"Hogan, James P - The Genesis Machine p260-end" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

УPermission to authorize Phase Two?Ф Carlohm

Уon
asked the President. УMissile subs and launch s~
УProceed,Ф Sherman responded. The order rea the operations coordinator, who turned toward~ panel. Suddenly his face knotted into a puzzled fr He began jabbing repeatedly at the buttons in fro him. An assistant sitting slightly forward of him turning and muttering, making helpless gestures to
his own console.
УWhatТs happening?Ф came the voice of Vice I
dent Reyes, sharply.
УIТm not sure.Ф The coordinator looked perpl~ УWeТve lost contact with the Control Room. Pri:
channelТs dead; standbyТs dead; backup sys arenТt responding.Ф He spoke into a microphone on the panel. УControl Room, Control Room. СV lost you completely. Do you hear? Come in ple He toggled more switches furiously and tried a No response.
УYouТve got a fault,Ф somebody said.
УImpossible. Triple redundancy circuits. Some
funnyТs going on.Ф

A low hum followed by the dull thud of a I object striking solid resistance came from above
heads. Every face turned upward. The massive door had closed in the far wall of the gallery, se off the Control Room. Indignant voices rose up c sides.
УWhat in hellТs going on?Ф УSomebodyТs flipped.Ф
УChrist! ItТs all gonna screw up.Ф
Then one of the operators at a monitoring St a few feet away from the coordinator became ex УAccess doors to generator floors, acceler~ J-reactor, modulator levels, and computer floor all closed. The entire system is sealed off and a

Уon
cal controls have been deactivated by Contrcil Room override.Ф
УWhatТs he talking about?Ф Reyes demanded. The coordinator slumped back in his seat and showed his upturned palms.
УThe whole system is being controlled by those two guys up there.Ф He pointed up toward the gallery. УWe canТt get in, and theyТre not talking to us. We canТt get at any part of the machine either.Ф
УWell. . . damn it. . . what can you do?Ф
УNix.Ф
УCanТt you pull the plug on the damn thingЧor something?Ф
УWouldnТt do any good. ItТs got its own generating station below that can run for years. ThereТs no way we can get in at that either.Ф
Reyes spun round to confront the group of agitated Presidential aides. Sherman himself seemed to be taking the situation more calmly than anybody .
unnaturally so. His reaction, or apparent lack of one, served only to confuse the Vice President more.
УI donТt understand it,Ф Reyes said. УAlex. What are you going to do?Ф
УYouТve just heard,Ф Sherman told him. УIt doesnТt look as if thereТs anything we can do. So I guess we just have to do what the old lady saidЧif itТs gonna happen anyway, lie back and enjoy it.Ф
Carlohm, who had been conferring with his staff officers and studying the details of the reports coming in on the displays, interrupted. УExcuse me. Can I update you on our evaluation of the situation. Not all enemy satellites have been destroyed. Their strategic bombardment system and orbital lasers have been eliminated, but their capability for intercepting our own satellites with space-launched missiles is still intact. Since it looks as if we might not be able to rely

291
on further J-strikes, I suggest we alert our cc tional defenses to prepare for independent a
УVery well,Ф Sherman agreed. УFrom now
treat this as a conventional operation. You nos~
sole command of all forces. Act as you see fit.Ф
Carlohm issued a brief list of instructions
staff, who dispersed to translate them into orde
the commanders of the Western defenses. Withir utes, salvos of missiles were discharged by the s ing enemy satellites; ground launchings were de from Siberia to South Africa, which proved to I ICBMs but interceptor missiles streaking upw~ join in the assault on the unscathed Western s~ array. As the attacking waves closed in upon targets, orbiting lasers and defensive missiles brought into action to counter them.
During the next fifteen minutes the pattern
trition unfolded: The enemy missiles were not ~ through. All the calculations and simulations shown that even with all the most favorable as tions, the Western defensive system could achieve the kill-rate that was being indicated c
screens. Something else was at work. That som
could only be the J-weapon, which made it a more strange for the two scientists to seal them
in.
Then a new and inexplicable trend became
ent in the reports: a terrible toll was being tal~ the friendly ORBS and laser satellites. The
missiles were not getting through to their target yet the targets were being destroyed. Suc Carlohm realized what was happening.