"Barbara Karmazin - Blackbird 2 - Out of the Dark" - читать интересную книгу автора (Karmazin Barbara)

The woman peered inside the carrier. тАЬOoh! What a pretty little kitty.тАЭ

Cait fished a credit chip from her pocket. тАЬI appreciate your help.тАЭ
 The woman snatched the chip and tucked it away inside her rags. There wasn't any odor coming from
the woman's filthy clothing. Was Rachel a special operative stationed here to sniff out potential thieves?
Was her presence here an added precaution because of the arrival of the Trade Commission delegation
today, or was there some other reason?

The elevator was exactly where Rachel said it would be. Cait spared a swift glance over her shoulder.
The woman had turned her back to them while she dumped another load of computer wafers into the
recycling bin.

Cait stood in front of the elevator's closed doors and spoke into the sofscreen embedded in the wall.
тАЬUpper level concourse, please.тАЭ The sound of a descending car told her it was responding properly to
her request.

A distantcrrrump drowned out the smooth purr of machinery. Had the machinery malfunctioned? She
pulled Socorro away from the entrance doors, back against the opposite wall and shielded the child with
her body.

Socorro twisted around in her grip. тАЬWhat's wrong?тАЭ

There was a brilliant flash of light; sound slammed into them and the ground swayed under their feet and
bowled them over in a jumble of arms and legs. It felt exactly how she'd imagined being caught in the
middle of an earthquake would be like. Thick, black smoke billowed up around them, making them
choke and cough in an instinctive struggle to keep breathing. Cait's inner eyelids slid down to protect her
eyes. Slabs of concrete rained down upon her head and shoulders and pinned her to the floor.

She heard a sharp snapping sound from her right leg. Pain soared through her in a nauseating whirl.
Goddess above! Socorro needs me. I can't pass out now!

The thunderous roar gradually died down. She shook her head and concentrated on taking slow, careful
breaths. The pain settled down to the level of a throbbing toothache. It was bearable as long as she didn't
try to move. She concentrated on wiggling her toes inside her sneaks. Her toes moved. Good. That
meant her spinal cord remained intact. She felt Socorro wriggle out of her grasp.

Sirens wailed in the distance. First one, then several, then an orchestra of them. She blinked her tears
and the inner membrane from her eyes and tried to focus. Was Socorro hurt too? Had there been an
earthquake? Or a bomb within the spaceport?

More smoke and flames billowed in the distance. She heard Licorice screeching and frantically clawing
at the latch of her cage.

The entire left side of her face hurt just like a migraine. She wiped at the moisture trickling down her face
and stared at her hand. Blood covered her fingers, not sweat. She reached up and felt the swollen bulge
of a goose egg.

The pet carrier blocked her view. She pushed it aside and saw Socorro on her knees in a relatively clear
patch of the floor. Dust and small fragments of concrete covered the child's head. Socorro crawled over