison man from Washington. The works. Just what I knew would happen.Ф
УWell . . .У Aub tried to sound philosophical. УI guess they figure that theyТve made the down-payment and ought to be seeing some deliveries . . . delivery estimates anyway.Ф
УIТll deliver everything I said I would, but I wonТt jump through hoops too. I canТt work that way.Ф
УYou have to see it from their point of view, Brad,Ф Sarah tried. УItТs a lot of money to put down with no guarantees at all. Perhaps youТre making it look a bit like they owe it to you to fund anything that interests you. Surely you can trade off somewhere with them.Ф
Clifford grew irritable again.
УSee it from their point of view . . . Why do I always to have to see it from their point of view? Why canТt they try seeing it from mine? Their so-called management science is going to everybodyТs heads. When will they realize they canТt manage human thinking like production lines for plastic ducks? I already saidЧIТll deliver. That should be enough.Ф
Aub was beginning to lose his patience. УYou know that, I know that, Al knows that, and Sarah knows that,Ф he pointed out. УBut maybe they donТt know that, or at least, they donТt believe it enough. Maybe we have to persuade them a bit harder, thatТs all. Like Zim always saidЧrememberЧit needs selling.Ф
Clifford wasnТt buying. УWeТve been through all that and look where itТs led. Anyhow, IТm not a salesman and IТm not interested in becoming one. IТm a scientist. ItТs just another hoop to jump through. Why should we have to?Ф
After a short silence Aub asked: УSo what happens if you end up telling them to get lost? After all, itТs
not really like last time. WeТre working for 1SF now when allТs said and done. There wouldnТt be any question of the job going down the pan.Ф
УTrue,Ф Clifford answered. УBut they could still pull the BIAC out . . . plus all the other stuff theyТve bought.Ф
Aub stopped chewing and looked hard at Clifford with a stare of disbelief.
УYouТre joking, man. TheyТd do that?Ф
УTheyТre already threatening to. ThatТs what held me up. TheyТve got Peter Hughes over a barrelЧhe plays ball or they pick up their marbles. TheyТve been ~. getting at Geneva too, so things wonТt look good for pal Peter if he decides he doesnТt want to play. That puts Al on the spot. HeТs on our side, but his hands are tied now. HeТs just having to hand it down the line.Ф
Aub thought the problem over.
УSo we play ball,Ф he offered at last. УThat way weТve still got a project. The other way we havenТt got a project.Ф He looked from one to the other. УEnd of problem. ThereТs nothing to decide.Ф
Sarah said nothing. She knew better how CliffordТs mind worked.
УItТs not the way,Ф Clifford replied slowly, shaking his head. A strange light had crept into his eyes. УItТll always be the same for as long as we knuckle under. 3 I donТt mean just hereЧeverywhere. The whole damn worldТs gone crazy. The very people who are capable of finding out the ways of solving the real problems are all being muscled into making the problems worse. And the people who are doing the muscling donТt even understand what the problems are.Ф He looked at Aub appealingly. УDid you ever see films of what went on in Nazi Germany in World War II? Some of the best scientific brains in Europe being herded around like slave labor by a bunch of thugs.
Well, it hasnТt gotten that bad yet, but that2s the direction itТs going. I wonТt do anything to help it along, and thatТs what youТre asking me to do.Ф
УSo you walk out,Ф Aub tossed back lightly. УWhat the hell? Who cares? The world goes on anyway. Nothing changes. Only you lose out.Ф
УSomething has to change.Ф Clifford sounded far away. He looked straight through Aub as if he were not there. УOnce and for all there has to be a stop to it . . . the whole lousy situation . . . permanently . . .У
УYouТre gonna change it?Ф Aub laughed. УWhatТll you doЧrun for President? I think youТd be disappointed even if you made it. He, too, seems a bit stuck for answers right now.Ф