"James Patrick Kelly - St. Theresa of the Aliens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

"Come," Nicole said to me as Terry steered her toward the door. I
sagged into a folding chair.
"Wake up, Crimmins, God damn it! Sam!" Laszlo's voice had been
buzzing in my ear for some time.
"Yeah?"
"What the hell is going on?"
Instincts took over. "The aliens have bolted for the ship. Get a
camera on it. I'm on my way."
I ran out of the building but did not stop at the truck. I could see
two knots of people near the aliens' ship. The larger stood off about fifty
yards, the smaller directly underneath the ship's exhaust port. They gathered
around a fire truck with a raised hydraulic ladder. In the bucket a soldier
with a laser torch was attacking the jump ship's hatch. As I approached
Twisted Logic's amplified voice boomed across the field.
"WE REGRET YOUR PROBLEMS. NOW WE ASK THAT YOU CLEAR THE AREA SO THAT
WE MAY REMOVE OURSELVES. PLEASE CLEAR THE AREA."
Those beneath the jump ship took the announcement as a cue to sit down.
I was stunned to see that their number included not only Terry and the Purgers
but also the three liason men from State, both of InfoLine's lawyers and even
one of the scientists.
 And Nicole.
I went first to the soldiers standing off to one side who were guarding
the rest of my audience. "Listen," I said to a bemused captain, "you've got
to move those people out of there. If that ship lifts off, they'll be
incinerated."
His eyes glittered in the shadow of his helmet. "Orders are to leave
'em alone."
"That's my wife under there! Whose orders?"
"Orders."
"SCANNING SHOWS SIXTEEN HUMANS BENEATH THIS SHIP. WE WARN YOU TO MOVE
IMMEDIATELY. CLEAR THE AREA TO A DISTANCE OF THIRTY METERS. MOVE
IMMEDIATELY."
I broke away from the Guardsmen and sprinted to the ship. Two soldiers
pursued me at a dogtrot. "Following you with the zoom, Sam," said Laszlo.
"Is that what you want? General says his Defense Force boys are on the way.
Should be great footage."
The Purgers seemed as calm as if they were on picnic. Maybe they
thought the aliens were bluffing but I know at least one was perfectly
prepared for martyrdom. "Get out." I could hardly breathe. "You think they'll
just sit here while you cut your way in? Get out of here! Nicole!"
The soldiers grabbed me. "Let go, God damn it. She's my wife. Nicole!"
"Wait," she said and the soldiers obeyed. "Do you believe, Sam? If
you believe you can stay." Terry glared at her.
"I believe in you. But you can't stay here, Nicole."
"It's not enough." She smiled but shook her head. "I love you."
"Sam," said Laszlo as the soldiers dragged me away, "get your ass out
of there. The General has given the aliens permission to lift ..."
The two soldiers and I were flattened by the ignition of the jump
ship's drive.
In the aliens' lightweight jump ships, lasers heat liquid hydrogen. As